Across
1 Devious plot in Tosca matures (4)
4 Candidate for confirmation can cue them up (10)
9 Reformer supporting worker after trial (10)
10 Firearms returned in safety? (4)
11 A French couple free from slavery (6)
12 Description of reported speech in court, with grave contents (8)
14 Asian resident with a reported obligation (4)
15 Club with Irish girl sick inside? (10)
17 Athens girl bewitched people of the world (10)
20 Party order leads to disaster (4)
21 Engagement depicted in French art with superior girl beside river (8)
23 Stop row before church (6)
24 Crown Prince attracting love (4)
25 Engineers deployed soldiers to face leader of terrorists and hostility (10)
26 Sue chemist after mistreating papers with notes on staff (5,5)
27 Recalled some Episcopalians in fix (4)
Down
2 Apostle’s letters on Christian after conversion (11)
3 Nonconformist joined daughter in lift (9)
4 Containers required to meet stiff delivery schedule? (7)
5 Old fogeys dart uphill, pursued by Scottish girl in Italian heels (15)
6 Keep small amount invested in French company before end of April (7)
7 Chap going over home counties to find minister’s official residence (5)
8 Warrior decapitated when the sun goes down (5)
13 Minor functionary never on trail to meet independent experts (11)
16 Distress in a damsel? That’ll show my impact! (6,3)
18 Roman ritual to cleanse sin with strong drink (7)
19 Posed over an image to be venerated — not on, extremely wicked (7)
21 Moral significance captured by leading characters in early Tractarians’ hatred of sin (5)
22 Stroke peas or beans, perhaps (5)
Last week’s solution
