London Particular By Christianna Brand

Night falls in London, and a ‘London particular’ pea-souper fog envelops the city. In Maida Vale, Rose and her family doctor Tedwards race through the dark after a man has telephoned claiming that he has been struck by an assailant in Rose’s house. Arriving after an achingly protracted journey through the impenetrable fog, the victim, Raoul Vernet, is dead. The news which he had brought from Switzerland for Rose’s mother, was never delivered.