by Sadie Jones, 2012
LOVED THIS BOOK! What an amazing book! Could not stop after 1/2 way! Kind of a mystery, suspense, comedy, romance.
1912 Old English Manor house called Sterne. Main characters: Mom (Charlotte)–beautiful, vain, immature; Emerald–lovely and loving 19 year-old daughter; Clovis–handsome and spiteful 20 year-old son; Smudge–youngest daughter, forgotten little girl; Housekeeper Florence–unemotional widow-gourmet cook; John the farmer–rich neighbor, in love (he thinks) with Emerald; Patience and Ernest – siblings and old friends of Clovis and Emerald.
All gather for a birthday dinner for Emerald.
But on that evening a horrible train wreck causes the house to be filled with uninvited guests-survivors-of the train wreck sent to Sterne by the railway to await further instructions. Starts out as about 12, ends up being 50 or so. Very strange, demanding guests. They keep them in the “Morning Room” at first. They decide to serve the dinner to the guests. One of them, who shows up at the door all by himself, Charles Traversham-Beechers, befriends Clovis, and joins the family. Starts a horrible game called “hands and hounds” in which they go around the table picking on one person telling little known truths about the person. First they pick on Ernest – an awkward young boy who has become a handsome and loving doctor. Then his sister, Patience. Then, Charlotte, the Mom. Charles called her a whore, a slut. And reveals her secret past; that she was, indeed, a whore.
Turns out, Charles, and the 50 uninvited guests, are all ghosts, who were killed in the train wreck. Charles was in love with Charlotte as a young man, and could never forget her. He tries to ruin her life by revealing her past to her family. When they don’t abandon her, he tries to kill Smudge out on the balcony. Charlotte cries, “You would kill your own daughter?” He forgives her, goes to the great beyond, along with the 50 uninvited guests. And in the meantime, Emerald and Ernest, are in love. Clovis and Patience are in love. And John and Florence have had a tryst which heals them both. And Charles somehow manages to leave 60,000 pounds to Charlotte and Smudge, which saves the house, Sterne, because they were so broke they were going to lose it. LOVED it!!!