This book is about a stately home called Myddleton Mote, and it is told from two points in time: present time and 1917/8.
The parts in the past come from the journal of Esme Howard, who is an artist, married to Guy. In her accounts we discover that Esme feels trapped because her husband won't let her go out or even have material to write or paint. Yet, she uses anything she comes across to discharge her feelings.
In present time the narrator is Miranda, who tells us that she discovered that she discovered that her father was renowned actor Godfrey King just when he was dying. Her mother took her to see him, and then she told her that he was her father. Her mother, Kay, had an affair with him when he was seventeen, and as he was married, he gave her money to have an abortion, but she had her baby. When Godfrey discovered that Miranda existed, he was interested in meeting her, but it was too late to have a relationship.
Godfrey leaves Miranda his home, Myddleton Mote, and Kay gets some money from him. Miranda is a mother of three. She has a grownup daughter, Stella, who is married to Marcus, a chef. Stella's father, Ben, died when she was seven, and Miranda married Patrick, who turned to be a abusive and manipulative man, but now they are divorced. Yet, she still feels afraid. Mirand and Patrick had tewelve-year-old twins, Leo and Charley. Leo knows his father is not good, but Charley misses him.
When Miranda inherits the place, she decides to sell it, but when the offer she gets is not good enough, she decides to turn it down. Then they have a family meeting, and Stella, who has just discovered that she is expecting a child, suggests that they go and live in the Mote. So Kay will have her private granny home, and Miranda, the boys, Stella and Marcus will live in the main house, and they have ideas to make money like opening the house to the public.
When they start living there, they discover the priest's hole that they knew existed. Miranda is alarmed when she discovers that Patrick has been visiting the house in the open days, and once he confronts her, because he wants to borrow the valuable painting in the house. Miranda knows he iis out to trick her, so she gives him the slip by hiding in the priest's hole.
Miranda has been feeling a presence in the house. At first, she thinks it is her father, but then she hears a woman crying. When she talks to her mother, they discover that in 1918 the owner was Esme Howard, who died in childbirth, and the rumour was that she had a lover, and Guy killed him before leaving the Mote. And when they have to drain the mote, they discover a skeleton and a very rusty motorbike. When Patrick comes to the house and Miranda hides, she later discovers that her ex-husband has slashed the paintings that Esme painted and were in the gallery. Then she discovers pieces of paper with Esme's writing which were hidden in the painting.
Then the narration focuses on Esme. We discover that her brothers and her fiancé died in the war, so she placed an advertisement in the newspaper. She offered marriage to any war hero who was blind or disable. Guy was one of the men who replied to the advertisement. There were other two replies that Esme considered but she eventually agreed to marry Guy. Her reason was that she wanted to do something good but also because she wanted a child.
This was an interesting read and I am curious to know more about Esme's story and about the skeleton found in the mote.
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