THE FRAGRANT AETHER

How did he end up in the city of Bath? it`s a question Dr Marius Hope frequently asks of himself. In September 1736, he had set out for Guilford to ask Elizabeth Conyers` father for her hand in marriage: only to be swept along by everyone`s wish to visit to the celebrated spa. On arrival, he is immediately called upon to extricate Richard `Beau` Nash, the renowned Master of Ceremonies, from an unwelcome dilemma. His insatiable gambling habits have led to resorting to a little sleight-of-hand – and it`s about to rebound on him. Thereafter, the problems confronting the doctor escalate. He speaks out against the slave trade in Bristol, antagonising members of the Society of Merchant Venturers. Coming up against would-be investors in the sordid business, he also exposes their motives behind the funding of Bath`s many building projects. Predictably, there are serious reprisals, and Marius becomes a marked man. In that noted corner of Somerset, intrigue and double-dealing rage behind the city`s genteel façade