Alexander McCall Smith introduces the new series of 44 Scotland Street

Published on Friday 21 January 2011 16:48

Alexander McCall Smith sets the scene for the new series of 44 Scotland Street, which resumes in The Scotsman on Monday

In the last volume of 44 Scotland Street, The Importance of Being Seven, we saw some very important developments in the lives of the characters.

Elspeth Harmony was last seen expecting triplets; Matthew and Elspeth moved into a structurally compromised flat in Moray Place (epicentre of Scottish nudism) and, of course, Angus Lordie, Domenica, and that talented dog, Cyril, spent a very satisfactory few weeks in Italy, where Angus and Domenica were eventually engaged.

That trip was not so successful for Antonia Collie, Domenica's neighbour, who suffered from an attack of Stendhal Syndrome in the Uffizi Gallery and ended up in the care of a group of nuns, the Tiny Sisters, in the Tuscan countryside.

In the forthcoming series we shall see a continuation of these developments.

Elspeth's triplets, Rognvald, Tobermory and Fergus will arrive, thus precipitating Matthew into multiple paternity. Antonia, finding her life with the Italian nuns to be very comfortable, shall give an instruction that will cause considerable excitement in Scotland Street, with ramifications for Domenica and Angus.

Meanwhile poor little Bertie, still a child from whose hearth freedom seems to be excluded, wrestles with problems created by his mother, Irene, and his highly unpleasant schoolmates, Tofu and Olive.

Bertie's teacher has set the children an assignment: to write a story. Bertie, being so talented, decides to write a novel, which he calls The Secret Baby. Will this have some bearing on the dubious paternity of his brother, Ulysses?