Читать книгу The Cavendon Luck - Barbara Bradford Taylor - Страница 6

 ABOVE THE STAIRS

 THE INGHAMS IN 1938

 Charles Ingham, 6th Earl of Mowbray, aged 69. Owner and custodian of Cavendon Hall. Referred to as Lord Mowbray. He is now married to Charlotte Swann, 70, who is the 6th Countess of Mowbray.

 THE CHILDREN OF THE EARL AND HIS FIRST WIFE, FELICITY, NOW DECEASED

 Miles Ingham, heir to the earldom, aged 39. He is known as the Honourable Miles Ingham and is married to Cecily Swann, 37. They have three children: Miles’s heir, David, 9, Walter, 7, and Venetia, 5. Miles runs the Cavendon estate. Cecily commutes between Cavendon and their London townhouse to run her fashion business.

 Lady Diedre Ingham Drummond, eldest daughter, aged 45. She is now widowed and lives in London with her son, Robin, 11. She works at the War Office again. They come to Cavendon at weekends where they have their own quarters.

 Lady Daphne Ingham Stanton, second daughter, aged 42. She remains married to Hugo Ingham Stanton, 57. They live permanently at Cavendon Hall, in the South Wing, with their five children.

 Lady DeLacy Ingham, third daughter, aged 37, living in London and at Cavendon. DeLacy remains unmarried. Long divorced from Simon Powers, she reverted to her maiden name years before.

 Lady Dulcie Ingham Brentwood, fourth daughter, aged 30. She lives in London and at Cavendon. She is married to Sir James Brentwood, 45, one of England’s greatest actors, who was knighted by King George VI. They have three children: twins Rosalind and Juliet, 9, and a son, Henry, 6.

 The four daughters of the Earl are still referred to affectionately as the Four Dees by the staff.

 The children of Lady Daphne and Mr Hugo Stanton are Alicia, aged 24; Charles, 20; the twins, Thomas and Andrew, age 17, and Annabel, aged 14.

 OTHER INGHAMS

 Lady Vanessa Ingham Bowers, sister of the Earl, aged 56. She is married to Richard Bowers, 58. They live in London and at Skelldale House on the Cavendon estate, which Lady Vanessa inherited from her sister Lady Lavinia Ingham Lawson, deceased.

 Lady Gwendolyn Ingham Baildon, the widowed aunt of the Earl, aged 98, who resides at Little Skell Manor on the estate. She was married to the late Paul Baildon.

 The Hon. Hugo Ingham Stanton, first cousin of the Earl, aged 57. He is the nephew of Lady Gwendolyn, the sister of his late mother. He is married to Lady Daphne.

 BETWEEN STAIRS

 THE SECOND FAMILY: THE SWANNS

 The Swann family has been in service to the Ingham family for one hundred and eighty-five 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 1938

 Walter Swann, valet to the Earl, aged 60. Head of the Swann family.

 Alice Swann, his wife, aged 57. A clever seamstress who still makes outfits for Lady Daphne’s daughters.

 Harry, son, aged 40. A former apprentice landscape gardener at Cavendon Hall, he is now running the estate with Miles.

 Cecily, daughter, aged 37. She is married to Miles and is a world-renowned fashion designer.

 OTHER SWANNS

 Percy, younger brother of Walter, aged 57. Head gamekeeper at Cavendon.

 Edna, wife of Percy, aged 58. Does occasional work at Cavendon.

 Joe, their son, aged 37. Works with his father as a gamekeeper.

 Bill, first cousin of Walter, aged 52. Head landscape gardener at Cavendon. He is widowed.

 Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 63. Head of interior maintenance and carpentry at Cavendon. Widowed.

 Paul, son of Ted, aged 39, working with his father as an interior designer and carpenter at Cavendon.

 Eric, brother of Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 58. Butler at the London house of Lord Mowbray. Single.

 Laura, sister of Ted, first cousin of Walter, aged 51. Housekeeper at the London house of Lord Mowbray. Single.

 Charlotte, aunt of Walter and Percy, aged 70. Now 6th Countess of Mowbray. Charlotte is the matriarch of the Swann and Ingham families. She is treated with great respect by everyone. Charlotte was the secretary and personal assistant to David Ingham, the 5th Earl, until his death. She married the 6th Earl in 1926.

 Dorothy Pinkerton, née Swann, aged 55, cousin of Charlotte. She lives in London and is married to Howard Pinkerton, a former Scotland Yard detective. She works with Cecily at Cecily Swann Couture.

 CHARACTERS BELOW STAIRS

 Mr Henry Hanson, Butler

 Mrs Jean Weir, Housekeeper

 Miss Susie Jackson, Cook

 Mr Gordon Lane, Under butler

 Mr Ronald Gorme, Second footman

 Miss Kate Smithers, Head housemaid

 Miss Brenda Caine, Second housemaid

 Mr John Goff, Chauffeur

 OTHER EMPLOYEES

 Miss Angela Chambers, nanny for Cecily’s children, usually addressed as Nanny or Nan.

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

 THE OUTDOOR WORKERS

 A stately home such as Cavendon Hall, with thousands of acres of land, and a huge grouse moor, employs 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 number of outside workers: a head gamekeeper and five additional gamekeepers; beaters and flankers who work when the grouse season starts and the Guns arrive at Cavendon to shoot. 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, usually aristocrats, are always referred to as the Guns, i.e., the men using the gun.