The story is set in Edwardian England and focuses on the crumbling mansion of Stern and its inhabitants. The house was owned by Horace Torrington, but since his death his widow, Charlotte and their children, Clovis, Emerald and Imogen occupy the house. Charlotte has re-married Edward Swift whom Emerald and Clovis detest. As the story opens, Edward Swift is leaving for Manchester in the hope of securing a loan to save the family estate. After his departure, the family try to forget their financial problems and busy themselves with getting the house ready for their guests. It is Emerald’s twentieth birthday and they are planning a small party to celebrate. Emerald has invited her best friend, Patience who arrives accompanied by her brother Ernest. Charlotte, a woman of charms, would like to see an alliance between Emerald and John Buchanan, a local wealthy farmer so invites him along to the celebrations. As the party gets underway, the undertone of emotional tension increases. Before the group can sit down to the birthday feast they are interrupted by a mysterious group of strangers who turn out to be victims of a local train accident. Among them is the enigmatic Charlie Traversham-Beechers - another stranger, but not to Charlotte. In fact, he knows the secret of Charlotte’s past. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but I felt that there were too many voices trying to be heard and I would have preferred staying with one narrator. I liked the language and thought it reflected the Edwardian period. I was a little disappointed by the ending.
