The Yellow Flag: A Novel. Volume 1 (of 3)

In the polished world of Victorian London, appearances are everything, and reputation is a currency more precious than gold. Tom Durham arrives in society armed with nothing but a suspicious appointment to an agency in Ceylon, a gift from a wealthy benefactor whose generosity seems too generous to be true. As he navigates the treacherous waters of polite society, Tom finds himself entangled with two women: his enigmatic half-sister Alice Claxton, whose own secrets threaten to unravel his fragile position, and the captivating yet scheming Pauline, whose intentions remain deliciously, dangerously unclear. Beneath the glitter of dinner parties and the propriety of afternoon calls lies a world of financial skulduggery, hidden debts, and moral compromise. Yates dissects the glittering facade of Victorian respectability with sharp precision, revealing the anxieties that lurk beneath the corsets and calling cards. This is a novel about the price of maintaining appearances, the weight of family secrets, and the particular cruelty of a society that demands perfection while fbrowing on imperfection. For readers who relish the social chess of Trollope or the sharp observations of Wilkie Collins.