Cavendon Hall. Barbara Taylor Bradford

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СКАЧАТЬ Vanessa Ingham, the spinster sister of the Earl, aged 34, who has her own private suite of rooms at Cavendon, which she uses when in Yorkshire. She spends most of her time in London.

      Lady Gwendolyn Ingham Baildon, the widowed aunt of the Earl, aged 72, who resides at Little Skell Manor on the estate. She was married to the late Paul Baildon.

      The Honourable Hugo Ingham Stanton, first cousin of the Earl, aged 32. He is the nephew of Lady Gwendolyn, the sister of his late mother, Lady Evelyne Ingham Stanton. He has been living abroad for years. His father was the late Ian Stanton, a racehorse breeder and owner.

      BETWEEN STAIRS

      THE SECOND FAMILY: THE SWANNS

      The Swann family has been in service to the Ingham family for over one hundred and sixty years. Consequently, their lives have been intertwined in many different ways. Generations of Swanns have lived in Little Skell village, adjoining Cavendon Park, and still do. The present-day Swanns are as devoted and loyal to the Inghams as their forebears were, and would defend any member of the family with their lives. The Inghams trust them implicitly, and vice versa.

      THE SWANNS IN 1913

      Walter Swann, valet to the Earl, aged 35. Head of the Swann family.

      Alice Swann, his wife, aged 32. A clever seamstress who takes care of the Countess’s clothes and makes outfits and frocks for the daughters.

      Harry, son, aged 15. An apprentice landscape gardener at Cavendon Hall.

      Cecily, daughter, aged 12, who is allowed to attend lessons at Cavendon Hall with DeLacy.

      OTHER SWANNS

      Percy, younger brother of Walter, aged 32. Head gamekeeper at Cavendon.

      Edna, wife of Percy, aged 33. Does occasional work at Cavendon.

      Joe, their son, aged 12. Works at Cavendon as a junior woodsman.

      Bill, first cousin of Walter, aged 27. Head landscape gardener at Cavendon. He is unmarried.

      Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 38. Head of interior maintenance and carpentry at Cavendon. Widowed.

      Paul, son of Ted, aged 14, apprenticed to his father as a designer.

      Eric, brother of Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 33. Butler at the London house of Lord Mowbray. Single.

      Laura, sister of Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 26. Housekeeper at the London house of Lord Mowbray. Single.

      Charlotte, aunt of Walter and Percy, aged 45. Retired from service at Cavendon. Charlotte is the matriarch of the Swann family. She is treated with great respect by everyone, and with a certain deference by the Inghams. Charlotte was the secretary and personal assistant to David Ingham, the 5th Earl, until his death. There was some speculation about the true nature of their relationship.

      Dorothy Pinkerton, née Swann, cousin of Charlotte and the Swanns. She lives in London and is married to Howard Pinkerton, a Scotland Yard detective.

      CHARACTERS BELOW STAIRS

      Mr Henry Hanson, Butler

      Mrs Agnes Thwaites, Housekeeper

      Mrs Nell Jackson, Cook

      Miss Olive Wilson, Lady’s maid to the Countess

      Mr Malcolm Smith, Head footman

      Mr Gordon Lane, Second footman

      Miss Elsie Roland, Head housemaid

      Miss Mary Ince, Second housemaid

      Miss Peggy Swift, Third housemaid

      Miss Polly Wren, Kitchen maid

      Mr Stanley Gregg, Chauffeur

      OTHER EMPLOYEES

      Miss Maureen Carlton, the nanny, usually addressed as Nanny or Nan.

      Miss Audrey Payne, the governess, usually addressed as Miss Payne. The governess is not at Cavendon in the summer. The children are not in school.

      THE OUTDOOR WORKERS

      A great stately home such as Cavendon Hall, with thousands of acres of land, and a huge grouse moor, employs many local people. This is its purpose for being, as well as providing a private home for a great family. It offers employment to the local villagers, and also land for local tenant farmers. The villages surrounding Cavendon were built by various earls of Mowbray to provide housing for their workers; churches and schools were also built, as well as post offices and small shops at later dates. The villages around Cavendon are Little Skell, Mowbray and High Clough.

      There are a great number of outside workers: a head gamekeeper and five additional gamekeepers; beaters and flankers who work when the grouse season starts. Other outdoor workers include woodsmen, who take care of the surrounding woods for shooting in the lowlands at certain times of the year. The gardens are cared for by a head landscape gardener, and five other gardeners working under him.

      The grouse season starts in August, on the Glorious Twelfth, as it is called. It finishes in December. The partridge season begins in September. Duck and wild fowl are shot at this time. Pheasant shooting starts on 1 November and goes on until December. The men who come to shoot at Cavendon are usually aristocrats, and always referred to as the Guns, i.e., the men using the gun.

       PART ONE

       The Beautiful Girls of Cavendon May 1913

      She is beautiful and therefore to be woo’d;

      She is a woman, therefore to be won.

      William Shakespeare

      Honor women: They wreathe and weave

      Heavenly roses into earthly life.

      Johann von Schiller

      Man is the hunter; woman is his game.

      Alfred Tennyson

       ONE

      Cecily Swann was excited. She had been given a special task to do by her mother, and she couldn’t wait to start. She hurried along the dirt path, walking towards Cavendon Hall, all sorts of ideas running through her active young mind. She was going to examine some beautiful dresses, looking for flaws; it was an important task, her mother had explained, and only she could СКАЧАТЬ