London, April 1901 The Earl of Culligan was enjoying the spring sunshine in St James’s Park in central London. Even though he had only arrived from Dublin a few days earlier, he had established a very pleasant afternoon routine encompassing a circuit of t...
I was a foundling baby, left on the steps of Exeter Cathedral on Christmas Eve 1882 and taken in by my adoptive parents Henry and Elsie Connors, who had not been blessed with children of their own. My father owned the Royal Oak inn on the high road betwee...
Cap Ferrat, South of France, May 1903. The last rays of the setting sun still showed above the dark line of the sea’s horizon, but in the woods that lined the hilly coast, twilight had turned to night and the scent of pine drifted through the trees as the...
London 1902 ‘Hector thinks it would be a good idea if we were to receive some lessons in the noble art of self-defence. He points out in his note that you may not always be able to rely on a rolling pin being to hand, Mary.’ She raised her eyebrows at me...
True to her word, I received a brief note in the post on Tuesday morning from Amelia confirming that she would be arriving at Arundel Court around half-past five the following day and would expect to stay the night. Georgina was thrown into an orgy of ant...
Prior to entering Georgina's employment, Mary has been invited to observe her new mistress at work in defence of the realm... So it was that at four o’clock the following day, Jimmy and I entered a cupboard on the landing and slipped down a passage to the...
The train arrived in Southampton at half past three, and I sat in the ladies’ waiting room until the London express’s departure at a quarter past four. When it was time to leave, I had trouble finding a porter to assist me with my suitcase but finally att...
Bancroft Hall, Dorsetshire, England. September 1902. In the late afternoon of the second day after her arrival at Bancroft, the countess returned from a ride and found me in her sunlit bedroom tidying up, as befits a lady’s maid. I noticed she was moving...
