Loving and GivingIn 1914, when Nicandra is eight, all is well in the grand Irish estate of Deer Forest. Maman is beautiful and adored. Dada, silent and small, mooches contendedly around the stables. Aunt Tossie, of the giant heart and bosom, is widowed but looks splendid in weeds. The butler, the groom, the landsteward, the maids, the men--each has a place and knows it. Then, astonishingly, the perfect surface is shattered: Maman does something too dreadful ever to be spoken of. "What next? Who to love?" asks Nicaranda. And through her growing up and marriage her answer is to swamp those around her with kindness--while gradually the great house crumbles under a weight of manners and misunderstanding. |
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Andrew asked Aunt Tossie baby bantams bath beauty bedroom bird blue boots bread-soda breakfast breath caravan chair cold comfort course Dada Dada's dancing dark darling dear Deer Forest Dermot dining room dinner dogs door dress drink eggs empty everything eyes Fagan feathers foie gras Fox-Collier Geary Gentleman's Relish Gigi girl give glass going hand happy heard horses hot-water bottle Hunt hurried Kate kedgeree Kileady kind kiss kitchen knew Lalage Lally laughed light looked Madarm Maman MOLLY KEANE morning room mother Nannie Nannie's never Nicandra felt nursery nursery room opened pâté perhaps pleasure quietly Robert round sandwiches scone shut silly Silly-Willie Sir Dermot's sounded spinach stood thing thought tiny tonight took Tossie's tray turned Twomey Twomey's viburnum voice waited warm watched whisky Willie window wine wonderful