The Inheritance: A Novel

ISBN: 0312361513

Author: Dilke, Annabel

Condition: New

Product Description A sweeping, modern tale of love, betrayal, and decline among the British aristocracy. At their magnificent estate, the Chandlers cling to the trappings of aristocracy in 1960s England. Beautiful eighteen-year-old Alice is marrying the heir to another fortune and her sister Eve has won a place at Oxford. But their charmed lives are not all they seem. Alice is having an affair with a handsome but disreputable lover. Her father is a philanderer whose chronic infidelity pushes his wife Felicity into the arms of another man. And Eve's academic future is cut short by an act of betrayal. Nearly forty years later, Felicity remembers that long-ago wedding day when their lives changed forever.Wonderfully sympathetic, funny and beguiling, Annabel Dilke's The Inheritance is the story of an unusual family and very unexpected twists of fate. Intensely human and brilliantly drawn, it will shock, delight and completely seduce you. Review Psychologically reminiscent of John Cheever's haunting short story The Swimmer.' Dilke's mastery of manipulating chronology for optimum emotional effect is breathtaking. -The Washington PostWonderfully picturesque . . . deliciously over-the-top. -The New York Times[Dilke] has a wonderful eye for telling details of place and person and a brisk way of summing up a character in a line. -The Boston GlobeMarvelous novel . . . really first class. Authentic and sharp, every word rings true. -Rosamunde Pilcher, author of The Shell Seekers, September, and Coming HomeExquisitely written . . . a lovely, absorbing story. -Elizabeth Buchan, author of Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman[A] blend of unblinking candor and wry compassion. -James Lipton, creator and host of Inside the Actors Studio and author of An Exaltation of Larks About the Author Annabel Dilke is a novelist, journalist, and screenwriter whose books have been shortlisted for numerous awards. She is the author of The Inheritance and Secret Relations. She lives in South London. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter OneAlice awoke early on her wedding day and, through her flimsy curtains, sensed stillness and brilliance, and knew that her mothers prayers had been answered.From the depths of the house she could hear the grumpy roar of hoovers sucking exhaustedly at already clean floors, and, outside her window, the discreet crunch of wheels over gravel as food and drink were delivered in enormous quantities. The dogs barked frantically each time, as if it were a novelty for them to see a van come down the drive. All eleven would have to be locked in the stables once guests started to appear.This is the last time Ill ever sleep in this room on my own, Alice thought, and immediately pulled the quilt over her head.She loved her room. Set directly above the houses turreted porch, looking on to the long drive, it was like sleeping in the prow of a ship. It was also like being enclosed in a nest: a very cluttered one at present.After a moment she peeped out from under the quilt, as if she could scarcely believe what she was seeing. On every surface lay neatly folded piles of marvellous new clothes, layered with white tissue paper, to be packed at the last minute in her suitcases (which already contained jigsaw bases of unworn shoes). There were fresh cotton and lawn dresses for sunny days of expeditions and lunches, formal gowns for smart evenings in grand restaurants, confections of satin and lace for night. Alice was marrying well, and her trousseau reflected it.Her two outfits for today-her wedding dress and her pink going-away suit-hung, shrouded in more swags of wispy tissue, from padded hangers.As if theyve had a chance to gather dust! thought Alice with a nervous smile.She hadnt stood still and contemplated her life for three months. Shed lost a stone and a half and her wedding dress had had to be taken in twice. The first time shed tried it on in the shop t