Yoked with a Lamb

Miss Flora Milligan, tripping westwards through the royal burgh of Haystoun with a bowl of her famous potted head, decently shrouded from vulgar gaze by a snowy napkin, in a neat basket, was the first person of any social standing to notice that the ''To Sell or Let'' board had been taken down from the Soonhope entrance.

The town of Haystoun is in a tizzy because Andrew and Lucy Lockhart and their children are boldly returning, several years after Andrew''s scandalous liaison with another woman. Most residents are firmly in Lucy''s corner, but as Lucy''s plans to host a family gathering in celebration of their return exacerbates existing tensions, Andrew''s cousin Kate Heron-drafted to help smooth the way-begins to wonder . . . The resulting difficulties draw in Kate''s brother Greystiel, elderly Jean Anstruther, who keeps the town under careful surveillance, Jean''s nephew Robin, the Lockharts'' formidable Aunt Charlotte, and an unforgettable array of supporting characters as the tale reaches its satisfying climax.

Molly Clavering was for many years the neighbour and friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson, and they may well have influenced one another''s writing. First published in 1938 (under the pseudonym B. Mollett) and out of print for more than 80 years, Yoked with a Lamb is a witty and entertaining account of family conflict and reconciliation in a charming Scottish setting. This new edition features an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.