Barbara Taylor Bradford - In the Lion’s Den: A tale of romance and rivalry

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Copyright Barbara Taylor Bradford 2019

Cover photographs Lee Avison/Trevillion Images

Cover design by Claire Ward HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Barbara Taylor Bradford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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Source ISBN: 9780008242466

Ebook Edition November 2019 ISBN: 9780008242480

Version: 2019-12-05

For my darling Bob, with my love

Contents

THE FALCONERS

Philip Henry Rosewood Falconer, founder of the dynasty; a head butler.

Esther Marie Falconer, his wife and co-founder of the dynasty; a head housekeeper.

Their sons

Matthew Falconer, his eldest son and heir; a stall owner at the Malvern Market.

George Falconer, a noted journalist on The Chronicle daily newspaper.

Harry Falconer, a chef and owner of a caf, the Rendezvous.

Their grandchildren (Matthews offspring)

James Lionel, an ambitious young businessman on the rise.

Rosalind, known as Rossi, a seamstress.

Edward Albert, assistant to his father on the stalls.

Their daughter-in-law

Maude Falconer, Matthews wife and mother of his children; a seamstress.

THE VENABLES

Clarence Venables, Esther Falconers brother-in-law, great-uncle of James Falconer, owner of a shipping company in Hull.

Marina Venables, Clarences wife and younger sister of Esther Falconer. Great-aunt of James Falconer. A noted artist.

Their children

William Venables, eldest son and heir, working at the Hull shipping company.

Albert Venables, second son, working at the Hull shipping company.

Their daughter-in-law

Anne Venables, Alberts wife.

THE MALVERNS

Henry Ashton Malvern, owner of the Malvern Company, a big business enterprise and real-estate company.

Alexis Malvern, his only child and heir; a partner in the business.

Joshua Malvern, his brother and business partner.

Percy Malvern, his cousin who runs the wine business in La Havre.

THE TREVALIANS

Claudia Trevalian, eldest daughter and heir of the late Sebastian Trevalian.

Lavinia Trevalian, sister of Claudia.

Marietta Trevalian, sister of Claudia.

Dorothea Trevalian Rayburn, an art collector and member of the Trevalian private banks board. Sister of the late Sebastian; now the head of the family.

Cornelius Glendenning, Claudias husband, a banker, now running the Trevalian private bank in London.

THE CARPENTERS

Lord Reginald Carpenter, a publishing tycoon and proprietor of The Chronicle.

Lady Jane Cadwalander Carpenter, his wife.

Their daughters

Jasmine Carpenter, a debutante.

Lilah Carpenter, a debutante.

Their twin sons

Sebastian and Keir Carpenter, born in March 1889.

THE PARKINSONS

Maurice Parkinson, a well-known biographer, journalist and academic.

Ekaterina Parkinson, known as Kat, his wife, descended from the Shuvalovs.

Their children

Natalaya Parkinson, eldest daughter, known as Natalie, assistant to Alexis Malvern, in charge of the arcades.

Irina Parkinson, second daughter, a dress designer.

Alexander Parkinson, son, known as Sandro, a theatrical designer of stage scenery.

(All three children are English born.)

Dread. That was the feeling James Lionel Falconer was experiencing as he sat at his desk in his office at Malvern House in Piccadilly.

It was the afternoon of Wednesday 25 September 1889, and an hour since a packet of documents had arrived by courier from Paris. James had opened the packet hastily and read them immediately, shocked by the bad news they contained.

James looked down at his hands resting on the pile of documents, a chill running through him at the thought of giving them to Henry Malvern, who was an ailing man. Rocked by his daughters breakdown and his brother Joshuas stroke and lingering death, his employer had been unwell all summer with a debilitating fatigue. But James had no choice. The head of the company had to know everything.

A deep sigh escaped him as he opened the top drawer of his desk, placed the documents inside, locked the drawer and pocketed the key.

Taking out his watch he saw that it was almost seven oclock. At least he didnt have to face Mr Malvern until tomorrow morning, by which time his friend and colleague Peter Keller would be in his office next door if James needed him. Keller was stalwart; they had shared interests and had become close friends. And Keller worked in the Wine Division and might be able to help solve this mess. Though it was hard to see how, since it now turned out that Percy Malvern, Mr Malverns cousin, was not only a thief who had stolen millions from the Wine Division in Le Havre, but also a bigamist.

Striding across the room, James put on his coat and left his office.

When he stepped outside onto Piccadilly, it was drizzling after a day of heavy rain. The early evening light had dimmed, and there was a slight mist, but the street lamps were aglow. People were rushing home, dodging in and out and around each other, the pavements wet and slippery. James joined the throng.

He hurried toward Half Moon Street, wanting to get home as fast as he could. The sound of horses hooves, the rattling of carriage wheels, and the general bustle of the traffic in the streets grated on him tonight. He turned up the collar of his topcoat and plunged his hands into his pockets. It was not only wet but also cold for September.

The moment he opened the door and went into the small flat he shared with his Uncle George, a newspaperman, James felt a great sense of relief. The gas lamps on the walls filled the room with a shimmering light and a fire burned in the hearth. In an instant his uncles smiling face appeared around the kitchen door. Supper is almost ready! he announced. Smiling, James hung his damp coat on a hook behind the door, then returned to the kitchen to help George.

His uncle was deftly carving a large piece of roast beef, and he said, without looking up, Your grandmother left this for us today, while we were at work. Laughing, he added, And these two loaves of freshly baked bread. You see, she dotes on you, Jimmy lad.

And you too, Uncle George youre her son.