The Serpent's Tooth

In the sleepy Midlands village of Thornby, a sharp‑tongued, fashionable lady named Dorothy Fenchurch has turned a crumbling old manor into the county’s most admired home. With a keen eye for colour, furniture and gardens, she directs the local carpenter, mason and even the parish doctor, reshaping rooms, staircases and hedges into something unexpectedly elegant. Her husband, the affable Colonel Tom Fenchurch, contentedly watches her orchestrate the transformation while the neighbours whisper about her uncanny knack for finding treasures in dusty curiosity shops.

Just as she settles into this comfortable reign, a stranger is due to arrive – a young woman with a claim on the family’s past who might alter the balance of power in Thornby. Dorothy’s usual confidence wavers, and the house seems to hold its breath as the clock ticks toward the visitor’s entrance. Listeners are invited to watch how ambition, loyalty and a touch of village gossip mingle, setting the stage for the intrigue that will ripple through the newly polished rooms.