Book description
A plotting Duchess, a mysterious death and a castle full of lies in
Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms.
At 6 am on 21 April 1940 John the 9th Duke of Rutland, and one
of Britain's wealthiest men, ended his days, virtually alone, lying on
a makeshift bed in a dank cramped suite of rooms in the servants'
quarters of his own home, Belvoir Castle, in Leicestershire.
For weeks, as his health deteriorated, his family, his servants -
even the King's doctor - pleaded with him to come out, but he refused.
After his death, his son and heir, Charles, the 10th Duke of
Rutland, ordered that the rooms be locked up and they remained
untouched for sixty years.
What lay behind this extraordinary set of circumstances?
For the first time, in The Secret Rooms, Catherine
Bailey unravels a complex and compelling tale of love, honour and
betrayal, played out in the grand salons of Britain's stately homes at
the turn of the twentieth century, and on the battlefields of the
Western Front. At its core is a secret so dark that it consumed the
life of the man who fought to his death to keep it hidden. This
extraordinary mystery from the author of Black Diamonds,
perfect for lovers of Downton Abbey, Brideshead Revisited and
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.
Praise for The Secret Rooms:
'Reads like the best kind of mystery story. It is a tale of
mistresses and heirlooms, cowardice and connivance, and a deeply
dysfunctional family...gripping' Sunday Times
'Astonishing...jaw-dropping...It would spoil the book if I
revealed the whole works, suffice it to say...what a family' Sunday Telegraph
'An extraordinary detective operation' John Julius Norwich
Catherine Bailey is the author of Black Diamonds. She read
history at Oxford University and is a successful, award-winning
television producer and director, making a range of critically
acclaimed documentary films inspired by her interest in twentieth
century history. She lives in West London.
Catherine Bailey is the author of
Black Diamonds
. She read history at Oxford University and is a successful,
award-winning television producer and director, making a range of
critically acclaimed documentary films inspired by her interest in
twentieth century history. She lives in West London.
