A Studied Seduction

Arthur Ruthven's thirty-fifth birthday is fast approaching, but he's worried that his life has started to stagnate. Once a history teacher in Leith, an incident with a former pupil causes Arthur to retire early. Newly uneasy about teaching, and unsure if he can pursue the career he once loved, Arthur returns to his childhood home in the small village of Colinton, to live with his mother. For the last three years, Arthur has worked with his mother in his family's old bookshop in obscurity. He would prefer to forget his days as a teacher, and the anxieties which came with them... But Arthur can only keep his past at bay for so long, and his life takes an unexpected turn when his mother hires a new helper at the bookshop over the summer holidays: one Mason Tierney, one of Arthur's former students. Mason has done some growing up in the five years since Arthur last saw him, and now, he's already twenty-one. Mason tries to be friendly with Arthur, but Arthur begins to worry. Is Mason being too friendly - and will Mason's interest in Arthur stir up uncomfortable memories Arthur would far rather see buried for good?