The book starts in April 1941, adn the author tells us what is going on with the characters.
London is being bombed often, but Louisa refuses to send her daughter to the country. Guy is now a member of the Home Guard. The Home Guard was an armed citizen militia supporting the British Army during the Second World War. Operational from 1940 to 1944, the Home Guard had 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, such as those who were too young or too old to join the regular armed services and those in reserved occupations.
The Mitfords are central in the novel. Deborah Mitford, the oungest of the family, gets married in April 1941. She married Lord Andrew Cavendish, younger son of the 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Nancy Mitford was an ambulance driver for the ARP, and she also worked for the Frei France. During this time she was married to Peter Rodd, and she suffered several miscarriages, and in the end she had to have a hysterectomy, which she mentions in the book.
Diana Mitford was in Holloway Prison for her pro-Nazi activities. On 29 June 1940, eleven weeks after the birth of her fourth son, Max, Diana was arrested and taken to a cell in F Block in London's Holloway Prison for women.
Pamela Mitford took in Diana's children and looked after them in his home (Rignell House). Her husband, Dereck Jackson, was in the RAF.
Jessica Mitford was in Washington. Her husband, Esmond Rossidy, joined the Royal Canadian Force, and was killed in action.
Tom Mitford was fighting in Libya. A Nazi sympathizer, Mitford was sent to fight in the Pacific after saying he did not want to fight against Germany.
Unity Mitford tried to kill herself, and in the novel she behaves oddly. On the morning of 3 September she entered the English Garden in Munich, where she took a pearl-handled pistol given to her by Hitler for protection and shot herself in the head.She survived the suicide attempt, and was hospitalised in Munich, where Hitler frequently visited her. He paid her bills and arranged for her return home. Stating she could remember nothing of the incident, Mitford returned to England with her mother and sister in January 1940
In the house Louisa gets to meet Debo's rich family. First, there are Lord Eddie Cavendish and Lady Moucher Cavendish.
Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (6 May 1895 – 26 November 1950), known as the Marquess of Hartington from 1908 to 1938, was a British politician. He was the head of the Devonshire branch of the House of Cavendish.
Mary Alice Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (29 July 1895 – 24 December 1988) was a British courtier who served as Mistress of the Robes to Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 to 1967.
The Dowager, Evie Cavendish, was often in Chatsworth House. Evelyn Emily Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (27 August 1870 – 2 April 1960), was the wife of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire.
Billy Cavendish, the heir to the Canvendish estate, is home on leave. William John Robert Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington (10 December 1917 – 9 September 1944) was a British politician and British Army officer. He was the elder son of Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, and therefore the heir to the dukedom.
He and Kick Kennedy were together and wanted to get married despite the opposition of their parents. Kathleen Agnes Cavendish, (née Kennedy; February 20, 1920 – May 13, 1948), also known as "Kick" Kennedy, was an American socialite. She was the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, a sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, and the wife of the Marquess of Hartington, heir apparent to the 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Another guest in the house is Lord Charles, Billy's brother. In the novel he is portrayed as a heavy drinker because of the problems his wife had to have children. Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish (5 August 1905 – 23 March 1944)was the second son of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, Lady Evelyn Petty-FitzMaurice.
Lord Charles was married to Adele Astaire, sister of Fred Astaire. Adele Astaire Douglass (September 10, 1896 – January 25, 1981) was an American dancer, stage actress, and singer. After beginning work as a dancer and vaudeville performer at the age of nine, Astaire built a successful performance career with her younger brother, Fred Astaire. Astaire retired from the stage to get married.
One night in Chatsworth House the young guests play sardines. Sardines is a form of hide and seek played by several people. One person is sent to hide. The remaining people begin a search. When the 'hider' is discovered by someone, instead of calling out the 'seeker' joins the hider in the hiding place.
Mrs Hoole, the old lady who is killed, comes from Baslow, a nearby village. Baslow is a village in Derbyshire, in the Peak District.
Louisa learns that the ghost that supposedly haunts Chatsworth House is Bess of Hardwick. Elizabeth Cavendish (c. 1521 – 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made marriages, she rose to the highest levels of English nobility and became enormously wealthy. Bess was reportedly a shrewd businesswoman, increasing her assets with business interests including mines and glass-making workshops.
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