The Tin Soldier

At closing time, Jean offers a cup of chocolate to a troubled older customer in Emily Bridges's toy shop. His son, Derry Drake, arrives to take him home, turning an awkward encounter into a moment of sympathy. The First World War reaches into the business through dwindling toy supplies and the customer's eagerness to buy tin soldiers. Temple Bailey places small acts of kindness beside the pressures of a conflict that enters ordinary conversation and changes familiar routines.

Derry's concern for his father becomes sharper when the General's nurse gives him wine against medical orders. The General's announcement of a proposed marriage adds further strain, while memories of Derry's mother shape the household's loyalties. This novel offers readers domestic scenes in which care, resentment and duty pull against one another. Its wartime setting gives those private disagreements a wider weight, particularly when the General questions his son's conduct.