Twenty-three years old Claud Bannister has just failed his exam to be an accountant and is determined to give up his studies and become a writer.

When she hears about Claud's plans, and learns that he is living with his mother, Laura immediately starts rearranging his life.

In no time Claud finds himself installed in a rented loft and making a living by selling antiques from a stall in the market.

One of the most important recurring themes in Wesley's fiction is the conflict between ambiguity and identity originating in the question of illegitimacy.

[4] Wesley's heroines often seem to have an air of elusiveness about them (the young Calypso in The Camomile Lawn, Rose in Not That Sort of Girl, Hebe in Harnessing Peacocks and Laura Thornby in Second Fiddle).