The Perils of Morning Coffee

The Perils of Morning CoffeeIn this Isabel

Dalhousie original short story, available exclusively in electronic

format, our intrepid heroine—accused by a distraught wife of being the

"other woman"—makes a surprising discovery as she attempts to defend her

reputation.Summer in Edinburgh is a season of delicate

sunshine and showers, picnics with loved ones in blossoming gardens, and

genteel celebrations of art and music. But Isabel Dalhousie’s peaceful

idyll is broken when a single meeting over coffee with fellow

philosopher Dr. George McLeod brings an irate phone call from his wife,

Roz, who implacably accuses Isabel of conducting an affair with her

husband.            Wounded by the injustice of Roz’s wild

allegation and concerned both for her standing among the gossipy group

of her scholarly peers and for Roz’s apparent state of hysteria, Isabel

sets out to discover more about the McLeods, and to set the record

straight before the bitterness in their marriage poisons her own

reputation. For insight into the McLeods’ relationship she turns to

Millie, who is both an old acquaintance of Isabel’s and a university

colleague of George’s.            In this engaging, intelligently

observed story, Alexander McCall Smith’s sharp-eyed heroine is reminded

once again to avoid jumping to hasty conclusions about the lives of

others, and to value friendship wherever it’s found.