The Business of Christmas

Sequel to Christmas Below Stairs In Regency London, former servants Eli and Joseph are now established shopkeepers, running their business with the help of Tilly, previously a kitchen maid in the grand town house where they used to work. Eli, the former valet, is looking forward to enjoying Christmas and splashing out on gifts for their small, unconventional family, unaware Joseph has other ideas. Rather than being satisfied with the hard-won success of their current premises, Joseph's ambitions come to the fore, together with his resentment about being treated unfairly as a person of colour and his upbringing as a lowly foundling. Could Joseph be letting his frustration take control, leading him to make a rash decision that might plunge them into penury? And can Eli intervene without jeopardising their relationship?