LARKSWOOD

Larkswood House. The very name suggests birdsong, peace and elegance. It is home to the Hamiltons, whose three children Edward, Cynthia and Harriet enjoy the freedom and excitement of privilege. But in the glorious summer of 1896, with absent parents and a departed governess, disaster strikes at the heart of the family, leaving it cruelly divided. More than forty years later, on the eve of the Second World War, Louisa Hamilton, newly presented at Court but struck down by glandular fever, is sent to Larkswood to recuperate. There for the first time she meets Edward, her grandfather, who is home after decades in India. He is painfully lost in terrible memories, but the arrival of his granddaughter begins to gladden his heart. Louisa falls in loveboth with Larkswood, and with a young man who works there. In order to prevent Edward from returning to India, she conceives a plan to build a sanatorium in Larkswoods gardens, little realizing what the consequences might be. She picks up a trail of clues that point her toward the truth of her familys disintegration. Finally, against all the odds, Louisa finds the strength and courage to unravel the deadly secrets of the past.