Circe's Daughter

The story opens in a genteel London flat where the long‑serving butler Richards arranges a warm evening for an unexpected guest. Carey Image has just returned from five years on the Indian frontier, and his easy charm immediately stirs memories among the household staff. Richards, ever attentive to symmetry and comfort, anxiously prepares the room for a birthday celebration that promises to showcase the latest triumph of his master, Gilbert Currey.

Gilbert’s recent victory in the high‑profile Driver case has turned the legal world’s eye toward him, and his friends gather to toast what they believe will be a remarkable career. Yet beneath the polite conversation, Richards notes subtle rivalries and the uneasy echo of past prophecies spoken at a long‑ago christening. As the night unfolds, the carefully arranged harmony of the household begins to hint at hidden ambitions and the delicate balance of status in Edwardian society.