Night and Morning, Volume 5

In a rain‑soaked provincial town, the venerable Mr. Roger Morton presides over his bustling linen‑draper’s shop. A twice‑elected mayor and respected alderman, he balances a hearty appetite for brandy with a reputation for steady, if slightly indulgent, prosperity. His household hums with the activity of his three sons—one an aspiring apothecary—while his wife keeps the domestic ledger ticking over.

One drizzly afternoon a gaunt, poorly dressed stranger slips through the crowd, seeking Morton with a quiet urgency. He asks about the fate of the “young Beau,” the sons of Morton’s sister, hinting at a family secret that may have been buried for years. The encounter sets a subtle tension between public respectability and hidden histories, promising a tale where loyalty, curiosity, and the weight of past deeds begin to surface.