It is the 1830s: Two men who have not seen each other in decades encounter each other quite by chance on Advent Sunday, many miles from where they both grew up.
Moving their conversation to the home of the younger man, discussion soon switches to the small bronze carriage on his friend's mantelpiece.
It has a strange tale, one that goes all the way back to the 1750s and the tale of a young newlywed couple heading to Oxford to spend time with the new groom's extended family.
