Loyalties

At Meldon Court, where polished manners conceal sharp class feeling, a missing roll of banknotes ignites a crisis that spreads from country house to gentlemen's club. Ferdinand De Levis, newly wealthy and already resented, discovers the money stolen from beneath his pillow, and the elegant household's concern for scandal quickly gives way to suspicion, alibis, and social unease. As an Inspector reconstructs the theft with exacting precision, the case widens into a test of loyalty, prejudice, and reputation. Clues, boot marks, and careful questioning point toward Captain Ronald Dancy, whose temper, pride, and reckless past make him an easy target for accusation. At the club, De Levis publicly charges Dancy, forcing the men to choose between proof and tribal loyalty, while a racist outburst exposes the uglier currents beneath their code of honor. The scandal then ripples into private life, where women in the Dancy and Winsor circles debate innocence, disgrace, and the power of gossip. Wry, tense, and socially astute, Loyalties is a drama of theft, suspicion, and wounded pride, probing how class, race, and the fear of dishonor distort justice. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.