Barbara Bradford - The Cavendon Luck

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2016

This edition published by Harper 2017

Copyright © Barbara Taylor Bradford 2016

Cover design by Heike Schüssler © HarperColl‌insPublishers Ltd 2016

Cover photographs © Ilina Simeonova/ Trevillion Images (front); Angelo Hornak/ Corbis (house); London Express/ Getty Images (planes); Shutterstock.com(sky).

Barbara Taylor Bradford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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Source ISBN 9780007503339

Ebook Edition © June 2016 ISBN: 9780007503322

Version 2017-03-23

For Bob, with all my love always

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Characters

Part One: The Inghams & The Swanns

Predictions

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Foreign Intrigue

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Games of Chance

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Love in Many Guises

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

No Goodbye

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Part Two: Women & War

Against All Odds

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Land of Hope and Glory

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Blitz

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Standing Tall

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-Two

Chapter Sixty-Three

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Books by Barbara Taylor Bradford

About the Publisher

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.