The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 15

Set against the winding streets of late‑eighteenth‑century Edinburgh, this dramatic work opens in the modest yet meticulously arranged home of the city’s Deacon of the Wrights. Inside the rooms where carpentry tools sit beside needlework and worn family heirlooms, a cast of vivid characters gathers—ranging from the Deacon’s paralytic father to his ambitious sister, a cunning mistress, and a host of local officials and rogues. Their conversations reveal a community where respect for craft intertwines with whispered rumors of crime and political maneuvering.

Over the course of a single weekend, the play unravels a tangled web of double lives and hidden loyalties. As the Deacon’s household becomes a stage for secret meetings, accusations, and the looming threat of a daring robbery, listeners are drawn into the clash between duty and desire, honor and ambition. The vivid dialogue and richly drawn personalities promise an intimate portrait of a city on the brink of change, inviting you to linger in the smoky rooms where every spoken word could tip the balance between order and chaos.