the sheets were filthy, an empty gin bottle on the dressing table

epub or mobi, with thanks to the original sharer

Robin Maugham's classic tale of a rich nothing who hires a servant who understands the role in such a decadent household. A very smart look how relationships work - and the nature of sexual power. A noxious view of postwar London, pictured in its most squalid days, is the backdrop to this tale of deceit, class, power, and fear. Richard Merton tells the story of Tony, a close friend and fellow Army officer, who - breaking ties with old friends and habits - steadily falls under the influence of his sinister new butler, Barrett. Concerned for his friend, Richard slowly uncovers a strange affair which shatters both class and sexual barriers and turns the servant into the master, and the master into the servant. - Goodreads