

When Beatrice Nash arrives with one trunk and several large crates of books, it is clear she is significantly more freethinkingand attractivethan anyone believes a Latin teacher should be. And Agatha has more immediate concerns she has just risked her carefully built reputation by pushing for the appointment of a woman to replace the Latin master.

Agatha's husband works in the Foreign Office, and she is certain he will ensure that the recent saber rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his Aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. It is the end of England's brief Edwardian summer, and everyone agrees that the weather has never been so beautiful.
