The Copper Box

Lost in a spring blizzard in the wild Border country, Alvery Craye stumbles toward a house that seems to have risen out of the snow itself: Kelpieshaw, a medieval peel tower with high walls, a turret, and a warm light burning behind its few windows. There he is taken in by Madrasia Durham, the spirited ward of the absent antiquary Mr. Parslewe, and by the sharp-tongued housekeeper Tibbie Muir. What begins as rescue quickly turns into fascination, as Craye finds himself in a world of old books, antiques, teasing wit, and eerie hospitality. Over tea and snowbound days, Craye learns that Parslewe is a collector and scholar, while Madrasia loves the hills, fishing, and shooting far more than the tower's enclosed life. He also discovers two of his own watercolors hanging on the wall, a sign that his arrival may not be entirely accidental. When Parslewe returns, he proves to be urbane, eccentric, and an admirer of Craye's work, but the house's genial surface conceals a deeper unease. A mysterious copper box, a suspicious visitor, and a vanished past draw Craye and Madrasia into a tangle of secrets, growing affection, and possible crime. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.