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OriginallypublishedinhardcoverinGreatBritainbyHodder&Stoughton,aHachetteU.K.company,London,in2011.

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v3.1_r2

Formyhusbandandson,whoIadore,andmybelovedsisters

Contents

CoverTitlePageCopyrightDedication

PrologueChapter1:PompandCircumstanceChapter2:WelcometoHighclereChapter3:Almina,DebutanteChapter4:ATriumphforHerLadyshipChapter5:LifeDownstairs

PhotoInsert1Chapter6:DressingforDinnerChapter7:EdwardianEgyptChapter8:ThePassingoftheGoldenAge

PhotoInsert2Chapter9:TheSummerof1914Chapter10:CalltoArmsChapter11:ParadiseLostChapter12:WarHeroesChapter13:HospitalontheMoveChapter14:DeathintheTrenches

PhotoInsert3Chapter15:TheDarkTimesChapter16:ThePromisedEndChapter17:FromWartoPeaceChapter18:AnotherGlitteringSeason

PhotoInsert4Chapter19:‘WonderfulThings’Chapter20:LightsOutChapter21:Inheritance

Epilogue:Almina’sLegacy

AcknowledgementsTranscriptsPictureAcknowledgementsBibliography

Prologue

ThisisabookaboutanextraordinarywomancalledAlminaCarnarvon,thefamilyintowhichshemarried,theCastlethatbecameherhome,thepeoplewhoworkedthere,andthetransformationoftheCastlewhenitbecameahospitalforwoundedsoldiersduringtheFirstWorldWar.It is not a history, although it is set against the exuberance of the

Edwardian period, the sombre gravity of the GreatWar and the earlyyearsofrecoveryaftertheconflict.Itisneitherabiographynoraworkoffiction,butplacescharactersin

historical settings, as identified from letters, diaries, visitor books andhouseholdaccountswrittenatthetime.AlminaCarnarvonwasanenormouslywealthyheiress,theillegitimate

daughterofAlfreddeRothschild.Shewascontractedinmarriagetothe5thEarlofCarnarvon,akeyplayerinEdwardiansocietyinBritain.Hisinterestsweremanyandeclectic.Helovedbooksandtravelandpursuedeveryopportunitytoexplorethetechnologiesthatweretransforminghisage. Most famously he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun withHowardCarter.Alminawas anunbelievably generouswoman in spirit andwithher

money.Shewasaguestatsomeofthegreatestroyalpageants,until–asit did for somany people – the FirstWorldWar transformed her life,involving her in running hospitals instead of great house parties andshowinghertobeanadeptnurseandskilledhealer.Highclere Castle is still home to the Earls of Carnarvon. Via its

televisionalterego,DowntonAbbey,itisknowntomillionsofpeopleasthesettingforadramathathasthrilledviewersinmorethanahundredcountriesaroundtheworld.Livinghereforthepasttwelveyears,Ihavecometoknowthebones

andstonesoftheCastle.Myresearchhasrevealedsomeofthestoriesofthe fascinatingpeoplewho livedhere, but there is somuchmore.Myjourneyhasjuststarted.

TheCountessofCarnarvon

1

PompandCircumstance

On Wednesday 26 June 1895, Miss Almina Victoria Marie AlexandraWombwell, a startlingly pretty nineteen-year-old of somewhat dubioussocialstanding,marriedGeorgeEdwardStanhopeMolyneuxHerbert,the5thEarlofCarnarvon,atStMargaret’s,Westminster.Itwasalovelyday,andthethousand-year-oldwhitestonechurchwas

crowdedwith people and overflowingwith gorgeous flowers. Some ofthecongregationonthegroom’ssidemightperhapshaveremarkedthatthedecorationswerealittleostentatious.Thenavehadbeenfilledwithtallpottedpalmtreeswhilstfernsspilledfromtherecesses.Thechancelandsanctuarywereadornedwithwhitelilies,orchids,peoniesandroses.Therewasadistincttouchoftheexotic,combinedwiththeheadyscentsof English summer flowers. It was an unusual spectacle, but theneverything about this wedding was unusual. Almina’s name, thecircumstances of her birth andmost of all her exceptional wealth, allcontributedtothefactthatthiswasnotypicalSocietywedding.TheEarlwasgettingmarriedonhistwenty-ninthbirthday.Hisfamily

andtitleweredistinguishedandhewasslimandcharming,ifsomewhat

reserved. He owned houses in London, Hampshire, Somerset,Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. His estates were grand; the houseswerefilledwithpaintingsbytheOldMasters,objectsbroughtbackfromtrips to the East and beautiful French furniture. Naturally he wasreceived in every drawing room in the country and invited to everyparty in London, especially where there was an eligible daughter ornieceforhimtomeet.Thoughtheywoulddoubtlesshavebeengraciouson such a special occasion, there must have been some inwardlydisappointedladiesinthecongregationthatday.He arrived with his best man, Prince Victor Duleep Singh, a friendfrom Eton and then Cambridge. The Prince was the son of the ex-MaharajaofPunjab,whohadownedtheKoh-i-Noordiamondbefore itwas confiscated by the British for inclusion in the Crown Jewels ofQueenVictoria,EmpressofIndia.The sun poured through the new stained-glass windows, whichdepictedEnglishheroesacrossthecenturies.Theancientchurch,whichstandsnexttoWestminsterAbbey,hadrecentlybeenrefurbishedbySirGeorge Gilbert Scott, the pre-eminent Victorian architect. The churchwas,infact,aquintessentiallyVictorianblendofthetraditionalandthemodern.Itwastheperfectsettingforthismarriageofpeoplewhocamefromsuchdifferentsectionsofsociety,butwhowereeachinpossessionofsomethingtheotherneeded.Astheorganist,MrBaines,struckuptheopeningchordsofthehymn‘TheVoiceThatBreathedo’erEden’,Almina,whohadbeenwaiting intheentranceporch,tookherfirststeps.Shewalkedslowlyandwithasmuchcalmanddignityasshecouldmusterwithallthoseeyesuponher,her gloved hand resting lightly on that of her uncle, Sir GeorgeWombwell.Theremusthavebeennerves,butshewasexcited,too.Hersoon-to-be-husband’sbrother-in-law,LordBurghclere,hadremarkedthatshewassomethingofa‘naïvedamsel’,butalsothatsheappearedtobe‘head over ears in love’ and could barely contain herself in theweeksanddaysleadinguptoherweddingday.Perhaps she took some comfort from the knowledge that she lookedexquisite. She was tiny, just over five foot tall, with blue eyes and astraightnoseframedbyglossybrownhairelegantlystyledhighonherhead. Her future sister-in-law, Winifred Burghclere, described her as‘verypretty,withanimmaculatefigureandtinywaist.’Inthelanguage

ofthetime,shewasaveritable‘PocketVenus’.Sheworeasmallwreathoforangeblossomsunderaveiloffinesilktulle.HerdresswasbytheHouseofWorth,ofParis.CharlesWorthwasthemostfashionablecouturieroftheageandwasknownforhisuseoflavish fabrics and trimmings. Almina’s dress was made of the richestduchessesatinwithafullcourttrainanddrapedinaveiloflacecaughtupononeshoulder.Theskirtswere threadedwith realorange flowersandAlminawaswearingagiftfromthebridegroom:apieceofveryoldand extremely rare French lace that had been incorporated into thedress.ThewholeensembleannouncedAlmina’sshow-stoppingarrivalonthepublicstage.ShehadinfactbeenpresentedatCourtbyheraunt,LadyJuliaWombwell,inMay1893,soshehadmadeherdebut,butshehadnot been invited to the highly exclusive, carefully policed socialoccasions that followed. Almina’s paternity was the subject of a greatdealof rumour,andnoamountof fineclothesor immaculatemannerscouldgainheraccesstothesalonsofthegrandladieswhoquietlyruledSociety. SoAlmina had not attended all the crucial balls of her debutseason,occasionsthatweredesignedtoallowayoungladytoattracttheattentionsofaneligiblegentleman.Despitethis,Alminahadnonethelesssecured a husband-to-be of the highest order, and she was dressed asbefittedawomanwhowasmakingherascentintothehighestranksofthearistocracy.Eight bridesmaids and two pages followed Almina: her cousin,MissWombwell, her fiancé’s two younger sisters, Lady Margaret and LadyVictoria Herbert, Lady Kathleen Cuffe, Princess Kathleen Singh andPrincess Sophie Singh, Miss Evelyn Jenkins and Miss Davies. All thebridesmaidsworecreamsilkmuslinoverwhitesatinskirtstrimmedwithpaleblueribbons.Thelargecreamstrawhatstrimmedwithsilkmuslin,feathers and ribbons completed a charming picture. TheHon.MervynHerbert and Lord Arthur Hay followed, dressed in Louis XV courtcostumesofwhiteandsilver,withhatstomatch.Alminahadknownherbridegroomfornearlyayearandahalf.Theyhadneverspentanytimealone,buthadmetonhalfadozenoccasionsatsocialgatherings.ItwasalmostcertainlynotenoughtimeforAlminatorealisethatthefrockcoattheEarlhadbeenpersuadedtowearonhisweddingdaywasquitedifferentfromhisusualcasualstyle.

Astheyoungcouplestoodinfrontofthealtar,themassedfamilyandfriends behind them represented a glittering cross-section of the greatandthepowerful,aswellasasmatteringoftherathersuspect.Ontheright-handsidesatthebridegroom’sfamily:hisstepmother,theDowagerCountessofCarnarvonandhishalf-brothertheHon.AubreyHerbert,theHowards,theEarlofPembroke,theEarlsandCountessesofPortsmouth,BathurstandCadogan;friendssuchasLordAshburton,LorddeGrey,theMarquessandMarchionessofBristol.TheDuchessesofMarlboroughandDevonshirewereinattendance,aswereLordandLadyCharterisandthegreaterpartofLondonSociety.LordRosebery,theex-PrimeMinister,wasaguest.Hehadtravelledto

Windsor Castle just four days previously to give his resignation to theQueen, who then asked Lord Salisbury to form a government. QueenVictoria,whohadbeena recluse formanyyears,wasnotpresent,butshe sent greetings to the young couple. Her connection with theCarnarvonswaslong-standing:shewasgodmothertotheEarl’syoungestsister.Thebride’s familyandfriendswereratherdifferent.Almina’sFrench

mother, Marie Wombwell, was born Marie Boyer, the daughter of aParisianbanker.Itwouldhavebeeneasytoconclude,observingthetwo,thatAlminahadinheritedhervivacityandstylefromMarie.SirGeorgeWombwell, brother of Marie’s late husband, had stepped in to giveAlminaaway.TheWombwellswereseatednexttomanyrepresentativesof themost influential and fabulously wealthy of the newly ennobledmercantile classes. Here were Sir Alfred de Rothschild, Baron andBaronessdeWorms,BaronFerdinanddeRothschild,BaronAdolphedeRothschild,LadydeRothschild,MrReubenSassoon,fourotherSassooncousins,MrWertheimer,Mr andMrs Ephrusi, Baron and Baroness deHirsch.BothMarieandSirAlfredhadagreatmanyfriendsinthetheatreand the celebrated prima donna, Adelina Patti, nowMadame Nicoliniwasalsoaguest.AsAlminacontemplatedherdestiny,standinginfrontofthegroupof

illustrious churchmen who had been drafted in to officiate at hermarriage,herhand in thatofhernewhusband’s, shemightwellhavefelt overawed or nervous at the thought of married life. Perhaps shecaughthermother’seyeandwasremindedofjusthowfarshehadcome.Butthenagain,shemustalsohavebeenconsciousofthefactthatwith

themarriagecontract theEarlofCarnarvonhadsignedwithAlfreddeRothschild,shewasprotectedbyalevelofwealthsostupendousthatitcould buy respectability, social acceptance and access to one of thegrandest andbest-connected families in late-VictorianEngland.AlminawentintoStMargaret’stheillegitimatedaughterofaJewishbankerandhis French kept woman, but she emerged, to the strains of Wagner’sbridal march from Lohengrin, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Hertransformationwascomplete.This remarkable ascent up the social ladder had not been entirelytrouble-free.EvenRothschildmoneycouldn’tatoneforthefactthatMrsMarieWombwell –widow of the heavy drinker and reckless gambler,Frederick Wombwell and, more importantly, the long-standingconfidanteofSirAlfred–wasnotreceivedinSociety.Almina’schildhoodwasspentbetweenParisandLondon,herteenageyearsin20BrutonStreet,W1,intheheartofMayfair.Therewerealsooccasional visits to theWombwells in Yorkshire. Sir George and LadyJulia remained very kind to Marie and her children even after herhusband died. The address in Mayfair was excellent, but MarieWombwell’scredentialswerenot.Shehadbeenamarriedwoman,thoughestrangedfromherhusbandwhenshemetSirAlfred.SirAlfredwasaleadingfigureinpubliclife;hehadbeenadirectorof theBankofEngland for twentyyears, andwasalso a bachelor, an aesthete, and a confirmed man about town. Hedelighted in spending the vast family fortune on a lavish lifestyle thatincluded ‘adoration dinners’, soirées for the pleasure of his gentlemenfriends,atwhichtheycouldmeettheleadingladiesoftheday.Marie may have been introduced to Sir Alfred by her father, whoknewhim throughconnections in thebankingworld,orbySirGeorgeand Lady Julia,who spentweekends as his guests atHaltonHouse inBuckinghamshire.AlfredandMariesharedapassionforthetheatreandthe opera and became close friends, and then lovers. Alfred was agenerous companion who provided handsomely for Marie and herdaughter. SinceAlfredwas prepared to settle a vast sumofmoneyonher,Alminawasa serious contender in themarriagemarket.ButevenMariecouldsurelyneverinherwildestdreamshaveimaginedthatherdaughterwouldmaketheleaptotheheartoftheEstablishment.Apparently, this success ratherwent toMarie’s head. Shewas quite

insistentthatthevenuefortheweddingbreakfastshouldbesufficientlygrand to do justice to the occasion, but this presented considerableproblemsofetiquette.Itwastraditionalforthecelebrationstobegivenat the bride’s family home, but thatwas impossible, since hermotherwasbeyondthepaleandherfatherwas,forform’ssake,referredtoasher godfather. It was Rothschild money that was paying for themagnificentfestivities,buttheycouldnotbeheldinaRothschildhouse.Elsie,the5thEarl’sstepmotherandprimemoverbehindthewedding

planning,hadbeenfrettingoverthisconundrumforweeks.Asshewroteto the Countess of Portsmouth, the Earl’s devoted aunt, ‘We have afamilydifficulty.Wehaveneithercalleduponher[MrsWombwell]norreceivedher, tho’Alminaof coursehasbeenwithus constantly.’Withgreat delicacy, Elsie, who had an instinctive sweetness and had takenAlminaunderherwing,hadbeenmakingenquiriesamongstsuchfamilyfriendsasLordandLadyStanhope,hopingtosecuretheuseofaneutralbut impressive venue for the wedding breakfast. Various houses wereofferedbutnotacceptedbefore,intheend,MrAstorofferedtheloanofLansdowne House on the south side of Berkeley Square, and Marieagreedthatthiswoulddoverywell.So,afterthechurchservice,theguestsmadetheirwaytotheMayfair

mansion.Itwasastatelyhouse,designedbyRobertAdamandbuilt in1763,withmanyelegantreceptionrooms.Theentrancehallwasfilledwithhydrangeas;theneachroomwasthemedwithdifferentflowers.Asin St Margaret’s, palms and ferns featured prominently in the saloon,where Gottlieb’s celebrated orchestra, which had been brought overfrom Vienna, was playing the latest fashionable waltzes. Drinks wereservedinoneroom,theweddingbreakfast,completewithathree-tieredcake, inanother.MrsWombwell greetedguestswearing adarkpurpledress, while Elsie, the Dowager Countess of Carnarvon, whose ranknaturallydictatedthatshebefirstinthereceivingline,woreadressofgreenandpinkshotsilk.Theweddinggiftstobothbrideandgroomwerecarefullycatalogued

and displayed at the party. From Sir Alfred, Almina had received amagnificentemeraldnecklaceandtiara,jewelsbefittinghernewrank,tobewornwhenentertainingatHighclereorintown.Shewasgivenavastquantityofbeautifulthings,fromcrystalvasestogoldscentbottlesandendless objets de virtu. The bridegroom was presented with equally

charmingbejewelledornamentsandadornments,fromringstocigarettecases.Afteralltheworriesbeforehand,thedaypassedoffwithoutahitch.If

there were mutterings at the elevation of Miss Wombwell, they weremuted.MrsWombwellbehavedimpeccablyandeveryonemaintainedadiscreetsilenceoverthepartplayedbyAlfreddeRothschild.Infact,thespectacularweddingwasjudgedtohavebeenoneofthemostsuccessfuleventsoftheSeason.Perhaps the realmoment of anxiety for Almina came notwhen she

stepped into the church or LansdowneHouse,where shewas after allsurroundedby familiar faces,butwhen shewasdrivenaway fromheroldlife,hergirlhood,andbeganherjourneytoHighclere.Shemusthavereceived somewordsof encouragement fromhermother, surely akissandablessingfromherfather.Butnowshewasembarkingonherfirststeps as a wife, in the company of a virtual stranger who had so farshownnorealinclinationtogettoknowher.Leaving their guestsduring theafternoon, thenewlymarried couple

weredrivenbyLordCarnarvon’sheadcoachman,HenryBrickell,acrossLondontoPaddingtontocatchaspecialtrainforthecountry.Theywereto spend the first part of their honeymoon at Highclere Castle inHampshire, the grandest of the Carnarvon estates. They had bothchangedtheirclothes.TheEarlshruggedoffhislong,formalcoatattheearliest opportunity and was nowwearing his favourite, much-darnedblue jacket. Once out of town, he added a straw hat. Almina waswearing a charming pompadour gauze dress, diamonds and a hat byVerrotofParis.The train fromPaddingtonwasdue toarriveatHighclereStationat

6.30p.m.LordandLadyCarnarvonalightedandtooktheirseats inanopen landau drawn by a pair of bay horses and driven by the under-coachman. A mile later, the carriage turned in to the lodge gates,winding througharching treesanddarkrhododendronbushes.As theypassedtheTempleofDianaaboveDunsmereLake,agunwasfiredfromthe tower of the Castle. Ten minutes later, the landau arrived at thecrossroads in the park and the couple got down from the carriage. Aprocessional arch studded with flowers had been set up over thedriveway.Thehorseswereunharnessedbyheads of departments fromtheestate:MrHall,MrStorie,MrLawrenceandMrWeigall.Ropeswere

attachedbythefarmforemanandtheforesterforeman,andthecoupletook theirplacesonceagain.Twentymen thenpickedup the ropes topullthelandaubeneaththearchwayandupthehilltothemaindoorofthe Castle, accompanied by a lively march from the Newbury TownBand,whichhadbeenpaidsevenguineasforitsservices.TheMayorofNewburywas inattendanceandwouldshortlypresentHis Lordshipwith awedding gift on behalf of the people of the localtown: an album containing their good wishes on the occasion of hismarriage,exquisitelyilluminatedinthestyleofamedievalmanuscript.ItwasillustratedwithviewsofNewburyCornExchangeandHighclereitself,andboundincreamcalf’sleatherwiththelinkedCarnarvoninitialC’sstampedonthefront.Someoftheestatetenantswereinthegardenstowatchproceedings.Theyhadallbeenentertainedinamarqueebythebandandtherehadalsobeenateapartygivenfor330ofthelocalchildren.Theeventhadbeenthreatenedbythunderstorms,but luckilytheweatherhadclearedintimeforboththeteapartyandthearrivalofthebrideandgroom.Itwasalmostthelongestdayoftheyear,andthesunwasstillstrong.Aswellasthefeefortheband,£111s6dwaspaidfortheattendanceoffiveconstablesandadonationof£2wasmadetotheBurghclerebell-ringers,whohadbeensendingoutpealsofbells fromthe localchurchspireeversincetheEarlandCountessdisembarkedfromthetrain.The red andblue flag proudly displaying the colours of the family’scoatofarmsflewfromthetopofthetower,whosedelicateturretsandstoneworkwere interspersedwith all manner of heraldic symbols andbeasts,thatseemedtosurveythescene.DrawingupattheheavywoodendooroftheCastle,theEarlandhisnewCountessalightedonceagainfromthecarriageandweregreetedbyMr Albert Streatfield, the house steward (a position more commonlyreferredtoasthatofbutler)andMajorJamesRutherford(theagentwhorantheestate)andhiswife.WhatmustAlminahavethoughtasshewatchedthemenofHighclerelabouring to haul her to her destination?What ran through hermindwhen shegazedupon thishouse as itsnewchatelaine? Itwasnotherfirstsightofit.Shehadvisitedtwicebefore,fortheweekend,withhermother. But now she was the Countess of Carnarvon, expected tomanage the running of the household and to perform her numerous

duties. Everyone at Highclere, whether they worked above or belowstairs,onthefarmorinthekitchen,hadaroletofulfil,andAlminawasnodifferent.It must have felt exhilarating. Almina was an energetic and high-spirited girl, and marriage, motherhood and now service to theCarnarvondynastywouldhave looked likeaveryagreeabledestiny tomostgirlsabletoimaginethemselvesinhershoes.Shewasaccustomedtolivinganindulgedlife,andhadnoreasontosuspectthatshewouldeverwantforanythingshedesired.Shewasalreadyverymuchinlovewith her new husband. But surely there must have been feelings oftrepidation,too.Ifshehadbeeninanydoubtbeforehand,sheneededonlytoglanceatthepresson theSaturdayafterherwedding to see thather lifewouldhenceforth be lived in public. Then, as now, the weddings of thearistocracyandtherichandfamouswereeagerlycoveredbythepress.The ‘World ofWomen’ column in thePenny Illustrated paper carried afull-lengthportraitofAlmina(althoughinaslip-upshewasdescribedasMissAliceWombwellinthecaption)anddescribedhergownindetail.Almina had passed from almost total obscurity to object of mediascrutinyinamoment.Withhernewstatuscameallsortsofpressures.Alminawasn’t given very long towonderwhat lay in store for her.LordCarnarvonspentthenextfewdaystakinghisbridearoundtheparkand neighbouring villages to meet the local families, in order thatAlminacouldbegintoexplorealoneandbecomefamiliarwithhernewhome. They went to Highclere Church for morning service on theSundayaftertheyweremarried.SirGilbertScotthadbeenatworkhere,as in Westminster. He’d designed and built the church some twentyyearspreviously,attherequestofLordCarnarvon’sfather,the4thEarl.Andthen,businessconcluded,thecoupleleftfortheContinentandthesecondpart of their honeymoon. Itwas a chance to get to knoweachother properly, in private, at last. They spent twoweeks away beforereturning to Highclere, when normal life resumed. Except that, forAlmina,nothingwouldeverbethesameagain.

2

WelcometoHighclere

WhenAlminasteppedfromthecarriageoutsidehernewhomeonthatearlysummerday,herarrivalhadbeenmuchanticipatedformonths.Aweb of rumour and gossip had circulated all sorts of information andspeculation about the Earl’s young bride amongst the people living atHighclere.Thelifeofthegreathousesattheendofthenineteenthcenturywas

stillmarkedbystructuresandpatternsunchangedforcenturies.Familiesservedforgenerations.HighclereCastlewasthefamilyhomeoftheEarlsofCarnarvon,buttheCastlewasalsotheservants’Castle,andthefamilytheir family. Highclere was a tight ship, captained by Streatfield, thehousesteward.Thereality,aseveryoneknew,wasthatCountessescomeand Countesses go. It wasn’t that Almina was without influence orimportance, but shedidneed to grasp, quickly, that shewas only onepartofamachinethatwouldlongsurviveher.Partofherinitialtaskonarrival was to understand the history and community that she wasbecomingapartof.HighclereCastleliesatacrossroadsbetweenWinchesterandOxford,

LondonandBristol,builtonachalkridgeofhighlandandguardedbyanancientroutebetweenBeaconHillandLadleHill.JusttothesouthofHighclere is Siddown Hill, topped by an eighteenth-century folly,Heaven’sGate.TheviewstothenorthextendbeyondNewburytowardsthespiresofOxford.It isanarea longpraised for itsnaturalbeauty. In1792, justoverahundredyearsbeforeAlminaarrivedatHighclere,ArchibaldRobertsonwroteinhistopographicalsurvey,‘HighClereParkstandsinHampshire;and for extent, boldness of feature, softened by a mixture of easyswelling lawns, shelving into pleasant vallies, diversified bywood andwater,claimstheadmirationofthetraveller,andmaybeconsideredasoneofthemostelegantseatsinthecountry.’TherehasbeenasettlementatHighclereforthousandsofyears.Thereis an IronAgehill fort atBeaconHill and the landwasownedby thebishops ofWinchester for 800 years before passing into secular handsand eventually, in the late seventeenth century, to theHerbert family,EarlsofPembrokeandancestorsoftheEarlsofCarnarvon.The park is a harmonious mix of natural and landscaped features,designed for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon in the eighteenth century byCapabilityBrown.Thedifferentdriveswindamongstthecontoursoftheland to hide and reveal the first views of the Castle. Long and shortviewshavebeencreatedbyskilfulplanting;everywhereyoulookthereareexotic importedtrees,graciousavenuesandornamental follies thatdirectyoureyealongsomeparticularlygloriousline.Itisitsownworldand,evennow,visitorsarestruckbythestrongsenseofplace,theunitybetweentheland,theCastleandthepeoplewholiveandworkthere.Thehouseinitscurrentincarnationwasbuiltforthe3rdEarlbySirCharlesBarry,thearchitectoftheHousesofParliament.Itwasamajorundertaking.TheoldElizabethanbrickmanorhadbeenremodelledintoa Georgian mansion in the late eighteenth and early nineteenthcenturies,butallthatwastobetransformedentirely.Thefirststoneofthenewhousewaslaidin1842.Theworktooktwelveyearstocompleteand, by the end,HighclereCastle, as itwasnowcalled, dominated itssurroundings completely. It is a statement house, purposeful andconfident;itdoesn’tfeellikeaplacethathasgrownupovertime,beenadded to and tinkered with. It is much more the product of a singlearchitect’svision.Gothicturretswereabsolutelythepinnacleoffashion

as early Victorian architecture turned to medieval influences in abacklash against the classical designs of the eighteenth century. Thehousewasintendedtoimpressvisitorswiththestatusandgoodtasteofitsbuilders.Ithasapeculiarlymasculinefeelaboutit,anaestheticthatprizessolidstyleandsoaringimmensityoverprettiness.Almina and her mother had often visited Alfred de Rothschild’scountryestate,HaltonHouseinBuckinghamshire,whichwascompletedin1888.Haltonwasadifferentstyleagain:allBaroquefantasy,andsooverthetopthatitembodiedwhatwascalled,slightlydisparagingly,‘lestyle Rothschild’. She must have been conscious when she looked atHighclerethat,althoughitwasonlyfiftyyearsolderthanHaltonHouse,itslandsanditssetting,itsgorgeoushoney-colouredtowerinBathstone,represented an idea of English tradition that was totally different toanythingshehadpreviouslyknown.Back in October 1866, one particularly illustrious visitor wasovercomewith delight as hewas driven through the park, crying out,‘Howscenical,howscenical,’asheapproachedtheCastle.BenjaminDisraeli,whoatthetimeofthisvisitwasChancelloroftheExchequer,butwhowenton tobePrimeMinister twice,hadcaughtaspecially laid-on train from Paddington toHighclere. Hewasmet anddriven by carriage past London Lodge, its gateway arch upheld byclassicalpillarsandsurmountedbytheCarnarvoncoatofarms.ThroughgrovesofrhododendronsandpastspreadingLebanoncedars,now150yearsold,Disraeli,whowascomfortablywrappedincarriagerugsagainsttheautumnchill,couldlookaroundhim,fullofadmiration.Every vista proved enchanting.As the roadwoundpast theTemple ofDiana,builtoverDunsmereLake,thehighesttopsoftheCastle’sturrets,stillmorethanamileaway,couldbeglimpsedabovethetrees.Disraelinoted the curving medieval embankment of the deer park beforesweepingaroundtowardstheCastledrive.CapabilityBrownhadtakentremendous trouble to construct the last approach.TheCastle emergesobliquelyinfrontofthevisitor,therebyappearingevenlargerandmoreimpressivethanitactuallyis.Thewholelandscapesoromanticallylentitself to creative thought that the followingday,Disraeli andhis host,the 4th Earl of Carnarvon, took a very agreeable walk in brilliantsunshinethroughthegrounds,andtalkedaffairsofstate.The4thEarl, fatherofAlmina’shusband,served inpolitics forsome

forty years.At the timeofDisraeli’s visit hewasColonial Secretary, apositionthatsatisfiedhisgreatloveoftravelandtookhimtoAustralia,South Africa, Canada, Egypt and New Guinea. Much of the time hetravelled on his own yacht, but there were also numerous shortermissions on government business across Europe. He possessedconsiderableintellectualcuriosityandwasoneoftheforemostclassicalscholarsofhis generation, translatingHomerandAeschylus aswell asDante.Inall,heservedinthreeConservativecabinets.HewasappointedSecretaryofStatefortheColoniesfirstbyLordDerby,thenbyDisraeli,and then made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by Lord Salisbury. He wasrenowned forhishardworkand thoroughnessand forbeingamanofprinciple,whotwiceresignedhisposition,onceoverDisraeli’shandlingoftheEasternQuestion,andlateroverthethornyissueofHomeRuleforIreland.The 4th Earl and his Countess pioneered the practice, which soon

becameafashionabletrend,ofgivingweekendhousepartiesatthegreathouses. These were not only social gatherings but also networkingopportunities and, thanks to the Earl’s prominent part in public life,Highclerewasahubofpower.Hewasfortunatetohavemarriedawomanwhoturnedouttobethe

perfect political wife. Lady Evelyn was the daughter of the Earl ofChesterfieldandthecouplemarriedinWestminsterAbbeyinSeptember1861, the first time that honour had been extended to a non-royalpartnershipinmanycenturies.Sincere,kind,andpossessedofquickwitsand an instinctive understanding, Lady Evelyn was an asset to herhusband. Invitations toHighclerewere freely given tomenof politics,public officials, intellectuals and travellers. Expertise could be pooledand congenial solutions to difficult problems foundmore easilywhilststrolling in the park or over some excellent brandy and cigars in theSmokingRoom,thaninthefebrileatmosphereofWestminster.The couple had four children: Winifred, who was born in 1864,

George Edward, the son and heirwhowould go on tomarry Almina,who had been born fourmonths before Disraeli’s 1866 visit, and twomoredaughters.Margaretwasbornin1870and,on30December1874,thebabywhowouldbechristenedVictoria.Lady Carnarvon never recovered from giving birth to her last child.

She lingered for a few days, during which time Queen Victoriamade

constant enquiries aboutherhealthand thatof thebaby.VictoriahadbeenlivinginalmosttotalseclusioneversincethedeathofherbelovedPrince Albert fourteen years previously, but she kept herself informedabout her friends’ lives and, when she heard the news that LadyCarnarvon was unlikely to survive, she expressed a desire to be thechild’sgodmother.Evelynralliedbrieflybutdiedon25January1875.Herhusbandwasdevastated,aswashermother,whohadbeenatherbedsidethroughouther illness.Thediariesofhersister-in-law,LadyPortsmouth,containagrief-strickenaccountof thecourageandcalmness thatEvelynshowedassheslippedaway.‘Howsoremyheartis,’shewrote.LadyCarnarvonlay in state in the Library at Highclere and was buried at the familychapelinabeautifulcornerofthepark.It was a cruel loss for the whole family. Childbirth was a perilousbusiness,andnoonewasimmunetorisk,nomatteriftheyhadaccesstothe best medical care available. Winifred was ten, George (who wasalways known as Porchy, a nickname derived from his courtesy title,LordPorchester)waseight,Margaret fourand littleVictoria just threeweeksoldwhentheirmotherdied.Althoughinaristocraticfamiliesthechildrenwerecaredforprimarilybyananny,LadyCarnarvonhadbeenmuch loved and her children were heartbroken. After her death theywerepassedbetweenthehouseholdsoftwodotingbutelderlyaunts,aslightly chaotic arrangement that fostered a particularly strong bondbetweenthe twoeldestchildren.The lossofhismotherat suchaveryyoung age may well have contributed to the 5th Earl’s sense ofemotionalself-containment,somethingthathisownsonlaterremarkedupon.Forawhile theweekendhousepartieswerenomore,andHighclereand the Carnarvons went into formal mourning. There was strictetiquettegoverningmourninginnineteenth-centuryEngland,especiallyin thewakeof theQueen’sdecision towithdraw frompublic lifeafterPrinceAlbert’sdeathinDecember1861.Specialclotheshadtobewornandthebereavedwereexpectedtosecludethemselvesfromsociallife.Awidowerwouldwear a black frock coat for up to a year and childrenworeblackforat leastsixmonthstomarkthedeathofaparent.Evenservants wore black armbands. No lady or gentleman could attend –muchlessgive–aballforatleastayearafterthedeathofaclosefamily

member.But,eventually,the4thEarldecidedthatitwastimetomoveon.In

1878 he visited relatives at Greystoke Castle in the Lake District andfoundahousefulloflaughterandconversation.Itmusthavefeltlikeareturntolife,anditledtoaproposalofmarriagetohiscousinElizabeth(Elsie) Howard who, at twenty-two, was twenty-five years his junior.They had two sons, Aubrey andMervyn, during twelve years of veryhappymarriage. LordCarnarvon’s friend LadyPhillimorewrote to herhusband, ‘They are happy together, those two, and make sunshinearoundthem.’There’snodoubt that thechildren’schildhoodandadolescencewere

made considerably easier by the arrival of their stepmother, towhomtheywereclosefortherestofherlife.Elsiewasamotherlyfigure,andher presence atHighcleremeant that Porchy,who had always been asicklychild,onceagainhadsomewherestabletocallhome.Thehousecouldalsoresumeitsroleasasocialandpoliticalcentreofpower.If Elsie could be indulgent, Porchy’s father was quite clear that

discipline and diligence were highly desirable qualities in a younggentleman who was bound to inherit significant duties. The 4th Earlloved practical jokes, but he was also driven by a powerful sense ofpublic service, both atHighclere and in office.He expectedhis son toapply himself. ‘A good education is the best heritagewe can give ourchildren,’hedeclared.But although Porchy discovered a love of books and reading, his

‘greatest solace’, he did not inherit his father’s academic diligence.HeoptedoutofEtonearlyandbrieflyconsideredacareerintheArmybut,afterfailingthemedical,hesetoffaroundtheworldonhistravels.Hewas fortunate that his father was generous, broadminded andunderstood his restless spirit perfectly, since he was himself an avidtraveller.The4thEarlwasonoccasion frustratedbyhis son’s recklessstreak, but he appreciated his heir’s native intelligence and curiousmind; in any case, Porchy continued to receive an education since atutor travelledwith him constantly. Hewas reasonably fluent in bothFrenchandGermanaswellastheclassical languages,andalsostudiedmathematics,musicandhistory.TwoyearslaterhewenttoTrinityCollege,Cambridge,wherethefirst

thing he did was offer to scrape the paint in his room to reveal the

originalwoodenpanellingbeneath.Helovedthetown’scuriosityshopsandwasmoreoftenfoundatNewmarketracecoursethaninthelibrary.He managed two years of study before buying a 110-foot yacht, theAphrodite, and sailing from Vigo to the Cape Verde islands, from theWest Indies to Rio. He heard Italian opera in Buenos Aires and waspersuadednottoreturnthroughtheMagellanStraits,sinceitwasfartooperilous at that time of year. His next journey was to South Africa,where he went elephant hunting and got a terrible shock when theelephantturnedthetablesandchasedhimupatree.Hereadavastamountaboutthecountrieshevisitedandlearnedon

hisfeet,nurturingpatience,self-relianceandcalm.Thepracticalitiesoflifeatseameanthehadtobeoneoftheteam,whethertakingthehelmwhen the captainwas delirious or helpingwith surgical operations onboard.Heusuallyspentsummersintowngoingtotheopera,thenwentfor some shooting at Bretby in Nottinghamshire, another of theCarnarvon estates, or Highclere, where he stayed on into the autumnbeforedashingoffonhistravelsagain.Hecollectedbooks,paintingsandacquaintances in equal measure. He was, despite his family’s concernthatheshouldbegintoapplyhimself,thoroughlyindulged.Thisdelightfulroutinehadbeeninterruptedbythe4thEarl’sdeathin

June1890,athishouseinPortmanSquareinLondon.PorchyhadbeenabletogetbackfromhisvoyagetoAustraliaandJapanintimetobeathis father’sbedside.TheEarl’shealthhadbeen failingsince1889,andhis friends from allwalks of lifeweremoved by his patience.Hewassaidtopossessageniusforfriendship.GeneralSirArthurHardinge,anoldfriendandveteranoftheCrimeanWar,wroteofhim,‘Hewasoneofthegreatestgentlemen Ihaveevermet,andwhilsthedidnotgivehisconfidenceeasily,whenhedid,hegaveitinfullmeasure.’HiscoffinwasbroughtdownfromLondontolieinstateintheLibrary

ashisfirstwife’shaddone.LadyPortsmouthrecalledthat ‘therewasaspecial train from and to London bringing the Queen [Victoria] andPrince[ofWales]tothemortuarychapel. ItwasabeautifulservicebyCanonLydonn…I feel sometimes Imusthavebeendreaming,buthislastwordswere“veryhappy”.’Whenhediedhe left sixchildren.Hisheir,George,LordPorchester,

wasnowthe5thEarlofCarnarvon.Succeedingtothetitledidn’tactuallymeananyimmediatechangein

lifestyle.Afterhis father’s funeraland the readingof thewill, thenewLord Carnarvon went travelling again, leaving Elsie with Aubrey,Mervyn and his two younger sisters, Margaret and Victoria (whowasknown as Vera). They all lived between Highclere, Bretby inNottinghamshire, London, Elsie’s own estate, Teversal and a villa inPortofino,Italy,thatthe4thEarlhadlefttohiswidow.Winifred, Lord Carnarvon’s older sister, had just married the futureLordBurghclere.LadyPortsmouthwroteinherdiary,‘dearWinifredhasengagedherself toMrHerbertGardner–worse luck–anaturalsonofthe late LdGardner, but if he cares forher and iswell principled andgoodtemperedwhatmorecanyouwish–sheisasweetdearchildandIwishherhappy.’Lord Carnarvon’s father had been a prudent as well as a successfulman and had safeguarded the financial fortunes of the family. Theestateswerewellmanagedby trusted staff; therewasnothing to keepthenewEarlathomeagainsthistastesandinclinations.LordCarnarvonwasundoubtedlyfondofhisfather–hespokeofhimwithwarmth and respect all his life – but once the arrangements hadbeenmadeandnicetiesobserved,hewasready to takehis inheritanceand upgrade an already lavish lifestyle – even more travels, moreantiquitiespurchased,moreofeverything.HistriptoEgyptin1889wasaparticularlysignificantjauntsinceitsparkedalifelongobsessionthatwasgoingtoproveverycostly.Three years later he was, if not broke, then very heavily in debt.Yachts,rarebooksandarttreasuresdonotcomecheap,andtherunningcosts of maintaining a household at Highclere, a London house atBerkeley Square, plus his other estates, was considerable. He owed£150,000:avastsum,butbynomeansanunusualoneforyoungmenofhisclassatthattime.ThePrinceofWaleswasthemostimpecuniousbutextravagantofthemall,makingitentirelynormalfortheupperclassestoliveutterlybeyondtheirmeans.LordCarnarvonwascarelessbuthewasn’treckless.Hewashisfather’sson,afterall,andheknewhehadanobligationtoprotectthepatriarchal–basicallyfeudal–wayoflifethatstillexistedatHighclere.Wholefamiliesdependeduponhim;andinanycase,hedidn’twanttolosehisbelovedhome.Itwastimetolookforawaytosecurehisfinancialfuture.

3

Almina,Debutante

InAugust1893, threemonthsafterAlmina’spresentationatCourt,sheencountered Lord Carnarvon when they were both guests at one ofAlfreddeRothschild’sweekendhousepartiesatHaltonHouse.SirAlfredwas very much in the habit of entertaining in spectacular style. Hewould doubtless have been only too delighted to welcome LordCarnarvon, who was an excellent shot and had a great collection ofanecdotesfromhis travels,aswellasbeinginpossessionofoneof thegrandesttitlesandestatesinthecountry.Given that the 5th Earl was also languishing beneath a significant

burdenofdebt,hehadseeminglyarrivedattheconclusionthatitwouldbeimprudenttomarrywithoutmoney.AndAlmina,withherrumouredconnectionstotheRothschilds,hadcaughthiseye.Theyprobablymetfor thefirst timeat theStateBallatBuckingham

Palaceon10July,whichAlminaattendedwithheraunt,LadyJulia,andcousin. This was the opening event of the debutantes’ Season, andeveryonewhohadbeenpresentedwent,aswellasvirtuallyeveryDuke,marquessandEarlintheland.GiventhatAlminawashighlyunlikelyto

beinvitedtoanyotherbigsocialoccasionsbyanyofthegrandersortofpeople, thiswasprobablyheronlychance toattract theattentionofasuitorfromtheupperechelonsofSociety.Shedidn’tsquanderit.Herwardrobe for the Season had been carefully selected after closeconsultationwithhermother and aunt.Almina loved fashion andwasluckyenoughtohavethemeanstopurchasethefinestclothes,hatsandjewels.Therewerestrictrulesaboutwhatwasappropriateattireateachoccasionandherdressfortheballwouldhavebeenwhiteandrelativelyunadorned, with minimal jewels and shoulder-length white gloves.Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American heiress who went on to marry theDukeofMarlborough sixmonths afterAlmina’swedding,was shockedwhenshecametoLondonasadebutante,havingfirstbeenpresentedinParis. In France the girlswore very demure dresses, but in England itseemed itwas thedonething tousea lowernecklineso that thegirls’shouldersweremoreexposed.There were hundreds of debutantes at the palace, all of themnervouslyawarethattheywereondisplayandlongingtomeetalovelyandeligibleman.Theysatwiththeirchaperonesandtheirdancecards,a little booklet inwhich a youngman couldmark his name against awaltz or a polka. It was a subtly but highly competitive business thatcouldbethemakingofagirlforlife.Alminawasveryprettywithbeautifulposture,alittleDresdendollofagirl.Andshehadallthevivaciouscharmthatcamefromgrowingupin Paris, the acknowledged capital of refined elegance and luxuriousdecadence.LordCarnarvonmusthave spottedher,perhapsas shewasdancing,andmadeabeeline.Alminawouldgoontoproveherselfmadeofsternstuff,notatallinclinedtofitsofthevapours,butherheartmusthavebeenpoundingasshecurtseyedtotheEarl.Therewouldhavebeenashortconversation,anengagementtodanceonce,perhapstwice,butnomore.Itwasenoughforthetwoyoungpeopletocharmeachother.WhensheleftBuckinghamPalacethatnight,Alminawasexcitedabouttheyoungmanshehadjustmet.Therewasofcoursenothingshecoulddoexceptwaittoseewhatmighttranspire.ShemightneverhearfromtheEarlofCarnarvonagain.ButtheEarlwastakenwiththislovelygirl,andwouldhaveknownthat–aswellasbeingcharming,prettyandfun–AlminahadfriendsinthewealthiestcirclesinLondon.Ifayoungmanofgoodcredentialswerelookingtoacquiresignificant

sums, itwasnatural thathisattentionshouldbedrawntosomeof thefabulously wealthy financiers who had amassed spectacular fortunesduring the years of speculation of the 1860s. The Victorian period issometimesthoughtofasbeingoneofstrictmoralsandprimbehaviour,in all aspects of life, but it was also an age of materialism and wildconfidence.TheEmpirewasexpanding,andBritishcommercialinterestswithit.DizzyingamountsofmoneyweremadeintheCityofLondonbymenwhowerepreparedtostepinandofferloanstothegovernmentorto the East India Company or even to individual entrepreneurs. SirAlfreddeRothschildwasonesuchman,andhecamefromafamilywhohad been at the heart of funding the British imperial project for twogenerations.Alfred’s father was Baron Lionel de Rothschild, who inherited afortune accumulated in an extraordinarily short time by his father,Nathan Mayer de Rothschild. Nathan had arrived in Britain fromGermany in 1798; over the next thirty years he established theRothschilds as the pre-eminent investment bankers in Europe. BaronLionel continued his father’s work and was instrumental in loans ofapproximately£160milliontotheBritishgovernmentoverthecourseofhis lifetime, including, in 1876, the £4 million advanced for thepurchase of 44per cent of the SuezCanal shares from theKhedive ofEgypt. He cleared a profit on this deal alone of £100,000. His legacybears tribute to his brilliant judgement and tremendous influence: hewas the first Jew to be admitted to the House of Commons, withouthavingtorenouncehisfaith,in1858.AlfredwasthesecondofLionel’sthreesons.Hisolderbrother,Natty,waselevatedtothepeeragebyQueenVictoriain1885,thefirstJewishmemberof theHouseofLords,hisyoungerbrotherLeopoldwasmoreinterestedintheTurfandwasaprominentmemberoftheJockeyClub.Alfredwasindustrious,butlovedthehighlifeaswell.Heworkedatthefamilybankthroughouthislife,althoughherarelyarrivedmuchbeforelunchtime on any given day. He became a director of the Bank ofEngland at the age of twenty-six, a post he held for the next twentyyears.WhensenttoaninternationalmonetaryconferencebytheBritishgovernment in 1892, he was the only financier to turn up with fourvalets,vastquantitiesofluggageandanimpeccablebuttonhole.SobythetimeLordCarnarvonwenttoHaltonHouseforthefirsttime

inDecember1892,probablytoshoot,theRothschildswerebynomeansmarginalfigures.Theirwillingnesstoputtheirvastamountsofmoneyatthe service of the Crown, coupled with the family’s very generousinterest inphilanthropiccauses,meant that theywereaccepted figuresinSociety.SirAlfredepitomisedthesocialmobilityoftheVictorianAge.Alfred’s final stampofapprovalhadbeenprovidedbyhis friendship

withHisRoyalHighness, thePrinceofWales.Alfredhad received theeducationofanEnglishgentlemanandhadbecomefirmfriendswiththePrince of Wales at Trinity College, Cambridge. They had a surprisingamount in common. Theywere both of recent German descent, spokethat language as well as French, and yet were part of the EnglishEstablishment.Theyalsosharedaloveoffinefoodandwine,andalifeofpleasure.ThedifferencewasthatAlfred,unlikethePrinceofWales,couldaffordit.Bertie,ashewasknowntohismotherevenwhenhewasinhisfifties,

was kept on a very tight budget by the reclusive and pious Victoria.PeriodicallyheappliedtotheHouseofCommonstosupplyanincreaseinhislivingexpenses,inreturnforhisassumingsomeofthetasksthatVictorianolongercaredtofulfil.Hewasalwaysthwartedbyhismother,who distrusted him intensely, despite support from various primeministers, including Gladstone. So the Prince of Wales didn’t haveenoughworktodo,anddidn’thaveenoughmoneytopayforhisleisurepursuits.Hewasalwaysindireneedofverywealthyfriends,andAlfredwas not only very rich and very generous, he was also a scholar, anaesthete,abachelor,awitandasartorialist.ThefriendshipenduredforthewholeofthePrinceofWales’life.Infact,Alfredwasdisparagedmorebyhisownfamilythanbywider

society, inparticularhisolderbrother’swife,Emma,whothoughthimfrivolous,self-indulgentandeccentric.WhenAlfred,whonevermarried,beganarelationshipwithMarieWombwell,awomanwhowasnotonlymarried to another man, but to a man who had been arrested forpoaching fromhisown in-laws, therewas strongdisapproval.The factthat hemaintainedMarie in lavish style at one of themost exclusiveaddressesinfashionableMayfair,andwentontodoteuponMarie’schildAlmina,wasseenasfurtherevidenceofhisdisregardforthedignityofthefamily.Whilst the question of Almina’s paternity can’t be conclusively

determined with any certainty, Marie had been estranged from FredWombwell for years when Almina was born. He did turn upoccasionally. She and Alfredwere certainly confidants and lovers, buttheywerenotbyanymeansanestablishedcouple.Marie’s backgroundwas very respectable. Her fatherwas a ParisianfinancierandhermotherwasfromawealthySpanishfamily.ShegrewupinParisbutspentalotoftimeinEngland.Hertwosistersbothmadegoodmarriages to titled English gentlemen, butMarie’s marriage waslesssuccessful.FrederickWombwellwastheyoungestsonofabaronetand theirweddingwas attendedby several prominentmembers of thearistocracy.ButFrederickprovedtobeabadlot,adrunkardandathief;althoughthecouplehadoneson,alsocalledFred,theywereestrangedafterFredsenior’smisdemeanoursbecametoomuchforMarietobear.(The hapless Wombwell eventually died, six years before Alminamarried, thus avoiding any further embarrassment and allowing hisbrother,SirGeorgeWombwell,tostepinonherweddingdayandgiveheraway.)Mariewasa lonelywomanwhen shemetAlfreddeRothschild.Stillyoungandattractive,shewasmarginalisedbythefactthatherhusbandwasdisgracedandshehadverylittlemoney.Mariemusthavedelightedin the companionship of amanwhowas happy to spoil her lavishly.AlfredandMarieappeartohaveenjoyedagoodrelationshipthroughouttheirlives,buttherewasneveranychanceofmarriage,evenafterFredWombwelldied,sinceAlfredhadnodesiretogiveupthefreedomofhisbachelor status or tomarry aRomanCatholic.WhenMarie’s daughterwas born, Alfred doted upon her, and although he never formallyacknowledged the child as his, Almina’s unusual name, which wasformedofacombinationofherparents’,wasareference,albeitacodedone, to the realityofherparentage.HermotherwasalwaysknownasMina, to which was simply added the first two letters of her father’sname.Bythe latteryearsof thenineteenthcentury,attitudestoaffairs–atleast amongst the upper classes – were generally tolerant, so long asdiscretion was maintained. Adultery was definitely a lesser evil thandivorce. Disgrace came in exposure, not in the act, even for women.AlthoughsomeoftheRothschildswereoutraged(evidence,perhaps,oftheir less well-established status), and Marie was not received by the

higherechelonsofpolitesociety(notjustbecauseoftheaffairbutalso,crucially, because of her husband’s fall from grace), the relationshipflourished in a grey area in which everyone turned a blind eye andpolitelyagreednottonotice.Alminawaseducatedathomebyagoverness,aswasthecustomfor

girls from upper-middle- and upper-class households. The aim was toensure shewaswell readandcould fulfil the social skills required ‘forthedrawingroom’,whichmeantmusic,dancing,singingandsketching.Ordinarily there would also have been French lessons, but Alminaalreadyspoke the language fluently,havinggrownupspeaking itwithherFrenchfamily.Throughout her childhood, whether in Paris or London, Almina

received a visit from her ‘godfather’, Sir Alfred, on her birthday. Healways brought excessive presents.Almina got to knowher benefactorwell, especially when she was older, and was very fond of him. Headoredher;andatsomepoint,presumably,Alminamusthavebeentoldthetruthaboutherbirth.Itwas,afterall,anopensecret.By the time she was seventeen she was visiting Halton with her

mother on a regular basis. Alfred being Alfred, the atmosphere wasexuberant – the whole purpose of the gathering was to have fun.Everythingwasmagnificently excessive. Alfred,who lovedmusic,wasfondofconductingtheorchestras–whichwerebroughtinfromAustriato play for his guests – with a diamond-encrusted baton. He had aprivate circus at which he was the ringmaster. He installed electriclighting so that his guests could properly appreciate his exquisite artcollection.Alfredcouldbefrivolous,buthewasalsoaseriouscollectorof artists such as Titian and Raphael. Typically, he was also a greatbenefactor and a founder trustee of theWallace Collection. Highclerestill has some beautiful Sèvres andMeissen porcelain almost certainlygivenbyAlfredtoAlmina.In an atmosphere inwhich no expensewas spared in the pursuit of

pleasureandtheacquisitionofbeautifulthings,Alminaenjoyedherselfimmensely.Shehadbeenspoiledallherlife,butnowshehadaspaceinwhichtoshowoff.Goodclotheswouldhavebeenordered,daydressesandeveningwear,hatsandgloves incolours tomatch.The fashionofthe 1890s was for corseted waists laced down to almost nothing,shouldersbareintheevenings,massesoflacetrimsandfeatheredfans.

Theywereopulent times for theupper classes, andAlmina’swardrobewasherarsenalinthebattletoattractasuitablehusband.Doubtlesstheproprietieswereobservedintermsofherdressandherintroductiontomale company, but Almina certainly attended dances, dinners andconcerts, all the regular entertainments in Alfred’s weekend home,always chaperoned by her mother, but very much on display. Out ofsightofthecriticalgazeofLondonSociety,Alminacouldbeintroduced,understrictconditions,topeoplethatshehadnoopportunitytomeetintown. She flourished and, given that she was petite, beautiful andcharming,shebegantoattractattention.SirAlfredletitbeknown,discreetly,thathewaspreparedtosettlea

fortuneonhis‘goddaughter’onhermarriage.LordCarnarvonhadbeencharmed byAlmina at the State Ball in July; on discovering the goodnewsaboutherprospects,hesecuredaninvitationtoahousepartyshewasattendingatHaltonHouseinAugust1893.Theyspenttheweekendgetting to know each other a little better. Theywere never alone, butflirtationcouldbemanaged,discreetly,inthedrawingroomorstrollingin the gardens. She must have been delighted with this handsome,amusing,eligibleyoungnoble.LordCarnarvoncouldbereservedinbiggatherings of people, but hewas amanwith a knack formaking youwanttoknowhimbetter.Alminawas,inanycase,vivaciousenoughforboth, and therewas a definite attractionbetween them.The courtshiptook a long time to come to fruition, though.Carnarvonwas asked toshoot at Halton in the December after he met Almina, but after thatthereappearstohavebeenahiatus.HetookoffonhistravelsandleftEnglandtowinterinwarmerclimes,asusual,andthereisnorecordofafurthermeetinguntilalmostayearlater,againatHalton,inNovember1894. Itwould seem,however, thatwhatever thedoubts on theEarl’spart,oroutstanding finerdetailsof thearrangement, theyhadby thenbeenresolved,becauseinDecember1894,AlminawasinvitedwithhermothertospendtheweekendatHighclere.It was a small party: just Almina, Marie and three other friends.

AlminamusthaveknownthatshewasonthebrinkofsecuringafutureastheCountessofCarnarvon.Themachinationsbehindthesceneshadall been overseen by her father. The process sparked by Carnarvon’sattractiontoherpersonandprospectswasdrawingtoaconclusion.Shewould have been on tenterhooks when she arrived at the Castle that

weekend,awarethatherdestinywashanginginthebalance.Ifshewasnervous, there is no trace of it in her signature in the Highclereguestbook.Thelettersflowinperfectcopperplatescript, infadedsepiaink,loopinggracefully.Almina’shandwritingisalmostacarboncopyofhermother’s,whosenameissignedalittlefurtherdownthepage.

Miss and Mrs Wombwell clearly acquitted themselves perfectly,becausethatvisitwasenoughtosealthedeal.Sometimethatweekend,the 5th Earl asked Almina to be his wife. Lord Carnarvon was not ademonstrably romanticman, buthewas a gentleman,hewas smitten,and, having asked Mrs Wombwell if he could request her daughter’shand inmarriage,hewasabout toaskabeautifulyounggirl tobehisbride.ItistemptingtoimaginethatheandAlminamighthavestrolledtotheTempleofDiana,goddessoflove,amile’sramblefromthehouse,

and that he might have chosen that moment. But, given that it wasDecember, and very probably not walking weather, perhaps it’s morelikelythathespoketoAlminaintheMusicRoom,ortheDrawingRoom.Naturally,shesaidyes.Unusually,theengagementwasnotannouncedinTheTimes,butLordCarnarvondidmakeAlminaapresentofsomemagnificentpearls.Theyhadbeen in the family forgenerations; there isa splendidpaintingbyVanDyckofAnneSophia,the1stCountess,wearingthemlightlystrungaroundherneck.The marriage settlement was discussed further by the respectiveparties’ lawyers and, on returning to town, the Earl paid a call on SirAlfred.Lord Burghclere, Carnarvon’s brother-in-law, wrote to his wifeWinifred to reassure her on the subject of her brother’s marriage.‘Porchy had to see A. Rothschild and it is practically settled aboutAlmina.Iamreallyglad…Pisnotthesortofpersontomarrymerelyformoney…helikesthegirlandthatbeingsotherestwillfollow.YouwillhearfromhimyourselfnodoubtandfromtheotherssoIwillnotenlargeonthetopicbutIthinkyoumayeaseyourmindonthesubjectandhopefortheverybest.’Witheverythingresolvedtohissatisfaction,LordCarnarvonpromptlychartereda steamyachtand tookoff forSouthAmericawithhisgreatfriendPrinceVictorDuleepSingh.MarieandAlminacameonasecondvisittoHighclere,inherfiancé’sabsence, toget toknowherprospective familyandhomebetter.TheymadetheacquaintanceofWinifred, theEarl’seldersister,andAubrey,his younger half-brother. They had already met Elsie, the DowagerCountess, who had been extremely kind to them both, and who wasequally charming on this occasion. Plans began to be made for thewedding,andAlminawasfizzywithexcitement.ElsieinvitedAlminatocall on her in town, although notably, Marie Wombwell, while mostwelcomeinthecountry,wasstillnottobereceivedinLondon.AlminanowspentalargeproportionofhertimeinLondonwithElsieattheCarnarvontownhouseat13BerkeleySquareandwasapparentlyeverybitasexcitedasaneighteen-year-oldengagedtobemarriedcouldbe.LordBurghclere,writing tohiswifeagain, said, ‘Ihave seenElsie,who is very good and adear aboutPorch – andA.who seems to live

there.Idonotthink[she]cankeepitsecretanytime–shewasliterallyburstingwithit…sheseemstobeheadoverearsinloveandsayswhycan’twebemarriedandgoontheyachtingcruisetogether?’ButAlminawas notmerely excited. Shewas, unsurprisingly, almost

needyinherclinginessandenthusiasm.Afteralifetimespentlivinghalfin shadows, betweenworlds, shewas clearly relishing the prospect ofbeingmoresecure,notjustsocially,butemotionally.MarieandAlminaseem tohavebeenextremelyclose; the fact thatMariewasa frequentvisitor to Highclere all her life reflects the continued strength of therelationship.But,despitetherelativetoleranceaffordedbyherparents’domesticsituation,theanxietyandfrustrationproducedbyhermother’sdemi-mondaine status and the antics ofMarie’s late husband, FrederickWombwell, must have been considerable. Certainly it was obviousenoughforLordBurghcleretocommenton.Inthesameletterhewrote,‘The poor little thing seems desperate… (as I told Elsie) for a decentfamily aswell as a husband.’ He added, rather sweetly, ‘I hope PorchwillgetonwithA1/50thasmuchaswedo.’Thesettlementhadbeendrawnupbythecouple’sweddingday,butit

wasnotexecuteduntilonemonthlater,safelyafterthehappyeventhadtaken place. The three parties were Alfred de Rothschild, AlminaWombwell – now the Countess of Carnarvon – and the 5th Earl.CarnarvonmayhavebeenstruckbyAlmina’smanylovelyqualitiesandhavealreadydevelopeda fondness forher, buthehadalso sensedhisopportunity to drive a bargain. The Earls of Carnarvon had marriedheiresses before, thereby acquiring various other estates, and he wasfully aware that aristocratic lifestyles frequently needed injections ofnewmoneytomaintainthem.The first clause stipulated that Alfred de Rothschild would pay

£12,000yearlytoLadyCarnarvon,orLordCarnarvonifshediedbeforehim, throughout his life. AHighclere footmanwas paid£22 a year atthattime,sothemultiplierwouldputthevalueofthisannualincomeat£6.5 million in today’s terms. This in addition to the fact that LordCarnarvon had asked Alfred to clear his substantial debts before thewedding took place so he could start married life with a clean sheet.Provision was also made for any children born to the couple. Alfredreadilyagreedtoeverythingandthewaywaseasedforthesetwoyoungpeopletoliveintheirgildedworld,witheverysortofextravaganceand

delighttoamusethem.

4

ATriumphforHerLadyship

AlminaarrivedatHighclereasanoutsider,butwithanenormoussenseof excitement and self-confidence. How could she not, when recentevents suggested that she had finally managed to combine the socialprestigebroughtbyhermarriagewiththefabulouswealthofherfather?Nowshewassureofherplaceandherrole,forthefirsttimeinherlife.Shehadatitlethattoldherwhoshewas:asofnow,AlminaWombwellwasthe5thCountessofCarnarvon.Butshewasonlynineteenandthisrole,thistitle,wassomuchbigger

thanshewas.ShewastheCountess,butshewasalsoateenager,ahigh-spirited girl sure of herself onemoment, nervy the next. Moving intoHighclerewas,ifnothumbling(Alminawasneverinherlifehumbled),definitely overwhelming. Relics of Almina’s desire to impress herselfupon the place – literally – are still visible all over the Castle. Sheengraved and stamped her new initials and the Carnarvon coronet oninnumerablehouseholdaccessories,fromvisitorbooksandnotebooks,tostationery,travellingtrunks,linens,menucardsandcallingcards.She brought trunks full of clothes and set about installing her

belongingsinthebureausandcupboardsofHighclere.Shealsobroughtwith her one trusted personal servant, Miss Mary Adams, her lady’smaid,whohelpedher tounpackand to settle in. She, aloneof all theservants,wasallowedtosleeponthesamestoreyashermistress.Marywasanally anda friend, theother strangeratHighclerewhowashereyesandearsintheservants’hall,abridgebetweenthestaffandtheirnewmistress.Inthosefirstfewweeksafterhermarriage,whilsttouringthe estate, meeting the local gentry and the tenants, finding her feet,AlminagrewtorelycompletelyonMary.Alminahadalwaysbeenthespecialchild,dotedupon; lavishedwithlove by her mother and with money by her father. Her wedding hadenshrinedherownsenseofher importance.Butactually,nowshehadsigned up for life as the Countess of Carnarvon, she had to adjust toliving inaworld inwhichshewasnot thecentreof theuniverse.Thefurnitureandthesuperbpaintingsdidn’treallybelongtoher,oreventoher husband, but to the house, to Highclere as a presence in its ownright. The Castle, layered with decorations reflecting the taste of itsinhabitants over the years, had to be sustained across the generations.WhenAlminaarrived,theDrawingRoomwasinneedofrefurbishment.Alfred de Rothschild had given her bolts of green silk as part of hiswedding present and she used them to cover thewalls. Following histaste, she redecorated in the style of the ancien régime, with gildedceilings anddoors. The green silk damaskhadbeen inspiredbyMarieAntoinette’ssittingroomatVersailles.Meissenporcelainwasdisplayedontheeighteenth-centuryfurniturethatAlminaloved.Sixweeksaftertheirwedding,LordCarnarvonleftHighcleretogotoScotlandtoshoot,aswashiscustomoncethegrouseseasonopenedon12August.Givenhisnewlyimprovedbankbalance,hedecidedtotakeamonth’s shooting at a grouse moor near the Balmoral estate. Alminacouldgowithhimornot, as shepleased,but therewasnopossibilitythathewouldalterhisroutinesforher.ShewasverykeentogotoScotlandwithCarnarvononhisshootingtrip. Itwasn’t thecustomfor ladies togooutwith thegentlemen,andnorinfactwasAlminaparticularlyinterestedinriding,butsheenjoyedher timewithherhusbandandbegan toget toknowhis friends.LordCarnarvon,whowasanexcellentshot,tookapartyofclosefriendswithhim: their royal highnesses Prince Victor and Prince Freddie Duleep

SinghandJamesRutherford,hisagentatHighclere,amongstothers. Itwasaverymaleoccasion,andAlminamusthavefeltlikeanadornmentratherthanaparticipant,butitwasamagnificentlandscape,andaverypopularand fashionableplace,given theproximity toBalmoral,whichwasadoredbyQueenVictoria.Alfred de Rothschildwas elegantly networking behind the scenes inLondon.HehopedtoengineeravisitbythePrinceofWalestoHighclereCastle;itwouldtestifytothesuccessofAlmina’sarrivalandgivearoyalseal of approval. Highclerewas renowned as one of themost excitingshootsinEnglandandthePrinceknewthefoodwouldbeexquisiteandcopious inquantity, thewines thebest thatAlfreddeRothschildcouldprocure.Hisprivatesecretaryconfirmedthedatesforthevisit.TheroyalpartyhadacceptedaninvitationforthemiddleofDecemberand Almina threw herself into preparations. Carnarvon continued totravel from one estate to the next with the same band of friends. HewenttoBretby,hishouseinNottinghamshire,andtoShelfordformoreshooting.Infact,by1December,LordCarnarvonhadshotonmorethansixtydayssincetheseasonopened.Back at Highclere, Almina set about spending an extraordinaryamount of money on redecorating, hiring extra staff and laying inprovisions.ItisunlikelythatshehadmetthePrincebeforesince,despitethefacthewasagreatfriendofAlfred’s,hedidn’tvisitHaltonHouseatthesametimeasher.Alfred’sadviceonthedelicatedetailsthatwouldensure a successful visit was most welcome. The two men had beensocialisingtogetherforyears,eitheratMarlboroughHouse,thePrince’sLondon home, at Halton House or at Seamore Place, Alfred’s Londonhouse, where the Prince enjoyed the intimate dinners that Alfreddelighted in giving. The Prince ofWaleswas a gourmand and, as thenext King and Emperor, tremendously grand. Alminawanted tomakesure that every little comfort had been thought about, that all wasopulentandperfectlydelightful, justasitshouldbeandjustashewasusedto.Shethrewmoneyatthesituation,spending£360,000intoday’stermsonthethree-dayvisit.ThefirsttaskwastoredecorateabedroomforthePrinceofWales.Alargebedwascommissioned(thePrincewasnotoriouslyunabletocurbtheamountheateandhadagirthofsomefourfoot),andnewFrenchfurniture,vasesandclocksfilledtheroom,whichwashungwithredsilk

damask.Theadjoiningdressingroomreceivedthesametreatment.Almina spent £856 13s 9d with W. Turner Lord & Co., who were

specialistdecorativecontractorsbasedinMountStreet,Mayfair.CarpetswereboughtfromTurbevilleSmith&Co.for£31213s2d.China,lampsandcurtainswereboughtandhired.Thebilliard tablewasre-covered;hundredsofthefinestbeeswaxcandleswerebought.Extra carriages and horses were hired and special railway carriages

were commissioned to bring everything, and everyone, down toHighclere. Records of various gifts give an idea of the extent of thepreparations. There were gifts in November to four inspectors atPaddington Station, and all the stationmasters from Reading toWhitchurch, Newbury, Highclere and Burghclere benefited fromAlmina’s determination that no detail was too small and that nothingshould go wrong. There were also gifts to postmasters, policesuperintendentsandallthetenantfarmersontheestate.As for the food, which was to be a central part of the whole

proceedings,noexpensewassparedeitheronthesuppliesorthekitchenstaff.Allthemealswererigorouslyplannedinadvance,andthenAlminadispatched Streatfield to London to hire Savoy chefs and waiters, toorderflowersbythearmfulfromVeitchofChelsea,andtopurchaseanincredible amount of provisions, wines and champagnes. Streatfieldspent £215 4s 4d (approximately £22,000 today) on meat, chickens,eggs,fruit,andchocolatesfromCharbonnel.ThestoicalStreatfieldwasa loyal retainerandwellused tocarrying

out orderswithout somuch as a raised eyebrow. In private, hemightnonethelesshave lookedsomewhataskanceatall thisexpense.HehadbeenthehousestewardatHighclereforeightyearsandhadseenafairfewentertainments for thegreatand thegood inhis time,but the4thEarl’stasteinparty-givinghadnotbeenonthescaleofAlmina’s.And,ofcourse, Streatfield’s shoppingbill for theweekendwasmore than fourtimeshisannualsalary,afacthesurelycannothavefailedtonotice.When the day of the visit finally arrived, Almina herself wrote the

menus for thatnight, inFrench,asalways.Theplacementofguestsatdinner had taken some time to arrange and her clothes had beenplanned in advancewithAdams. Five or six different outfitsmight beneededeachday.Thebareminimumatsuchanoccasionwasadressforthe morning, one for walking in the afternoon, a tea dress and then

eveningclothes.Alminastoodnexttoherhusband,neartheiron-studdedwalnutdoorofHighclereCastle,togreetthePrinceofWalesashealightedfromthecarriage.Asshedroppedintoadeepcurtsey,Alminahopedthatshehaddoneeverythinginherpowerstoprovideamusementandentertainmentfor him. The Castle loomed up behind them in the low winter light.Inside, itwas lit byover150oil lamps, and candles provided awarmglowaroundthegalleriesandinthenewDrawingRoom.TheEarlandCountessofCarnarvonhadgivenagreatdealofthoughtto the question of their other guests. Itwas usual to invite both localfriendsofthePrinceofWalesandsomeofhisfamiliarMarlboroughset,whosecompanyheclearlyenjoyed.Intheenditwasalargepartythatincludedfamily:LordandLadyBurghclereandfriends:amongthemtheEarl and Countess of Westmoreland, Lord Ashburton, Lord and LadyChelsea,theNevillesandtheColebrookes.TheyalsoaskedtheRussianAmbassador, who was a friend of the Prince’s. The crowdwere therepartly to enjoy themselves, of course, but theyhadalsobeenasked inordertoentertainthePrinceandhadbeenselectedwithhisinterestsinmind.DinnerthatnightwasanEpicureanfeastandthePrincewasextremelyappreciative. Almina had received numerous compliments already onher exquisite taste, on the beauty of the Drawing Room she haddecoratedandthecharmingandcomfortablebedroomshehadputathisdisposal.ThePrincewasinahumourtobepleasedwitheverything,anddinnerwasnevergoingtodisappoint.Itbeganwithasoup,aconsommé,followedbythefishcourse:turbotgrilléDugléré(afterAdolpheDugléré,whowasoneof themost famouschefs innineteenth-centuryParisandhadcookedfortheRothschildfamilyforyears).Thencametheentrées:pâtés and a chicken dish. Next up were the roasts, a vast amount ofgamebirds, stuffedwith foie gras, all servedwithnumerousvegetablesidedishes.Itwasfollowedbysouffléd’orangeandices.Aftertheentertainments(onthisoccasion,accountsshowthatabandplayed for theassembledguests in theMusicRoom), therewasa littlelight supper of cold meats such as pheasant and cold beef.Unsurprisingly, the Prince retired to bed satiated and in an excellentmood.Alminamusthavebreathedadeepsighofrelief.The shoot took place the following day, and this was Carnarvon’s

territory. It covered two drives on the Highclere estate: Biggs andWarren.Thehigherchalkdownlandwasessentiallyarabbitwarrenandwasn’t farmed, so as to provide excellent shooting. There were eightguns–HRHthePrinceofWales,LordWestmoreland,LordBurghclere,LordChelsea, theHon.SeymourFortescue,SirEdwardColebrooke,M.Boulatsell and Lord Carnarvon. Between them they shot a tremendousquantity of birds and rabbits – it was the era of quantity rather thanqualityinshootingcircles.TheCastle’s game book records the disposal of all the game shot at

Highclere – nothing was ever wasted. It was compiled using figuresgiven to thehousekeeperby theheadgamekeeperwho,at the timeofthePrinceofWales’svisit,wasamancalledCross,soontobereplacedby the long-serving Henry Maber. Flicking through the pages it ispossible to track the social life of the Castle from year to year, andmostlytherearerelativelymodestlistsofgamegiventoguestsathouseparty weekends. But on the pages that record the Prince’s shoot, thecolumnsarefull;thelistgoesonandon.Likeeverythingelseaboutthatthree-daystay,theextravaganceisstartling.Ordinarily, guns were given six pheasants each, but the Prince was

giventwelve.ThelonglistofrecipientsdemonstratesthePrince’swidesocial network: birdswere sent to the Russian Ambassador andNellieMelba,aswellastoMrHoraceVoules,editorofTruthmagazine,awell-knowninvestigativeperiodical.(Itistemptingheretoimagineadelicatebribe to a forerunner of the paparazzi – thePrincewas frequently thesubject of gossip in the media, unsurprisingly given that he was anenthusiastic playboy throughout his life.) Marie Wombwell, Almina’smother,wassentabraceofbirds,someweresenttoNewburyHospital,and even the waiters, the band and the visiting valets were givenpheasant.Thelamp-men,however,weregivenrabbits.Thevisitwasa tremendoussuccess. Itcouldnothavegoneoffmore

perfectly,andCarnarvonmusthavefeltdelightedthathisnewwifehadorchestratedtheeventsowell.Shehaddazzledherguestsandoverseena series of exquisite dinners and entertainments. Clearly, Almina’s‘education for the drawing room’ had ensured she was an excellentadministratorandtalentedhostess–shewasalreadyexcellingintheroleoftheCountessofCarnarvon.Thelittlenineteen-year-oldwasnolongerthenaïvedamselthatLord

Burghclerehadobservedsixmonthsago,desperate foradecent familyandgiddywithexcitementabouther future.Shewasawife,aSocietyhostess.Shewasatriumph.

5

LifeDownstairs

The fact was, of course, that Almina’s triumph was completelydependentona small armyofotherpeople.Sheoccupiedcentre stagewhentheeyesoftheworldwereuponher,butactuallyitwasStreatfieldwhoruledtheCastle,andhecontinuedtodosofortherestofhislife.He knew perfectly well that he was more of a fixture than the newCountess.Hehad,afterall,knownLordCarnarvonforratherlongerthanshehad.The littlekingdomofHighclerewouldcarryonasbeforeandthestaffwouldsimplydotheir jobsandwaittoseehowthingsturnedout.At the time of his expensive shopping expedition to London,

Streatfieldwasthirty-nineyearsold.Sincehewasasingleman,helivedintheCastleitself,ratherthaninoneofthestaffcottages,whichwerereserved formarried couples and families. As house steward he had alarge square sitting room in the basement, next to the identicalhousekeeper’s sitting room. This was Streatfield’s domain, where hespent his leisure time, such as it was, and from where he ran thedownstairslifeatHighclere.ItwascomfortablyfurnishedwithanIndian

rug and an easy chair. In one corner stood anoldEnglish grandfatherclock and the room was full of mahogany desks and tables. It feltbusinesslike,asbefittedamanwithagreatdealofresponsibility.Streatfielddidthehouseholdaccounts,orderedprovisionsandwasinchargeofthewinecellarsandthesilversafe,wherethefamilyplatewaskept under lock and key. The safe was vast, a walk-in room, andcontained some famous pieces collected by the great connoisseur, theEarl of Chesterfield, as well as jewellery and other heirlooms. It wascarefullywrappedandstoredinmuslinsonbaize-coveredshelves.Streatfield had mutton-chop whiskers and a habit of dropping hisaitcheswheretheyneededtobeandaddingthemwheretheydidn’t.Hewasrememberedbythe6thEarlasunflappable,utterlydevotedtoLordCarnarvonandevenmoredevotedtoHighclere,amanwhoneverlethisprofessionalmannerslipbutwhohadasoftspotforchildren.Hewouldruffle Porchy’s hair when he was a very little boy, a gesture offamiliaritythatStreatfield,withperfecttiming,droppedwhentheyounglord went off to Eton from prep school. It wasn’t until 1897 that hemarriedateacherfromEssexcalledEdithAndrewsandmovedintooneofthegrace-and-favourcottagesinthepark.Streatfield’sbedroomwasoneofthelargerroomsonthefirstfloorofthestaffwing.Thefootmenandthegroomofthebedchambers,Roberts,had smaller rooms, all well within Streatfield’s orbit so that he couldkeep an eye on them. The footmen’s rooms looked out over thecourtyardand thegroomsand coachmen livedover the stables,whichformedtheotherthreesidesoftheyard.MrRoberts’spositionwasa relativelyunusualone; itwasamarkofgreat luxury to have a groom of the bedchamber. Alfred had such apersoninhishousehold,andAlmina,likeAlfred,foundhavingsomeoneintheroleextremelyuseful.Robertswasasortofvalet‘atlarge’.Hewastasked with a host of little details, from ensuring that Lord and LadyCarnarvonnever ranoutofwritingpaperor ink in theirbedrooms, tobeing in charge of calling cards from visitors, announcing guests andliaisingwithFearnside, theEarl’s fiercely loyalvalet,andMissAdams.His remit was extended to cover the house parties when there wereguests.Roberts’soverallresponsibilitywastoensurethateveryone’sstaywasexquisite.The housekeeper at the start ofAlmina’s time atHighclerewasMrs

Emily Bridgland.Her titlewas given as a courtesy, as shewas in factsingle. Mrs Bridgland had her sitting room next to Streatfield’s, butwhereas his was dark and full of heavy furniture, hers had a lightertouchandwasmorecomfortable.Shehadtwosofascoveredinbrocadeandalargerosewoodloungechair,aswellasawritingdeskandsewingmachine.Sheknewwhereallthekeystoeachroomwereandkeptthekeytothechinacupboards,whichlaynotfarfromhersittingroom,onachainaroundherwaist.AswithStreatfieldandhis silver, sheguardedthechinafiercely.Every day at 10.00 a.m.,Mrs Bridglandmade her way up the staffstairs to the ground floor of theCastle. LadyCarnarvon’s sitting roomwasdirectlyunderneathherbedroomandcouldbequietlyreachedfromvariousprivatestairs.Alminahadjustredecorated.Itnowhadathick,dusky pink carpet, and the delicate Georgian plasterwork wascomplemented by soft pink walls, against which hung a charmingcollection of paintings andminiatures. It was a peaceful room, full oflight,inwhichshecoulddiscusshouseholdmattersinprivacywithMrsBridgland. As in everything at Highclere, the structures below stairsmirroredlifeupstairs,sojustasMrsBridglandandStreatfieldhadtheirsitting rooms next door to one another, so too did Lord and LadyCarnarvon.MrsBridglandcouldaskLadyCarnarvonforherinstructionsand discuss plans for the day: what time guests were arriving anddeparting, theentertainmentsplannedfor theafternoon, themenusforlunch and dinner. Once they had concluded their business, MrsBridgland retraced her steps and delegated the jobs through the headhousemaidandthecook.Onthewallofthecorridorthatranthelengthofthehouse,fromthebackdoortothewinecellars,wasthepanelofbellsthatthefamilyusedtoringforattention.Itwaspositionedbetweenthehousesteward’sandthe housekeeper’s sitting rooms and therewere sixty-six bells in total,one for each of the State Rooms and the family and guest bedrooms.Streatfield employeda steward’s roomboy inorder to run andalert amaidorafootmanwhenabellrang.Particular staff answered each bell. Streatfield, Fearnside and thefootmenensuredthatthefamilyandanyguestswereproperlygreeted,announced – and that they lacked for nothing. The more seniorhousemaidswouldbeonhandtolookafterthefemalehouseguests.But

many of the staff rarely met the guests as only the footmen were inattendanceateachlunchordinner.Akitchenmaidmightgoformonthswithoutever seeingamemberof the family since therewasnoreasonforhertogoupstairsandAlminaseldomcamedownstairs.TheunmarriedfemaleservantslivedinthemainCastle,onthesecond

floor and in rooms in the tower reached by awinding staircase. Eachsingleroomhaditsownbedandfireplacewherewatercouldbeheatedup forwashing, but some of the juniormaids shared, two to a room.Bedroomswere strictly for sleeping in, since therewasa servants’halland sitting room for relaxing, and there was no such thing as trulyprivate space.Bedrooms couldbe inspected at any time, and althoughMrs Bridgland was no tyrant, she took her duties seriously, openingcupboards and looking under beds for evidence of any wrongdoing.Policingofmoralityandobservanceofthesocialcodeswereasmuchapart of the house steward and housekeeper’s duties as organising thewine cellar, keeping the key to the silver safe, ordering provisions orsupervisinghousemaids.Themaidswereusually seventeenoreighteenwhentheystartedinservice,andwereoftenlivingawayfromfamilyforthe first time.Therewasanelementofpastoralcare to theroleof theseniorstaff,whohadtospotupsetofanykindsinceitmightdisruptthesmoothrunningofthehousehold.The girls were a good long way from the male staff, which was

obviouslytheintention,buttheywerealsoalongwayfromthegroundif there were a fire. The provisions for escape in such an event wereprettyterrifyinginthemselves.Outsidethebedroomstherearepaintednoticesthatannounce,matterof factly, ‘Incaseof fire,usechute.’Theheavycanvas tunnelswereon ironhooks that couldbewedged in thewindowframes.Thefarendwasheldfirmlybyacoupleofmenstandingfar below on the lawn. They must have worked, because latergenerationsrememberbeingmadetopractiseafiredrillwiththem.Thehousemaidsknew themain thingwas towear thick sweatersandholdtheirarmsclosetotheirbodiessotheydidn’tcatchtheirelbowsinthemetalhoopsofthetunnel.There were rules governing interaction below stairs at least as

elaborate as those that prevailed upstairs. Streatfield dined every daywithMrsBridglandandMrFearnside,thevalet,inthesteward’sroom.Theywere served by a junior footman.Mr Roberts, the groom of the

bedchambers, and Miss Adams presided over the housemaids andfootmen in theservants’hall,womenononesideof the table,menonthe other. Precedence was carefully preserved, with the seniorhousemaid sitting to the right of Robertswhilst the butler and under-butlerwouldbeseatedeithersideofLadyCarnarvon’smaid.Thechef’sdepartmentswerequiteseparate.Visitingladies’maidsandvaletswouldbe placed according to precedence: the rank of their family’s title andsize of establishment would be as carefully studied byMrs Bridgland,poring overDebrett’s in her parlour, as by Almina doing a table planupstairsintheStateDiningRoom.InAlmina’stimetherewereatleasteighteenmembersofmaleindoorstaff reporting in a strict hierarchical structure toMr Streatfield. Eventheirclothesreflectedtheirstatus.StreatfieldchangedtowhitetiewhenLord Carnarvon dressed for dinner, since he would be serving in theDiningRoom. Footmen likewise had to change from their liveries intowhitebreecheswithdarkbluejacketsandpowderedwigs.Femalestaffwore blue dresses with white aprons and little frilly caps: the moreseniortheirrole,themoreelaboratethecap.Attheverytopofthescale,MrsBridgland coulddispensewith the apron, and at the verybottom,thescullerymaidhadjustoneworkdressandavastquantityofapronsthatshehadtochangeconstantly.TheCastlehouseholdranlikeclockwork,withnewarrivalsslottedinto junior jobs in order to learn how things were done. Each differentemployeeattheCastlehadtaskstoperformatdifferenttimesoftheday.A scullerymaid,whowas themost junior of all themaids,was up at6.00a.m. to light the fire in thekitchenso the senior staffcouldhavetheir cups of tea. Shewould be frantically busy doing thewashing upduringcookinghoursandaftermeals,andthereforeuptoherelbowsinsudsandgreasefrombreakfasttimetolongafterthefamilyhadfinisheddinner. A housemaid might have an hour of relative leisure mid-afternoon.On the other hand, housemaids also got up at the crack ofdawntobegintheenormousandcrucialtaskoflightingdozensoffiresthroughoutthehouse.Ajuniorhousemaidwouldbeginbycleaningthehousekeeper’sgrate,anddo the jobeveryday first thing,until shegotthehangof itandcouldbe relieduponnot todirty thecarpets in theStateRooms.Thefireshadtobecleanedofthepreviousday’sashesandthenre-laid

with freshwhitepaperbefore the footmenbrought in thehot coals tolight them. After breakfast, themaidswould begin to clear the roomsandmake thebeds, a task that could take themuntil lunchtime if thefamilywas inattendancewithguests.Thestaffhadtheirmainmealatmiddayintheservants’hall,anhourbeforethefamilyateat1.00p.m.The late afternoons would bring another round of duties. Once theCarnarvons and their guests had taken their tea and retired to theLibrary foragameofbeziqueorgoneout for a stroll in thepark, themaidshadtoclearawayanyevidenceoftheiroccupationoftheroomstheyweren’tusing,plumpingcushions,emptyingashtraysandsweepingcarpets to remove footprints. The task of restoring an impression ofpristine readiness in the State Rooms could be completed when thehousepartyretiredtodressfordinner,butofcoursethatalsomeantanewroundofworkinthebedrooms.Thereweremorefirestobelitandthen endless pails of hot water to be taken up. Bathrooms were notinstalled at Highclere until 1897, so before then baths were taken infreestanding tubs in front of the fire in the bedrooms. If there weretwenty-fiveguestsstaying,plusfamily,thatmeantthirtyfiresandthirtybaths to fill. There would have been a great deal of running up anddownthebackstairs,tryingnottospillthewaterasthedoormenluggedit up. Even once the plumbing was installed, some jugs of hot waterwere still takenup.Oldhabitsdiehard, andmanyguestspreferred touseajugandabowlthanthemarbleinlaidbasins.ThemainkitchenatHighclereisalarge,high-ceilingedroomtiledup

tobeyond theheight of a tallman.There is an enormous and elegantwooden-framed clock on onewall, so that everyone could keep to therigorous schedules demanded by the cook, and a huge table in themiddle of the room. GwendolenGray,whowas a scullery and then akitchenmaid, remembered ‘the huge Caron stove, it took five hods ofcoal inthemorningandfiveintheafternoon,thelongwhitescrubbedtable, the shelves with gleaming coppers – and when I was scullerymaid,howItookaprideinthosecoppers!’TheEarlandCountessatefourtimesaday:breakfast,lunch,teaand

dinner;therewereatremendousnumberof‘removes’foreachmeal,butespecially for a dinner party. When in residence, Lord and LadyCarnarvonwererarelywithoutvisitors,andevenonaslowdaythepaceofactivitymusthavebeenrelentless.Occasionally,mistakesweremade.

DorothyWickeswasakitchenmaidduringAlmina’stimeandyearslatershetoldanephewabout thedaytheLadyof theHousecomplainedofoak leaves in thecabbage.The followingeveningAlminaprepared thecabbageherselfbutDorothywasfeelingmischievousandaddedacoupleofleaveslater.Therewasnofurthercomplaint.Thecookhadherownsittingroom,asignofherhighstatus,andfood

was takenvery seriously atHighclere. Shehad three kitchenmaids aswell as a scullerymaid, and in addition to themain kitchen and twosculleries, therewas a still room formore storage space and activitieslike making preserves that were not directly connected to the day’scookingrequirements.Therewasalotofequipmenttostore,fromstewpanstopreservingpans–andnotmerelygeneralfishkettlesbutsalmonandturbotkettles,too.Mouldsofvariousshapesandsizeswereusedforcold first courses such as jelliesmousselines, aswell as the fruit jelliesandpuddings,allofwhichwerebeautifullypresented.Dinner was announced at precisely 8.00 p.m. by Streatfield. Two

footmen could serve dinner on a quiet evening, but if there were tenguests or more, four footmen were in attendance, and they would berequired to powder their hair, a practice that only ceased in 1918. Ascullerymaidrecalled‘whatalongwaythesecondfootmanhadtogototakethecoursestotheDiningRoom.Iftherewasasouffléonthemenu,I can still hearMrsMackie standing at the serving hatch begging thefootmanto“run,run,run”.ThebutlerwouldsometimesbringanoteonasilversalverfromHisLordshipcommentingonsomethingconcerningthedinner.MrsMackiecalledtheseher“billydos”.’BoththeEarlandCountessatesparingly.LordCarnarvonthoroughly

enjoyed Turkish cigarettes, to be smoked over brandy and cigarswiththegentlemenguestsintheDiningRoom.Theladiestookcoffee,intheDrawingRoom.Alminadidn’tliketospendtoolongoveradinnerpartyas the staffwouldhave toclearandwashupandprepare for thenextday.There were always quantities of dripping left over from the

preparationofthesemeals,solocalpeoplewouldbringalongbasinsandMinnieWills,whoarrivedatHighclereasakitchenmaidin1902,wouldlet them have some nourishing dripping in return for a penny or twoplacedintheslotofaneatly-madewoodenbox;atChristmasthecoinswouldbesharedamongsttheservants.

Eventually the staffhad theirhot supper in the servants’hall,whichwas directly beneath the State Dining Room. It was a large roomdominated by a massive seventeenth-century refectory table made ofoak. ‘Our foodwas as good as in theDiningRoom,’ according toMrsHart, a long-term Highclere resident who began as the fourthhousemaid.Sherememberedlearningtodanceintheservants’hallaftersupperandtherewasoftensingingaroundthepiano.Themaidsfinishedtheirdaywithhotcocoawiththeheadhousemaidintheservants’sittingroom,aseparatespacefromthemainservants’hall,andmuchcosier–fullofeasychairsanddecoratedwithframedprints.Itwouldbe foolish topretend that the lifeof thedomestic staffwasidyllic,however.Insomegreathouses,anyfemalememberofstaffwhohad ‘a follower’, i.e. a boyfriend, would be instantly dismissed – apractice which seems barbaric today – although Highclere may havebeen more liberal in this respect as numerous marriages occurredbetweenestatestaff.Thepaywasnotgenerous,butofcoursefoodandlodging were included, so wages could be saved and service in ahouseholdsuchastheCarnarvons’wasgenerallyseenasagoodjobwithpossibilitiesforadvancement.Bythe1890s,changestolegislationmeantthatservantsgotaweek’spaidholidayayear,aswellastheirhalf-daysonSundaysand, sometimes, aneveningoff in theweek.Duringhousepartiestheroutinewasarduousanddayswereextremelylongandbusy,but when the family was away in London or abroad, there wasmoreopportunitytorelax.Theworkmighthavebeenhard,buttheruleatHighclerewasnotatalltyrannical.MinnieWillsalwayssaidthatshehadcomefromahomethatwasnothappyandHighclerebecamemoreherhomethanthatone.Thepianointheservants’hallandthecareimpliedbythatcocoaattheendofthedayattesttoabenevolentregime.ThestaffenjoyedtripstoNewbury and, later on, to the racecourse. There was also an annualdance,heldintheLibrary,towhichstafffromalltheotherlargehousesintheneighbourhoodwereinvited.LordandLadyCarnarvonupheldatradition thatHighclere should be ‘a household of kindness’.Winifred,Almina’s sister-in-law, remarked on this approvingly. And as NannyMoss, the 6th Earl’s much-loved nurse put it, ‘No one fromHighclereCastlewillevergotoHell.’Perhapsitwasatoneofthesedances,orattheraces,thatMinnieand

ArthurHayter, thegroom, first got chatting. Itwas thebeginningof along friendship that would eventually end in romance. Relationshipsbetweenmembers of staffwere of course relatively common, but theycouldonlyprogressifthecouplemarried,as,quiteapartfromanymoralcodes,theirlivesweresosegregated.Forawoman,marriagemeanttheend of her working life, so many servants delayed their wedding anumberofyears,untiltheyweremorefinanciallysecure.Somewomenalsodecidedtoprioritisemovingupthehousehold’sstructuretobecomehousekeeper,oralady’smaid.ThatmightwellhavebeenthemotivatingfactorinMinnieandArthur’sextendedcourtship.Highclerewasasymbioticsystem,andmutualrespectwasthekeytoitssuccess.The5thEarlpridedhimselfonanOldWorldcourtesy,andthat set the tone for the entire household. He took an interest in thewell-beingofthestaffandthecottagersontheestate;oftenadonationwouldbemade towardsa fund for a tenantwhose livestockhaddied,and money was also made available for the staff to have medicaltreatment.Thisattitudewasmaintainedbyhis successor.The6thEarlwrote in his memoirs that he considered his staff the lynchpin of hisestablishment and freely admitted that he would not be able to runHighclerewithout the invaluable help of his butler (Robert Taylor) offorty-fouryears’standing.TheCastlewas,ofcourse,onlyonepartofthedomain.Theestatewasa self-contained community with its own forge, sawmills, carpenters,brickies, dairy farm and electricians’workshops. Therewere vegetablegardens, fruit orchards, greenhouses and a brewery, pigs and cattle.Thereweresecuritystaffandgatekeepers,plantsmen,gamekeepersandforesters.Thegardenswereextensiveand,asinallgreathouses,thequalityofthe flowers for cutting and produce to be used in the kitchens was amatterofgreatpride.Theheadgardener in1895wasWilliamPope,afierce man, protective of his territory. He had between twenty andtwenty-fivemenworkingunderhim.Thewalledkitchengardenwasagood fiveacres in size,witha charmingorchardbeyond it, framedbyplumtreeswhosefruitwasfamouslydelicious.MrPopehadnotonlytoproducefoodthroughouttheyearbutalsotoknowhowtomaximiseyieldsandtostoreitsothatnothingshouldgotowaste.Greenhouses lined the south-facingwalls to extend thegrowing

season. A vinery, peach house and orangery were heated by a boiler,whilst rainwater was collected from all the gutters. A north-facingfernery provided a collection of different flower species for the Castleand there were roses from the Rose House and more flowers in thedesignatedcuttingbeds.Thedairyyardlaynearthekitchengardens,andwhenthefamilywas

intownratherthanatHighclere,themilkandcheesesweresentuptothe London house in small silver churns. These churns are still piled,somewhat haphazardly, in one of the dozens of storerooms in thebasementoftheCastle.Allhousesaccumulateclutter,andthenooksandcranniesofHighclereprovideampleroomforhundredsofyears’worth.Opposite the dairy was the hayrack for the dairy yard and, next to

that,beneaththeshelterofthewallsofthegreatkitchengarden,werethe chickens. The damp boggy field leading west from the kitchengardenwasusedtogrowpotatoes.Every day, Pope would send his senior gardener, Samuel Ward, to

enquire of the cook what was needed. There was an entire family ofdelightfullynamedDigweedboysworking asHighclere gardeners, andoneofthemwouldrunuptothekitchenswiththefruitandvegetablesrequired.The sawmills lay across the cricket field nearWhite Oak, the large

sprawling house where James Rutherford, the agent, lived. They hadbeen refitted by the 5th Earl with the latest steam-powered saw. Thedivisionoflabourintermsofoverseeingthehouseandestatewasfirmlyalong traditional lines: anything outside the Castle was the Earl’sconcern and, just as Almina had wasted no time in refurbishing theDrawingRoom,Carnarvonhadspentmoneyonthelatestequipmentoutat the sawmill. He was very much a gadget man, delighting in theadvancesintechnologythatwerecomingfastthroughoutthe1890s.The yard outside the mill was stacked high with different types of

wood. The estate carpenters had a stock of planks, boarding, joists orposts; everything they needed. There were thirty men working underhead forester William Storie and, as in the gardens, one family inparticular,theAnnetts,workedforgenerationsasforesters.HenryMaber, who became head gamekeeper in 1896, was a large,

solidmanwhohadmovedtoHighclerefromEastAnglia.Herodeacoband was steeped in knowledge of the countryside. He lived with his

family in a house called Broadspear, overlooking the sweeping,Capability Brown-designed lawns. The house was close to the rearingpensatPenwood, theneighbouringvillage.Theyoungpheasantswereraisedtherebeforebeingtakenouttotheestate’svariouswoodsinlatespringandlefttogrowtomaturityintimefortheshootingseason.ItwasaveryprestigiousjobbecauseHighclerewasregardedasoneof

thegreatEdwardianshoots.LordCarnarvonwasoneofthefinestshotsin the country andhis close friends LorddeGrey andLordAshburtonrivalled him for the same accolade. They were unsparing in theircomments if they thought LordCarnarvonhadmismanaged a drive orhis keeperwasnot up to form.Maberwas alwaysworrying about theweather,wherethebirdswereandwhetherhecouldmeetHisLordship’sdesiredbag.Hehadfourunder-keepersandanotherfifteenmenworkingfor him. They were all given cottages and lived at the furthest-flungcornersoftheestatesothattheycouldpatrolthelimitsforpoachers.HereportedtobothLordCarnarvonandtoMajorRutherford.Likeotherestatestaff,Mabertalkedfrankly.Onemorninghegreeted

LordCarnarvonwith,‘Excusememilord;aforeyougoesanyfurtherI’dlikeyou toget to the lee sideofmeasMrsMaber toldmemybreathdidn’tsmellverysweetthismorning.’Some of the gardeners would earn extra money as beaters on the

shootsinwinter.OneoftheDigweedswasactingasastoponadriveforMaberwhenthelatterfoundhimrelievinghimselfagainstatree.‘Now,Digweed you turnip-headed gardener, you stop that there dungspreadingandgetonwithyourjob!’His son was Charles Maber who grew up, learned the same

countrysideloreandservedinturnasheadkeeper.The U-shaped Georgian brick courtyard to the west of the Castle

housed the small brewery and the riding and carriage horses in largecobbledstables.Thecarriageswerealsokepthere.Thegroomslivedinawarrenofroomsabove,sleepingtwotoabedroom,theirtrunks,fullofpossessions,attheendsoftheirbeds.ArthurHayterarrivedtotakeupthe position of most junior groom and coachman in 1895. His familywere farmers andArthur’s new jobwas seen as a definite stepup.Heloved the horses in his care and could manage them brilliantly,whisperingtothemwhentheywereupset.Therewereatleastadozenhorsesandonegroomforeachpairsothestableshummedwithactivity.

Arthurreportedtoheadcoachman,HenryBrickell,whohaddriventhejust-married couple on theirwedding day. Brickellwas a longstandingemployeeandamuchtrusted,steadyman.Nobodycouldpossiblyhaveknownit,butHighclerewaspassinginto

agoldentime.Everyonewholivedandworkedtherewascaughtupinthe last spectacular flourishing of a secure existence. The rules wereunderstood by everybody: upstairs and downstairs worlds interactedonly in very specific and controlled ways. A new Countess, even onewith grand ideas and the cash to carry them out, was unlikely toprovokemuchlastingchange.In1895theEmpirewasatitspeak,QueenVictoriawastwoyearsawayfromherDiamondJubilee,andBritainwas,without question, the most prosperous and powerful country in theworld. Itwasa timeofpeaceandprogress,of supremeself-belief.Thethreat to the old ways, as yet scarcely perceived, came not from anyindividualupstairsbutfromthenewtechnologyandthebiggerpoliticalforcesreshapingsocietyandthebalanceofpowerinEurope.Ifyou’daskedHenryBrickellhowhefeltaboutthefuture,though,he

mightnothavebeentoocheery.Hisjobwasincreasinglymarginalised,inasignofthingstocome,byLordCarnarvon’spassionforgadgets.The5th Earl was exploring the exciting possibilities offered by the newhorsepower–themotorcar.

LadyAlmina,the5thCountessofCarnarvon,1899.(photocrediti1.1)

HighclereCastle,drawnin1889.(photocrediti1.2)

HighclereCastle,presentday.

TheSaloonoftheCastlec.1895.

TheStateDrawingRoomoftheCastlec.1895.

Henry,the4thEarlofCarnarvon,inhisstudyattheCastlec.1870.HewasaCabinetMinister(SecretaryofStateforthe

Colonies)inthe1860sunderPrimeMinisterLordDerbyandagaininthe1870sintheGovernmentofBenjaminDisraeli.

HewasresponsibleforthegrantingofindependencetoCanada.

The4thEarlofCarnarvon,1883.(photocrediti1.7)

EvelynHerbert,the4thCountessofCarnarvon,1874.

Anearlyportraitofthe5thEarlofCarnarvon.(photocrediti1.9)

AnearlyportraitofAlfreddeRothschild,Almina’sfather.(photocrediti1.10)

AdrawingofAlminaWombwell,beforeshewasmarried.(photocrediti1.11)

AlfreddeRothschild,inthelate1800s.

Alminainthe1890s,probablytakenshortlybeforehermarriage.

AnotherportraitofAlminajustbeforeherweddingin1895.

St.Margaret’sChurch,whereAlminawasmarriedtoLordCarnarvonin1895.(photocrediti1.15)

AportraitbyPaulCésarHelleuontheoccasionofAlmina’swedding,withhermarriedsignature.(photocrediti1.16)

Almina,the5thCountessofCarnarvon,infullregalia.

6

DressingforDinner

LordandLadyCarnarvonsetoutforChristmasatHaltonHouseaweekafter they had waved off their illustrious house guest, the Prince ofWales.Pleasedwitheachother,themselvesandtheworld,theyhadnoreasontodoubtthatlifewouldcontinueinitsdelightfulroundofballs,shoots and travels abroad, as far as they both could see. They werelooking forward tobeing thoroughlyspoiledbyAlfred,whocelebratedChristmas in style, despite being Jewish. Itwas an excuse for a party,andalthoughhewasn’tgoingtoparticipateinthereligiousaspects,thesecular trimmingswere there to be enjoyed. Itwas a predictably jollyoccasion, with Carnarvon’s great friend Prince Victor Duleep Singh afellowguestaswell;athoroughlymulticulturalandeclecticgatheringofpeople, all bent on celebrating their own good fortune as much asanythingmorepious.TheCarnarvonswereregularvisitorstoHaltonHousethroughoutthe

earlyyearsoftheirmarriedlife.Therewasapermanentwhirlofmovingbetween Highclere, London, Bretby in Derbyshire and Pixton inSomerset,aswellas foreigntravel.GivenAlmina’s lifelongdevotionto

thecityofherchildhood,theywentoftentoParis,usuallystayingintheRitz hotel, and popped out to the Bois de Boulogne for racing atLongchampsonafineweekend.ForLordCarnarvonitwasarelativelysedateexistence,comparedtohis long sailing missions to the other side of the globe. For Almina,though, theworldwas expanding faster and further than ever before.Youngladiessimplydidnottravelasmendid.Theywerekeptindoorsorclosetohomeandgroomedforthetransitionfromtheirfather’shometotheirhusband’s.OnlynowthatshewasCountessofCarnarvoncouldshediffusesomeofherformidableenergyinseeingabitoftheworld.Inthefirsttenyearsofhermarriedlife,AlminaaccompaniedherhusbandtoFrance,Italy,Germany,Egyptmanytimes,AmericaandtheFarEast.When they were at Highclere or at their house in London, theCarnarvonswerealwaysentertaining.Itwasacuriouslypublicexistencecompared to domestic life formostmarried couples today. Theywerehardlyeveralone,andtheirhousewasalwaysfullofstaffandguests.Inthe summer there were racing parties and tennis weekends; in theautumn there were shoots. All year long there were local fetes andgardenpartiesand,toallofthesefunctions,theyinvitedthelateststarsofthesocialscene,thenewlymarried,theintriguingandtheglamorous.InMay1896,almostayearaftertheirownmarriage,theyinvitedthenewly wed Duke and Duchess of Marlborough to stay. ConsueloVanderbiltwasanAmericanheiressofspectacularwealth,whomthe9thDukehadquiteplainlymarriedonlyforhermoney.Shewasabeautifuland charming woman, but the fact was that the couple loathed eachother.Theyhadbothgivenupthepeopletheyreally lovedinordertomarry each other, andConsuelo,whowas only seventeen at the time,had been coerced into the marriage by her domineering mother. Shelaterreportedhavingcriedbehindherveilasshesaidhervows.ConsuelospokeinalmosthushedtonesofherfirstLondonseason,thatsummerof1896. ‘Thosewhoknew theLondonof1896and1897willrecall with something of a heartache the brilliant succession offestivities.’ Part of those festivities, of course, were the inevitableweekendhouseparties,suchastheonesheattendedatHighclere.She andAlminawere in oddly analogous positions. Theywere bothbeautifulyoungheiresseswhohadmarriedintothearistocracybecauseof their family’s fortuneanddespite its roots in trade.Theywereboth

outsiders.Alminahadbeensidelinedbyherillegitimatestatus,Consuelowas constantly sneered at for being American and therefore hardlyworthy to be aDuchess. But there the similarity ended. Consuelowasmiserablebeforeand throughouthermarriage,andseparated fromtheDuke of Marlborough in 1906. Almina was giddily in love on herwedding day and the Carnarvons had a happy and companionablemarriageformanyyears.Did the girls recognise something in each other that weekend? Didthey talk about the mishaps they’d had in the course of theirapprenticeshipin‘BeingaChatelaine’?Consueloalwaysrecalledthatshewas totally unprepared for the rigid observance of precedence in hernew world. A Duchess was higher ranking than a marchioness, whocame higher up than a Countess, but there were endless distinctionsbetweenDuchesses,marchionessesandCountesses,theageofeachtitlehad to be taken into account, and olderwomen took precedence overyounger ones, all of which could reshuffle everything into a differentorder.Once,atapartyatBlenheimPalace,herhusband’sseat,Consuelowasunsureof thesequence inwhichthe ladiesshouldbewithdrawingfromthediningroom.Notwantingtoappearrude,sheditheredinthedoorway,onlytobeshovedinthebackbyafuriousMarchioness,whohissedather,‘Itisquiteasvulgartohangbackastojumpahead.’Perhaps it was a relief to speak to someone who understood thatalongside the luxuryandprivilegewas theconstantpressurenot todo‘The Wrong Thing’, since few people in that strictly codified worldwouldhavebeenpreparedtolaughitoff.Andalltheconventionsonlyservedtoremindthemthatwiththerankcametheriskthatalltraceoftheir individuality would be swept away. Almina and Consuelo wereadjusting to the fact that their personal wishes and desires wereconsiderably less important than themain tasks inhand:producinganheirfortheestateandenactingtheirrolesasgreatladies.It would have been hard even to find a moment to have thatconversation, since privacywas virtually impossible to come bywhentherecouldbeuptoeightypeopleinthehouse.Buttheimpulsetosharesecretsandstoriesisstrongand,inanycase,newwaystogetroundtheconventionswere alwaysbeingdevised. Itwas considered improper toplaygamesontheLord’sday,forexample,soitbecamefashionablefortheladiestospendtheirSundayafternoonswalkinginpairs, for tête-à-

tête conversations. Social prestige could be measured by how manyinvitationstowalkaladyreceived.Partoftheappealmustsurelyhavebeenthatthestrollsthroughthebeautifulparkaffordedtheopportunityto speak frankly, or at least more frankly than in the drawing roomtakingtea.Hostingaweekendpartywas liabletoproduceendlessopportunities

toslipup,ortooverlookacrucialdetail.Alminahadacquittedherselfsplendidly at her baptism of fire, the Prince of Wales’s visit back inDecember,butthefranticactivityandexpenseattesttoacertainlevelofanxietyaswellasexuberance.ShemighthavetriedtoreassurethenewDuchess,with the benefit of her extra sixmonths’ experience and hergreaterfamiliaritywithEnglishcustoms.Heradvicewouldhavecomeinhandy a few months later, when the Duchess had to host her firstshootingpartyatBlenheim,onceagaininhonourofthePrinceofWales.The marriage between Consuelo and Marlborough was already

becomingabywordfor lovelessbut lucrativearrangementsat thetimeofthecouple’svisittoHighclere.Almina’scuriosityandsympathymighthaveledtoafewenquiriesasthegirlsstrolled.Unfetteredgossipwouldnothavebeenontheagenda,though.EverythingaboutAlminasuggeststhat she was deeply conscious of her own dignity. She had only justarrivedatsuchanexaltedpositionthatshecouldbearm-in-armwithaDuchess,andneithergirlwouldhavewantedtobegroupedtogetherastheoutsidersor tocommitthecardinalsinof indiscretion.Alminawassensitive to any insinuation that she was letting herself down. Shamewasapowerfulinhibitorandcouldbeexperiencedbyproxy,ashersonlaterattested.Butfornow,Alminahadnoreasontoworryaboutanything.Shehad

beenwelcomed into the familywith open arms, for thebreezy energyshebroughttotheEarl’slife,andofcoursefortheimmenseamountofgoodthatherwealthcoulddofortheestate.AhousesuchasHighclere,not tomention the other properties, was a responsibility as well as aprivilege. The sense of custodianship that came with the inheritancemeantthat–toalargeextent–theCastleownedthefamily,ratherthanthe otherway around. Alminawas key to securing its future, and sheknewit.Quite apart from relieving everyone’s anxiety about bills and

maintenance, Almina’s fortune allowed improvements on a scale that

hadn’t been seen since the 3rd Earl pulled down the old house. Shedidn’t hesitate in calling again upon Sir Alfred’s generosity to makeHighclereoneofthebest-equippedandmostcomfortableprivatehousesinthecountry.It took the best part of six months, much of which Lord and LadyCarnarvonspentinLondonsoastobeoutofthewayoftheworks,andcost Alfred de Rothschild many thousands of pounds, but in 1896,electriclightarrivedattheCastle.Alminatooktheopportunitytohavemorebathroomsinstalledaswell.Therewerenumerouswaterclosetsbythemid-1890s,notonlyadjoiningthefamily’sandguests’bedrooms,butalsointheservants’workingandsleepingquarters.Highclerewas transformed intoabeaconofmodernity: the shadowswerebanishedandahugeamountoflabourwassaved.Thewholehousewaswired, including the kitchens, sculleries, cellars and servants’ halland sitting rooms.Between the electric light and the runningwater inthe bathrooms, there was a significant easing in the household’scenturies-oldworkschedule.Thelamp-menweresavedthenightlyritualoflightingoverahundredoillamps,andthehousemaidsnolongerhadto struggle upstairs with enough hot water for everyone to bathe infreestandingtubs.Elsie, theDowagerCountessofCarnarvon, found the introductionofthe lights and thewater systems a huge practical improvement to thehouse she had once run. Elsie was a supremely good-natured andcapable person, never in her life inclined to complain about anything.She had proved herself an ally back during Almina’s engagement andcontinued to advise andhelpoutonheroccasional visits.On10June1896,atBuckinghamPalace,shepresentedhersuccessortothePrincessofWales,whowasstandinginforQueenVictoria.ThisoccasionmarkedAlmina’sformalintroductiontotheCourtinhernewroleasCountessofCarnarvon.ItwasthreeyearssincethelasttimeAlminahadcurtseyedinfront of a representative of her monarch and her life had beentransformedintheinterim.By23June1897,almost twoyears since theirweddingday,Alminawas feeling confident enough at event planning to invite 3,000 localschoolchildrenand300of their teachers to spend theafternoon in thegroundsofHighclereCastle.TheoccasionwasQueenVictoria’sDiamondJubilee.TheQueenhadbeenonthethroneforanunprecedentedsixty

years,andtherewerecelebrationsacrosstheland.Inthedepthsofheralmost total seclusion from public life she had been unpopular,becoming a symbol of a stubborn refusal to move with the times.Britain’s republican movement had its only moment of real publicsupport. But her Golden and then her Diamond Jubilee increased theQueen’s popularity again; and, in any case, popular or not, therewasprotocol to observe: the Earl and Countess would not be shown upthrough inadequate festivities. More specially-commissioned trains toHighclerewere laidon to transportpeople,andamile-longprocessionwound through the woods and park, accompanied by the marchingbandsfromNewbury.FortunatelyitwasabeautifuldayandAlminahadorganisedswingboatsandotherentertainments,aswellasasumptuoustea, all laid out on trestle tables beneath the cedar trees on the lawnsaroundtheCastle.Two weeks later on 2 July, the Earl and Countess attended a

fabulously lavish celebration, the Duchess of Devonshire’s JubileeCostumeBall, given atDevonshireHouse on Piccadilly. The invitationstipulatedthatcostumesshouldbeallegoricalorhistoricalfromaperiodpre-1820 and, judging by some of the surviving photos of guests, noopportunitytodazzlewaspassedup.LadyWolverton,forexample,wasdressedasBritannia,completewithabreastplateoverherflowingwhitedress, plumed helmet, trident and shield emblazoned with the Unionflag.MrsArthurPagetmadeaveryfetchingCleopatraandPrinceVictorDuleepSinghwasmuchadmiredastheMoghulEmperorAkbar.Lord and Lady Carnarvon spent Christmas at Alfred de Rothschild’s

house, as had become their custom, and then, in January 1898, theyattendedtheweddingofPrinceVictorDuleepSingh,whomarriedLadyAnne,thedaughteroftheEarlofCoventry,inStPeter’sChurch,EatonSquare. Thewedding caused something of a stir since it was the firsttimeanIndianPrincehadmarriedanEnglishnoblewoman.Thewholethingwas typical of the contradictions of late-Victorian attitudes: at atime when patronising attitudes to England’s colonial empire wereendemic, wealthy Indians were nonetheless accepted into LondonSociety and consorted with the best people. Marrying one of themproved tobe justa step too far for some, though.ThePrinceofWaleswas instrumental incalmingchatteraboutthealliance’ssuitabilityandwasalsoaguestattheceremony.PrinceVictor’sbrotherwasbestman

andLordCarnarvon’syoungestsister,Vera,wasoneofthebridesmaids.Straightafterthewedding,LordandLadyCarnarvonleftthecountry

onwhatwastobecomethefirstofmanyvoyagestoescapetheEnglishwinter.ThedestinationwasEgypt,whichwouldprovesofatefulforthecouple.TheyarrivedinAlexandriaandwereimmediatelyimmersedinavery different world from anything that Almina had ever known. Hertravels until then had been confined to Europe, so the whitewashedwallsanddailylifeofAlexandriaprovokedsomethingofacultureshock.There were camels noisily kneeling to be loaded before swaying off,dragged along by small boys with sticks. The noises and smells wereoverwhelming;thestreetsfullofdonkeysandArabhorsespullingcartsatbarelycontrolledspeeds.Thebazaarwastremendouslycolourful,fullofspicesandleathersandantiquitiesofdubiousprovenance.However,although it felt exotic, the Carnarvons were in good company.Alexandria, Luxor and Cairo were all full of foreign tourists, and itwasn’t unusual to see runners clearing the way before distinguishedpeople. Itwas easy to spot the English on their thoroughbreds, ridingbetweensportingengagements.TheyenjoyedthemselvesintheluxurioussurroundingsoftheWinter

Palace Hotel in Luxor, and the Earl was keen to show Almina themysterious temples and the glorious treasures that had captured hisimaginationbackwhenhehadvisitedasasolotravellerin1889.While they were on holiday in Egypt, Almina fell pregnant. It was

what everyone had beenwaiting for, andCarnarvon in particularwasnaturallydelighted.TheyreturnedtoHighclerewellrestedandinhighspiritsandspentaquiet fewmonthsathome.ForAlmina the summerseason that year was less rigorous than previous ones since, as apregnant woman, there were a great many activities that were notconsideredappropriateforher.Alminaspentmoretimeintown,restingwithhermother,and less timeatHighclereorganisingweekendhouseparties.In September she moved in with Elsie, the Dowager Countess of

Carnarvon,sothatshecouldgivebirthinLondonwherethebestdoctorswereavailable.LordCarnarvonwastouringtheContinentinhisbelovedPanhardmotor car at the time,whichwas probably another factor inAlmina’s decision to leave Highclere and head for London, where shewould have congenial company and guidance as she prepared for

motherhood.The 5th Earl was known by themonikerMotor Carnarvon and hadboughtseveralofthefirstcarsimportedintoBritain.In1898thechoiceof British cars was still very limited indeed, and the best marque forexperienceddriverswasconsideredtobetheFrenchPanhard-Levassor.Lord Carnarvon travelled with George Fearnside, his valet, and hisFrenchchauffeur,GeorgesEilersgaard.Thecarwasleft-handdrive,hadfourgearsandcouldtravelatthecorrespondingspeedsof4.5,7,10and13milesperhour.BackinEnglandlaterthatmonth,hewassummonedto appear in court in Newbury for driving atmore than 12miles perhour (the legal limit at the time). It was to be the first of numerousspeedingfinesforLordCarnarvon.Lord Carnarvonwas at 13 Berkeley Square, though naturally not inthe roomwith his wife, when on 7 November 1898, she fulfilled herprimary task as the Countess of Carnarvon by giving birth to an heir.Thesafearrivalofahealthybabyboymeantanuncomplicated lineofsuccession,andtherewasrejoicingbothupstairsanddown.Alminawasstillonly twenty-twoyearsoldand,asusual,her lifeseemedcharmed.Shehad a beautiful healthybabyboy – shewasunassailable.Nothingever looked too difficult forAlmina. She had accomplished everythingshe’deverputhermindto,hadthegoodfortunetobeprettyaswellasrich,metamanwhomshelovedandwholovedher,livedexactlyasshepleased.ShewasaCountess,awifeandnowamother.The baby was christened a little over a month later, after thetraditional laying-in period. His sponsors were Alfred de Rothschild,Marie Wombwell, Prince Victor Duleep Singh and Francis, LordAshburton, another friend of Carnarvon’s from Eton days. He wasaccordinglygivenaverylonglistofnames:HenryGeorge(forhisfather– both were good Carnarvon names) Alfred Marius Victor Francis. InpracticehewasmostusuallycalledPorchy,ashisfatherhadbeenbeforehimandhissonwouldbeinduecourse.TheCarnarvonsdidn’tstaylongintownafterthechristening.Porchywas tobebroughtupatHighclere, in thenurseryon the second floorthat Almina had prepared for the purpose. When Lord and LadyCarnarvon arrived at the Castle with their son they were met by theentirestaff,whohadlineduponthegraveldriveoutsidethefrontdoorto welcome them. Almina stepped from the car with the baby in her

arms,followedbythenurseshehadengagedinLondon.Laterthatafternoonallthestaffassembledagain,thistimeoutsidetheEarl’s study, andwere summoned one by one to see him. The kitchenmaidsweretwitterywithnervessincetheyhadneverbeenupstairs;thegroomswerejustasbadbuttryingnottoshowit;everyonewasdressedimpeccably in clean aprons and caps. When a name was called, theperson entered the study, curtseyed or bowed to His Lordship andreceivedagoldsovereigninhonourofhissonandheir.ThephototakenattheCastletomarkPorchy’sbirthisheart-melting.Thebaby’scribisenormousanddrapedinmuslin.Alminastandsbehindwearing a long loose gown and stares, rapt, into the face of her firstchild.Theshotcapturesallthetendernessandamazementofawomanwhohasjustbecomeamother.Aristocratic childcare in 1898 was radically different from anythingwewouldrecognisetoday.Childrenlivednotwiththeirparentsbutinaseparate realm, lookedafter firstbyanannyand laterbyagoverness,assistedbyacoupleofnurserymaids.AlminaarrivedbackatHighclereaccompaniedbyanursewhowasonhandduringthefirstweekstogiveher support and reassurance. The advice in those days was that themother should feed the baby initially and then gradually introduce amixtureofdilutedcows’milk.WhenAlminagavebirthtoherdaughter,EvelynLeonoraAlmina,whowasalwaysknownasEve,inAugust1901,thebabyjoinedPorchyinthenursery,underthecareofNannyMoss.It is impossible to knowwhat Almina felt about being amother. Itwouldbeanachronistictoassumefromthefactthatshewasoftenawayfromherchildren(asshewas)thatshedidnotloveandcareforthem.Theirday-to-daywelfarewasattendedtobyotherpeople,butthatwasentirelynormalinAlmina’sday.Her son, Porchy, later the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, recalled in hismemoirs that his parents’ visits to the nursery, usually at tea-time onSundays, could be excruciating occasions. There is a rather heart-breakingdescriptionofafamilytooawkwardwitheachothertoknowwhat tosay, theEarlblusteringoutquestionsabouthowtheschoolingwascomingalongjustashisfatherhadwithhim.Porchyheavedasighof relief when the adults turned on their heels and returned to theirworld. Almina doesn’t appear to have been able to bridge the gulfbetweenfatherandson,ortoformaclosebondwithHenryherself.

Partoftheproblemmustsurelyhavebeenfarbiggerthananyoftheindividualsconcerned:Almina’schildrenwerebornatatimewhenthemaxim‘childrenshouldbeseenandnotheard’wasnotalaughablyold-fashioned clichébut a statementof fact.Their statuswasquite simplylower than that of their parents, aswasdemonstratedby the fact thatPorchyandEve,foraslongastheylivedinthenursery,usedthebackstairs,withtheservants.Theredoesseemtohavebeensomethingelseatwork,though.Inthe

samememoir,Porchyrecountsthestoryofachildhoodmishap.HewasattendingagardenpartyatBuckinghamPalace,agedaboutnine,withhismother,and,inhisover-excitement,notlookingwherehewasgoing,he barged into King Edward VII’s very ample stomach. His Highnesshadn’tlostanyweightsincethedaysofhisvisittoHighclereasPrinceofWales; grunting from the blow, he staggered to the ground. He wasunhurt, and reassured the little boy that no harm had been done, butPorchywasmortified.PrincessMarysawthathewasupsetandtookhimofftofeedhimicecream.DisasterstruckagainwhenPorchyfumbledhisplate and spilled some of the pink raspberry confection all over theprincess’swhite satin gown.AsMarywasbustled awaybyher furiousgoverness to change her dress, Almina arrived on the scene like somewrathful fury, grabbed his arm and hustled him home, where he wassent to bed with nothing but bread andmilk. The words she used toexpress her angerwere revealing. ‘You disgraceful boy,’ she told him,‘youshamedmetoday.’Perhaps,evenafteryearsoflivingattheheartofthe Establishment, Almina still had flashes of anxiety. Exposure todisapprovalorridiculewasanathematoherandtherewasnoroomforslip-ups,evenschoolboyones.MaybeAlminajustfounditeasiertogetonwithadultsthanchildren.

Certainly, things seemed to get easier as her son got older. After hebecamethe6thEarl,hecontinued torelyonhismother foradviceonthesuitabilityofhissecondmarriage,toaskhertostayatHighclereandtoattendfamilyoccasionssuchasanengagementpartyforherbelovedgrandson.AndAlminawasextremelyclose toherdaughterEveallherlife.Theyear1901wasofhugesignificance,not justonapersonal level

for the Carnarvons, but nationally. In January, when Alminawas justpregnantwithher second child,QueenVictoria finallypassedawayat

Osborne House, her holiday home on the Isle of Wight. She wassurroundedbyherchildrenandgrandchildren.Herson,Bertie,PrinceofWalesandsoon-to-beEdwardVII,wasalreadysixtyyearsold.Hereldestgrandson,KaiserWilhelmIIofGermany,whothirteenyearslaterwouldleadGermanyintowaragainsthisbelovedgrandmother’scountry,wasalsoatherbedside.QueenVictoriahadbeenon the throne foralmostsixty-fouryearsandpresidedoverBritain’sconsolidationastheleadingfigureontheworldstage.Hernameisstillsynonymouswiththeera.Forhersubjects,all440millionofthemacrosstheEmpire,herdeathwasanepochalevent.The Queen’s body lay in state atWindsor Castle for two days. The

wholecountrywasindeepmourning:everyadultworeblack,andshopswerefestoonedwithblackandpurplebanners.Evenblackironrailingswererepaintedtomakethemmoreappropriatelygloomy.The Carnarvons were present at the State Funeral at St George’s

Chapel in Windsor Castle on 2 February, which was attended by thecrowned heads of all Europe and representatives of every Britishdominion. There was an outpouring of public affection for the deadqueen and the new king, but also some anxiety. What would happennext?TheBritishwerestillembroiledintheBoerWarinSouthAfrica.Itwas not popular, and the Army had learnt some sharp lessons aboutstructure,tacticsandtheimpactofdiseaseontheabilityoftheirmentofight. Lord Kitchener’s ‘scorched earth’ policy and the Army’s use ofconcentration campswere causingdeepuneasiness.The campaignhadalsorevealedtheextentofthepublichealthcrisisamongstthenation’spoor.FortypercentofArmyrecruitswerefoundtobeunfitformilitaryservice.Queen Victoria’s reign coincidedwith a bustling period of progress,

industrialisation,andthecreationofextraordinarywealthinBritain.Herlong lifespan led to a reassuring sense of continuity, and anyunpopularity still lingering fromwhen shewas a reclusivewidowwastransformedatherdeathintoareverenceforatimenowlost.ThePrinceofWales,whowasabouttobecrownedEdwardVII,had

very little experience of government matters, despite his age. He waswithoutdoubtgenial,fondofprocessionsandthetrappingsofkingship.Hismotherandcourtiers,however,hadalwaysworriedabouthislackofreading and application, as well as his indiscretions with various

mistresses. Those liaisonswere facilitated by friends such asAlfred deRothschild.NeverthelessEdwardVIIwastoproveadignified,charmingkingand

Emperor,andtheEdwardianera,famousforitshighglamourandeasyelegance, was becoming the reality. The new King declared that theperiodofmourningforhismother,thelateQueenandEmpress,wastoextend for only the following three months. Preparations could thenbeginforhiscoronation,atwhichnopompwastobespared.In the event, because of the King’s appendicitis, the ceremony took

placeoverayearlater,on9August1902,inWestminsterAbbey.AlfreddeRothschildwas invitedtoattend,as,ofcourse,wereLordandLadyCarnarvon, theDowagerCountessofCarnarvon,andothermembersofthefamily.The new century was under way and the modern world was fast

approaching:notjustCarnarvon’sbelovedmotorcars,butalsopoweredflight, the rise of the Labour movement and, on a distant horizon,socialism, revolution andwar. But as the Carnarvons, dressed in theirermine robes, watched Edward being crowned King of the UnitedKingdomand theBritishDominions,Emperorof India, theymusthaveconsideredthattheirworldlookedasglitteringlysplendidasever.

7

EdwardianEgypt

Theyear1901openedwithanoutpouringofnationalgrief,butbylatespring theblackbannershadbeen foldedawayand therewas a sensethatthecountryneededtolooktothefuture.‘Motor’ Carnarvon was having a busy year. Births and deaths were

important, but sowas his obsessive love for his car. In July, amonthbefore Evelyn’s birth, he’d outraged a policeman in Epping, whodescribed him as coming ‘dashing down a hill at the terrific speed ofwhatmusthavebeen25milesanhour.’Tomakemattersworse,neithertheEarlnorhismechanic,whowasfollowinginasecondcar,stoppedwhen,blowingfuriouslyonhiswhistle,thepolicemanputhishandup.Difficult for us to imagine a world in which 25 miles an hour wasconsidered reckless driving, but the Earl was summoned to appear incourt again for that offence, something that was becoming almostroutine.Fortunatelyforhimhehadabarristerwhoalreadyspecialisedin defendingmotorists,whowas able to get the case dismissed. But afewmonths later, LordCarnarvon’s luck ranoutwhenhe suffered thefirstandmostseriousofhismanycarcrashes.

ItwaslateSeptember,andLordandLadyCarnarvonwerebothontheContinent,stayinginGermany.TheyhadtravelledseparatelyandweresupposedtobemeetingatBadSchwalbach.TheEarlandhischauffeur,EdwardTrotman,werebowling along, enjoying testing the car’s speedandhandlingwhen,astheycrestedarise intheroad,theycameuponanunexpecteddipandtwobullockcartsblockingtheirway.Carnarvontriedtosteerthevehicleofftheroad,butthegrassvergehidascreeofstonesandhe lostcontrolof thecaras it skidded, somersaulting to itsrestingplaceupsidedownacrossamuddyditch.Trotman,whohadbeenthrownclear, rushed tohelpCarnarvonandmanagedtodraghimout,unconscious and unmoving, but still breathing. Some workers from anearbyfieldheardthedesperatecriesforhelpandwentoffinsearchofa horse and cart to transport the injuredman to the nearest house toawait the arrival of the local doctor. Carnarvon had a swollen face,concussion,burntlegs,abrokenwristandjawandwascoveredinmud.Hewasluckytobealive.Almina had been sent for immediately and she rushed to join herhusband. The first sight of him was terrifying, but Almina wasted notime in making arrangements for them to return to Britain so thatCarnarvon could begin the long-term treatment he needed. On thatvoyage back, Almina discovered a talent that was to grow into hergreatest passion: nursing. She looked after her husband tenderly, andfound that she could bear the stress and the worry with calm andresilience.OncebackinLondon,AlminasummonedthefinestsurgeonsandCarnarvonhadaseriesofoperations,buthishealth,alwaysfragile,never fully recovered.Theaccidentwas tohavea lastingeffecton thedynamicbetweenthem,aswellaschangingbothoftheirlivesinwaysneithercouldhavepredicted.The first and most visible change was that the Earl, at the age ofthirty-five,wasnolongeravigorousman.Hehadtouseasticktowalkandwasevenmorepronetopickingupanyandeveryinfluenzaorvirusthatwasmakingtherounds.Hesufferedcripplingmigrainesforthenextfiveyears,theresultofhisheadinjuries.Alminainsistedthatheneededa personal physician, andDrMarcus Johnson joined the household asthe family doctor. Over time he became a great friend, virtually amemberofthefamily,andwasalwayscalledDrJohnnie.DrJohnnie initiallyadvised theEarl toadoptamore sedatepaceof

life,butLordCarnarvonhadotherideas.Hewasdeterminednottolosehisnerveaftertheaccident,andhadbegundrivingagainassoonashewas able.Ridingwas now toomuch for him so he took up the newlyfashionablepastimeofgolf,anddecidedtoconstructanine-holecourseon the estate. He was also a keen photographer. His lifelong love ofgadgets and gizmos meant he was an early adopter of all the latestadvances in technology.He proved to be talented andmeticulous andbuiltupareputationasoneofthemostrespectedphotographersofhistime. But it was travel, his first love, specifically his trips to Egypt,whichprovidedhimwiththehobbythatwouldmetamorphoseintotheobsessionthatguaranteedhislastingfame.Aswintersettledin,DrJohnniesuggestedtotheEarlthat–giventhestateofhis lungs–heshouldavoidthecolddampEnglishwintersandhead for somewhere warm. This time Lord Carnarvon was entirely inagreement with his physician. The obvious choice was Egypt, wherethere is virtually no humidity and the air is always clear and dry.Carnarvonhad visited for the first time in 1889 and loved it. Then in1898 he had been holidaying there with Almina when she had fallenpregnant. Now Egypt was set to become a regular part of theCarnarvons’lives.By the end of the nineteenth century, Egyptwas very firmly on thetourist trail. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,travellers returned to their native lands laden with antiquities, andinterest in all thingsOriental provoked a craze of Egyptomania acrossEurope. The flood increased throughout the nineteenth century, andwell-to-doBritishtouristsastoundedtheirfriendsbackhomewiththeirwatercolour sketches of the pyramids and stories of even greaterwonders, just waiting to be discovered beneath the sands. By today’sstandards,though,thevisitornumberswereprettysmall.Travelwasstillthe preserve of the very wealthy, and was not only expensive butarduous.ThejourneyfromBritainstartedwithatraintoSouthampton,then a sea crossing to France, another train to theRiviera and a boatfromMarseilles toAlexandria.The last legof the tripwasvia anothertrain to Cairo. But even in his enfeebled state, Lord Carnarvonwas amanfullofwanderlustandaneedfordistractionanddiversion.Virtuallyeveryyearfrom1902,justafterChristmas,whichoncetheyhad children they almost always spent at Highclere, Lord and Lady

Carnarvon set out together for Egypt. There were exceptions to thischoiceof destination: in1903 they thought theywould try theUnitedStates, but although theNew York Times described Almina as ‘a verypretty young woman, small and piquante’, it seems she didn’t loveAmericaback,consideringittoobrashandtoofastforhertastes.Inthewinterof1906theywenttoColomboandSingapore.PorchyandEvelynwereleftinthecareoftheirgrandmother,Marie,muchtotheirdelightsince they were tremendously spoiled. There was a summer familyholiday to Cromer in Norfolk when Almina joined the children andNurse Moss on the beach. But mostly, the Carnarvons’ trips were toEgypt.Sometimes they stopped off in Paris en route. Almina had many

friends there and perhaps her husband judged that a few days in theluxurioussurroundingsoftheRitzwouldbeadelightfulinterludebeforethediscomfortsthatawaitedheronsiteattheEarl’sexcavations.Intheearlydays,though,thetripstoCairowereleisuredaffairs.Lord

andLadyCarnarvonstayedatShepheard’sHotelonthebanksoftheNileinCairo, amagnificentbuilding in classical French style thatbetrayedthe influence of Napoleon’s 1798 military campaign. It was thefashionableplace to stay andwas always full of artists, statesmenandsportsmen, as well as genteel invalids and collectors. Almina, whodelightedinagoodsocialscene,enjoyedherself,andLordCarnarvon’shealthbegantorecover.That first season in Egypt was so beneficial that on their return to

HighclereLordCarnarvondecided to focusona long-cherisheddream,andin1902hefoundedthestudthathasbeensuchavitalpartoflifeatHighclere ever since. He had a lifelong obsession with racing andracehorsesandhadalotofsuccessasabreeder.Alminaalso indulgedherpassion – in this instance, for clothes.The

newspapers of her erawere every bit as avid as any of today’s glossymagazines for thedetailsof trendsetters’wardrobesandAlmina’s tastewas commended numerous times in the press. The descriptions of herdresses are mouthwatering. On one occasion ‘her dress of all whiteorchidswasmuchadmired’.AtagardenpartyatKensingtonPalaceshewas ‘very smart inwhitemuslinwith incrustations of fine lace’. Afteranother functionitwasreportedthat ‘LadyCarnarvonwasgorgeous interracottasatinwithapearlanddiamondnecklace.’Hercombinationof

petite beauty and impeccable dress sensemade her a cover starmanytimesover.On8November1902,a littleoverayearafterEve’sbirth,she appeared on the front cover ofCountry Lifemagazine, figure fullyrestored,waistlaceddowntonothing,lookingradiant.Theroutineofsummerathome,winterinEgypt,improvedtheEarl’shealthimmeasurably.Infact,hegotsomuchbetterthatwithinacoupleof years, he was determined to apply for a concession and undertakesome excavations himself. He had been reading about the cultures ofAncient Egypt ever since he was a boy and, as he wrote to his sisterWinifred,hadbeenseizedwiththe‘wishandintentionevenasfarbackas1889 to startexcavating.’Nowthathewas spendingmore timeoutthere, he struck up a close and enduring friendship with Sir WilliamGarstin,whowasdirector of theMinistryofPublicWorks.Oneof thedepartmentswithinhisministrywasthatofAntiquities.Itwasrunbyacharming and gallant French Egyptologist called Professor GastonMaspero.Napoleon’scampaigninEgypthadrenewedinterestandknowledgeinallthingsancientandcurious,becausehisarmyhadbeenaccompaniedby one hundred academics to record, sketch and investigate the lostculture. Thereafter, scholars, adventurers and bona fide Egyptologistshad all set off to explore and returnwith histories of the architectureandworksofartforpublicandprivatecollections.The fortunate discovery of the Rosetta Stone by the French, and itssubsequent acquisition by the British, led to the decipherment ofhieroglyphs. The tablet was engravedwith a decree repeated in threedifferent languages – demotic script, Ancient Greek and AncientEgyptianhieroglyphs–whichallowedThomasYoungandJean-FrançoisChampolliontounlockthekeytotheancientlanguage.Only at end of the nineteenth century was there any sort ofrequirement for a methodical approach towards excavation. EgyptianExplorationSocieties,universitiesandprivateindividualscouldallapplyfor permission to excavate. Scholarswere just beginning to appreciatehow important itwas to record the context of any discovery, and theBritish archaeologist Flinders Petrie set the standard for painstakingrecordingandstudyofartefacts.Thecompetition for concessionswas intense,andprivate individualssuchasLordCarnarvonacceptedthat,tobeginwith,thesitestheywere

grantedwouldbethelessexcitingones.PresumablyCarnarvonwasnotsure about his own level of commitment either, given that the sumsinvolved in mounting a serious excavation were absolutely vast. AsCarnarvonwroteintheprefacetohis1911bookFiveYears’ExplorationsatThebes,therecouldbeanythingupto275menandboyslabouringonanyteam,andduringoneseasonhewasrunningfiveteams.Therewerealso overseers, mules and boats to be hired and digging and storageequipment to be bought. Lord Carnarvon had sold his two Somersetestates,PixtonandTettonin1901tohismother-in-law,Elsie,whowastogiveoneeachtohisbrothers,AubreyandMervyn.Carnarvonwasatthis point well able to finance his excavation work, whilst Almina’sfortunecontinuedtofundtherunningofHighclere.Back in 1906,when the Earl beganhis excavations, the first site he

wasassignedwasanunprepossessingrubbishmoundnearLuxor.Hewasthereforsixweeks,envelopedincloudsofdust.LordCarnarvonwrotetohissisterWinifred,tellingherthat‘everydayIgotomydiggingandcommandasmallarmyof100menandboys.’Alargescreenedcagehadbeenconstructedtoprovideascrapofshadefromthesunandprotectionfrom the flies.Carnarvonwaspoised,optimistically, to catalogue findsanddraftmapsofthesite.Almina loyally attended every day. Photos of Lord Carnarvon show

himwearingathree-piecetweedsuit,awide-brimmedhatwithawhiteband,andstoutEnglishshoes.Almina,ontheotherhand,wasdressedforagardenpartyonafineEnglishsummer’sday,inafloatyteadressand patent leather heels, complete with jewellery winking in theblindingsunshine.It was gruelling and rather dull. Nothing much seemed to be

happening. The couple would share a sandwich at lunchtime andstruggletokeepeachother’sspiritshighinthefaceofverylittlesuccess.Almina always supported her husband in Egypt, and in the mostconcreteways–withhermoneyandwithherpresence–but shewasinterestedin,ratherthanpassionatelyintriguedby,hiswork.After the travails of the dusty days, the Carnarvons retired to the

Winter Palace Hotel, in time to watch the sun set over the rockyescarpmentsandtemplesonthewestbankoftheNile.Thehotelwasbyfarthebestplaceintowntostay:anelegant,duskypinkbuildingwithbroad curved staircases sweeping up to the entrance, andmagnificent

gardens. It had a cool marble salon shaded with white blinds anddecorated with aquarelles of the ancient sites. Outside there werelovinglywateredlawns,hibiscusbushesandpalms.Itwasextremelyluxuriousbut,naturally,theCarnarvonswereadding

even more extravagant pleasures to their stay. They took the centralrooms,withbalconies lookingoutover theriverandtowards thecliffsaroundHatshepsut’s temple.TheirviewatHighclerewasoverthe lushrolling hills of a landscape that symbolised the permanence of power.When they lookedout inLuxor, theysawthedesert thathadengulfedthepalacesofkings.If theywere inclined toworry about the impermanenceof things as

they took their aperitifs on the balcony, they could always distractthemselveswithanexcellentdinner.Theydinedinaprivateroomandhad brought with them supplies of food and wines, brandies andMadeira from the Rothschild cellars were also shipped in. As always,theyweregenerouswithall thisabundance.Alminaenjoyedthesociallifemore thantheday’sactivities,andthehotelwas fullof interestingpeopletoinvitetojointhem.Domesticconcernsandthesmalltensionsofmarriedlifelurkedinthe

background.Carnarvonwaspleasedtohear fromHighclere thatHenry[Porchy]hadanewtutorwhowas‘verysatisfiedwithhim,sayshehasexceptionalquicknessandaremarkablememory.’Theparentalprideistouching, especially from a man who struggled to be at ease with orexpress affection to his son. ‘I should like him to be good at games,’Carnarvon commented. Perhaps it was the wish of the frustratedsportsmaninafailingbody.HewasalsoconcernedthatAlminawasboredandhadbeensuffering

somehealthproblems.Shewassomewhatnervy,buthecommentedtoWinifredthatLuxorseemedtoagreewithher.‘IamgladtosayAlminaislookingbetter…theaironthehillsissopureandchampagne-like.Iamafraidshewillhavetohaveasmalloperationonourreturn,scrapingthewomb. Iconsider itcomeschiefly fromnervesbut Iamnotaverynervousperson,soperhapsamnotagoodjudge.’Thatfirstdigmusthavebeenextremelytryingforanycasualobserver.

After six weeks of hard labour and dashed hopes, Carnarvon broughtoperationstoaclose.Thesumtotalofartefactsrecoveredwasasinglecaseforamummifiedcat,whichLordCarnarvongavetoCairoMuseum.

He was not discouraged. As he assured Winifred, ‘this utter failure,insteadofdishearteningmehadtheeffectofmakingmekeener.’In1907, theCarnarvonswereback, and this time theEarlwaswellaware that he had previously been palmed off with a site that theauthorities knew was a dud. With the help of Gaston Maspero,CarnarvonchoseasitenearamosqueenroutetothetemplesatDeirel-Bahri.Hehadgatheredinthelocalcoffeeshopsthattherewererumoursof a tomb, and after twoweeks of hard digging, his team found it. Itproved to be an important Eighteenth Dynasty tomb, that of a King’sson:Teta-Ky.Therewasaprincipaldecoratedchapelmoreorlessintact,nichesinthecourtyardcontainedshabtifigures(smallservantfigurines)and eightmore painted shabtis lined the corridors to the subterraneanvaults. Carnarvonwas incredibly excited – andhooked.He spent daystakingphotographsasarecordofeverythinghefound.HealsodonatedalimestoneofferingtabletotheBritishMuseum.Carnarvonknewthatifhe carried on in Egypt he would need professional help andinterpretation. Gifts of antiquities were an excellent way of gainingattention. In theendDrWallisBudgeof theBritishMuseumbecameaclose friend and frequent guest of the Carnarvons in London and atHighclere.Gaston Maspero was still receiving disparaging letters from hisinspector, Arthur Weigall in Luxor, concerning Lord Carnarvon’sexcavations. To be diplomatic and to improve Carnarvon’s chance ofsuccess,MasperosuggestedthathehireHowardCartertosuperviseandadvise on the excavations. In terms of subsequent events, the mostsignificanteventofthisseasonwasthereforetheplantingofaseedthatledtoafriendshipbetweenHowardCarterandLordCarnarvon.Itwastobeanothertwoyearsbeforetheyembarkeduponacollaborationthatlastedfourteenyearsandeventually,withthediscoveryofthetombofTutankhamun,ensuredthattheirnamesarestillrememberedbyanyonewithmorethanapassinginterestinAncientEgypt.HowardCarterwasborninLondonin1874,thesonofanartistwhospecialisedinanimalpaintings.HehadbeeninEgyptalmostconstantlysince1891,whenhearrivedasaprecociouslytalentedseventeen-year-olddraughtsman.Herosetobecomeoneofthemosteminentexpertsinthe field, but in 1905 he had fallen on hard times. He had resignedearlier that year from thepost hehadheld since1899as inspector of

Lower Egypt for the Antiquities Service. There had been a fracasbetweenFrenchtouristsandEgyptiansiteguardsinwhichhesupportedtheEgyptians,andhispositionbecameuntenable.In1909LordCarnarvonengagedCarter tobehisman inLuxorandwaspayinghima salary; the followingyearhebuilthimahouse thatbecameknownasCastleCarter.Hisconcernwas thatCartershouldbesufficientlywellprovidedfortobeabletogetonwiththejobinhand.Carnarvon installed a dark room, which helped enormously with hisphotographic work. Castle Carter would also come in handy as alunchtimerestpoint.Carterwasdelightedtohavesecuredafinanciallygenerous, committed and serious-minded colleague. Despite thedifferencesinthetwomen’ssocialbackground,theywereaformidableallianceandbecamegreatfriends.Thischangeinfortuneswasexhilarating;Carnarvonwasecstatic.Headored the exquisite objects that he was discovering and before longestablisheda reputation forhis collector’s eye. ‘Mychiefaim… isnotmerelytobuybecauseathingisrare,butrathertoconsiderthebeautyofanobjectthanitspurehistoricvalue.’Hewasnotmerelyanaesthete,though.ThebookhewrotewithHowardCarterabout their fiveyears’digging at Thebes was a serious work, published by the OxfordUniversityPress and illustratedwithhis ownphotos.Althoughhewasregardedbymanyasamaverick,hewaswell likedby the locals,whoreferredtohimas ‘Lordy’.Carnarvonwasunfailinglycourteous,oneoftheverylastofthegentlemanexcavators.Alminasharedherhusband’sappreciationofthehighlyaestheticandwasthrilledthatnowtheywereseeingconcreteresults,anabundanceofgorgeous things. But Alminawouldn’t have been Almina if she hadn’talso looked for an outlet for all her restless energy. Before long, shefoundawaytostamphergeniusforpartyorganisingonthelocalsocialscene.One evening she organised an unforgettable dinner party in KarnakTemple.SheappropriatedallthestafffromtheWinterPalaceHotelanddressedthemincostumesinspiredbytheOneThousandandOneNights.The Carnarvons received their guests in the temple of Rameses. Longtables set with crisp white linen, glass and silverware stretched thelengthof thechamber.The foodandwinewere,naturally,of theverybestquality.Masperosatat theheadofonetableofEgyptologists, the

Carnarvonsatanother.ThewholescenewasfloodedwithmoonlightaswellascandlesandlampsthatAlminahadarrangedtothrowintoreliefthe columnsof theHippostyleHall.When themeal finished, everyonewandered down to the Sacred Lake and contemplated in silence thebreathtakingviewbeforemaking theirwayback to theWinterPalace.Thenthestaffglidedinandremovedeverytraceoftheevent.Itwasasif the party had been a vision conjured up by one of the genies inScheherazade’sArabianNights.

8

ThePassingoftheGoldenAge

TheEdwardianeracametoaclosewiththedeathofEdwardVIIon6May 1910.He had been king for just nine years but had restored thesparkletothemonarchyandembodiedthevaluesandvicesoftheupperclasses in spectacular form. Alfred de Rothschild, his longstandingsupporterandfriend,wasterriblygrieved.ItwasthebeginningofalongslideintodisappointmentforAlfred,whowasshortlytosufferthepainof having family and friends in bothBritain andGermany, as the twocountrieslurchedtowardswar.Thenewkingwasinpreciselythesameboat.GeorgeVwasrelatedto

virtuallyeverycrownedheadinEurope.OneofhisfirstcousinswastheTsar of Russia; another was, of course, the Kaiser. Victoria hadmadelittlesecretofpreferringWilhelmIItoGeorgeV,butthenewKinghadidentifiedGermanyas a serious threat as early as1904.Hewas right;therewasdisasterbubblingunder,mudandhorroranddeathonascalethatnoonecouldimagineinanerawhenmechanisedmasswarfarewasstillinconceivable.ButBritainhadalastfewpreciousyearsofpeacetorelishbeforethe

carnage.Notthatitwasuneventful:1910wasayearofpoliticalturmoiland, in a sign of the pressure of the times, Almina briefly becameinvolvedwithpoliticalactivism.ButatHighclere,fornow,allwascalm.Orrather,allwastheusualmadswirloffunandadventure.Throughout1910, Almina put on parties and balls, accompanied her husband ontripstoScotlandforshooting,madetheannualtrektoEgypt.Whentheywereintown,sheandLordCarnarvon–alongwithhermotherMarie–wereoftenatAlfreddeRothschild’sboxatCoventGarden.TheEarl,meanwhile,was facilitating apieceof aviationhistory.Heremainedfascinatedbymotorcarsandtechnologyofallkinds.Asearlyas1908hehadbeguntoinvitepioneersofaviationsuchasJohnMoore-Brabazon and Monsieur Gabriel Voisin to stay at Highclere. In 1909,when the brilliant young engineer Geoffrey de Havilland was castingaroundforsomewheretostoreandtesthisexperimentalaircraft,Moore-BrabazonsuggestedheusehisshedsontheedgeofHighclereestateandapproachLordCarnarvonforpermissiontocarryoutatestflightoffthelowerslopesofBeaconHills.InNovemberof1909,deHavillandandhisassistantloadedthebiplanethatwastheprototypeforthefamousGipsyMothintoalorryandtookittoHighclere.WhenLordCarnarvonandMrMoore-Brabazon visited the men, who were staying at the local pub,theywerehugelyimpressed.CarnarvonsaiddeHavillandcouldusethefields,andpromisedtokeepthegrassmown.Over thenext tenmonths, deHavillandmadenumerous test flights.The first were tiny hops but gradually, as he tweaked the design, theflightsgrewlonger.Hewas luckytoescapeseveralcrashes,butbytheendofautumn1910hehadkepttheaircraftairborneformorethan50feet,bankingtotheleftovertheroadintoHighclere,turningafullcircleandthenlanding.LordCarnarvon,whowitnessedthisflight,was‘elatedatthesuccesswhichattendedtheeffortsoftheflyingmen.’That autumn therewas a family celebration. Lord Carnarvon’s half-brotherAubreywasgettingmarried,andnoone,leastofallthegroom,couldquitebelievehisluckinacquiringsuchalovelywife.Aubrey was careless with money and physically frail, just like hisolderbrother.Hehadterriblypooreyesightandunconventionaltasteinclothes, but his gestures were expressive and warm and, like LordCarnarvon, he was wholly unpretentious. Mary, his intended, was thedaughterofAnglo-Irishnobility:the4thViscountdeVesci,andwastall,

elegantandverywelleducated;shealsomovedinthemostfashionablecircles.AubreymetherthroughhisfriendRaymondAsquith,thePrimeMinister Herbert Asquith’s son, who was a great friend of his fromOxford,andwhosesisterVioletwasoneofMary’sconfidantes.OpiniononAubrey’sspectacularluckdividedtheAsquithsiblings,withRaymondhappytoacknowledgethatAubreywouldbeaveryfortunatemanonhisweddingdayandVioletsniffilyretortingthathewasquiteundeservedlyblessed.Maryseemstohavethoughtthathewouldbrushupwellenoughtobetaken to Gosford Castle in Ulster to meet her grandfather the Earl ofWemyss.Shewasmoreworriedaboutcurtailingtheoverflowingpartiesof drunken diplomats at Pixton, the house in Somerset he had beengiftedbyElsie,hismother.Aubreymighthavebeenascruffandadilettante,buthewasalsoanacknowledgedregionalexpertontheMiddleEast.HehadbeeninEgyptin 1904 and then gone to Constantinople on a two-year diplomaticposting. He was reasonably fluent in Turkish, Greek, Albanian andArabicaswellasFrenchandGerman,andwelllikedacrosstheregion.(Sowelllikedthat,justbeforetheoutbreakoftheGreatWar,hewouldbe approached by the government of Albania and asked whether hewouldliketobecomeking.Hecabledhome.HavebeenofferedthroneofAlbaniastopmay Iaccept loveAubrey.TheEarl’sreplywasterseandtothepoint.No.Carnarvon.)Aubrey andMary were married on 20 October 1910 at St James’s,Piccadilly. It was a quintessential Society wedding, and Almina wasinsistentthatthecoupleshouldbegintheirhoneymoonatHighclere.Thechildren, Porchy and Eve, were particularly delighted with thatsuggestion,sincetheyadoredtheirbumbling,exuberantuncle.Itwasn’t longbeforeAubrey’sdress returned to itsnaturally chaoticstate,andthehousepartiesatPixtonweremadeonlymarginallymoredignifiedbytheintroductionofMary’selegantfriends.Aubrey andMarywere given hermother’smagnificent house at 28BrutonStreetasaweddinggift.TheywerelivingjustafewdoorsdownfromAlmina’smotherMarie,androundthecornerfromCarnarvonHQinBerkeleySquare.ThefamilynetworkwasextremelyhandywhenLordandLadyCarnarvonwereabroad,astheyveryfrequentlywere.Porchyremembered lots of stays with his grandmother, who was only too

pleased to look after the children and spoke nothing but Frenchwiththem.Alminawasbythistimethirty-sixyearsold.Shehadbeenmarriedfor

seventeen years, had metamorphosed from a slightly suspect youngunknown to the public face of the Carnarvon partnership. As herhusband’shealthgotworse,shetookonmoreandmoreof thehostingduties, more of the networking that sustained their lives. These days,CarnarvonpreferredtoaskconnectionsfromEgypttostayatHighclere.He was beginning to acquire a notable collection of small exquisiteworks of Egyptian art. Carnarvon appropriated the breakfast room forhis ‘Antiques Room’ and – through the British Museum – organisedproperdisplaycupboardstobemade.Alminahadtoensurethatthestaffcompletely cleared theDiningRoomat the endof an eveningbecausethefamilywouldhavetobreakfastintherefromnowon.SmalldetailslikethiswerenotenoughtokeepAlminaoccupied.Her

vast energy lacked outlets and she was patently looking around forsomething other than the social whirl and household management tooccupyher.Forawhilesheseemstohavethoughtherpassionmightbepolitics.

Theyear1910wasabigoneinBritishpolitics.In1909theChancellorof the Exchequer in the Liberal government, David LloydGeorge, hadproposedthe‘People’sBudget’,whichincludedradicalreformofthetaxsystem, explicitly designed to redistributemoney from the wealthy tothepoorviaan increase in socialwelfare.Morecontroversially, italsoincluded a land tax. The budget was rejected by the House of Lords,causingafuroreandtriggeringageneralelectioninJanuary1910thatproducedacoalitiongovernmentledbytheLiberalsinalliancewiththeIrishParliamentaryParty.TheLiberalswonjusttwomoreseatsthantheConservativesandpromptlybegantotrytolimitthepoweroftheHouseof Lords to veto legislation. By the middle of the year, everyone waswaiting foranothergeneral election tobe called since thegovernmentwasvirtuallydeadlocked,particularlyover thebudgetand the issueofHomeRuleforIreland.Therewas ahuge feeling of outrage fromConservative voters about

thepossiblebreak-upoftheUnion,theLiberals’attemptstoreformtheHouse of Lords, immigration and the inadequacies of the NationalInsuranceBill.Alminafelt itwasherdutytogetinvolvedtochampion

the Tory Party cause. In anticipation of her increasing workload, shehiredasecretary,MissMaryWeekes.Mary had previously worked for Alfred de Rothschild and wassupremely efficient, used to dealing with the slightly capricious stylethatcharacterisedbothAlminaandher father.Shewasverymuch theequivalent of the modern PA, booking in Her Ladyship’s socialengagementsinLondon,organisingheratHighclere,travellingwithherat all times. Shewas tall and slim and completely devoted toAlmina.Shewas also a signof the changing times, awoman in theCountess’semploywhowas not strictly speaking a servant, certainly not a lady’smaid.MaryhelpedAlminatopushtheboundsofherrolefaroutbeyondtheconfinesoftheCastle.Thereisaredcuttings-bookatHighclereinwhicharepastedthetranscriptsofAlmina’sspeakingengagementsintheyears1910 and 1911. Theymust have been typed byMary, and they rangefrom the straightforward speeches delivered at village fetes: ‘I amdelightedtodeclarethisbazaaropen!’ toaddressestothe ladiesof theSouthBerkshireUnionist[Conservative]Association.Almina’s tone when she spoke at political meetings was highlycharged, her language designed to touch the hearts of her listeners aswellastostirtheircampaigningzeal. InaspeechopposingtheLiberalgovernment’sattemptstoreformtheHouseofLords,shepointedtotheLords’ defence of every parent’s right to determine what religiouseducationtheirchildshouldreceiveasevidencethattheUpperChamberdidn’t need reforming. Almina’s rhetoric is perfectly judged for heraudience,hertonesupremelyconfident.‘Wemaintainthatthepoormanhasasgoodarightastherichtochooseinwhatreligionhischildshouldbebroughtup…[Herewesee]theimportanceofastrongUpperHouseto every mother in the land.’ You can almost hear the enthusiasticapplauseofthemothersintheaudience.Almina goes on to urge her listeners to campaign for their values,whichwereseentobeunderattackbytheLiberals,whomsheinsistsoncallingtheRadicals.Herspeechesareeminentlyreadable;sheseemstobe relishing this chance to get out into the world and talk aboutsomethingofnational importance, rather thanbeingmerely thepublicfaceofHighclere.Thereisanexuberanceinherwordsthatsuggestsshewasprobablyaverygoodpublicspeaker.‘TheConstitutionunderwhich

we have flourished and found the highest civilisation and the mostperfectfreedomisinperil.Remember,wewerecaughtnappingin1906[whentheConservativeslosttheirseatinNewburyinalandslidevictoryfortheLiberalParty]andthattheslightestweakeninginourworkmayjeopardiseMrMount’sseat…’Alminacomesacrosslikeaseasonedproofpoliticalspeeches,buildinguptoastirringfinishandadirectcalltoaction.‘Don’tforgetReading.Urgeyourfriendsnottorestcontentuntilthe flag of national unity, trade reform and social progress wavestriumphantlyinthatimportantcentreofindustry.’In the January 1910 general election, the Conservatives regained

Newbury from the Liberals. You can’t help wondering what part wasplayed by the army of South Berkshire women Almina sent out tocampaign.Almina might have been a skilled orator and energetic defender of

Conservativepolitics,butshewasalsoawomanatatimewhenwomendid not have the right to vote, let alone to stand for election. Anyambition to be involved in politics would have to be channelled intobehind-the-scenescampaigningwork. It seems thatAlmina,despitehermodest assertions that shewas unaccustomed to public speaking, verymuchenjoyedit,andwhenAubreydecidedtostandastheConservativecandidateforSomersetSouthina1911by-election,sherelishedhelpinghim to write electioneering speeches and campaigning on his behalf.Aubrey won. They must have been a dream team, both of them bigpersonalitiesoverflowingwithself-assurance.Almina’svaluesandpoliticswereverymuchthoseyouwouldexpect

of awomanofher social class at the timeand itwould,of course,beoverstatingthecasetosaythatshewasachampionofwomen’srights.Shenevervoicedanysupportforwomen’ssuffrage.Evenso,someofherspeechesgiveaverystrongsenseofherforcefulpersonality,herwitandher faith in women’s power to influence public life. She tells theNewburyUnionistWomen’s Association in January 1911: ‘In the darkages,whicharenotveryfarbehindus,weusedtobecalledtheweakersex.Weneverwere,andwenevershallbeweakerinourpatriotism.Inthis as in all similarmatters we are neither inferior nor superior, butonlyverydifferentandIamconvincedthatweshalldomostgoodtoourcountry and her cause if instead of imitating men we endeavour towiden and perhaps enrich the spirit of public life by being simply

ourselves.’After her successes campaigning in the 1910 general elections and

Aubrey’s by-election, Almina seems to have cast around for the nextchallengeandrealisedthat therewasn’tonethatreallysuitedher.Shewastootheatricalandtoorestlesstobecontentwithdeliveringrousingspeechestolocalpoliticalsocieties,andalthoughnowyoucanimagineherasafiery,eccentricMP,thenshehadnosuchoutlet.Herinstincttobe useful was clearly very strong because she kept up her publicspeakingandappearancesatvariouscharitableoccasions including theEastHamChrysanthemumShowandtheTunbridgeWellsfundraiserforDr Barnardo’s children’s homes. But she would have to wait anotherthreeyearsforherbigchancetodosomegoodintheworld.Andinthemeantimetherewasalwayssomethingtodistractherfrom

anylingeringsenseofpurposelessness.Racingwasperfectforthat,andon15May1911LordandLadyCarnarvonwereatAscotwiththenewKing.ThereisastrikingpictureofthemintheRoyalEnclosure.TheEarlisintophatandtails,usingasilver-toppedcanetosupporthisbadleg.Helookslikeamanwhoisconfidentthatheisabouttohavefuninthecompany of friends.Almina iswearing an ankle-length dress in black-and-white striped satin, a dark fur and a spectacular wide-brimmed,ostrich-feather-trimmed hat. She is leaning away from her husband,seeminglylaughingassheextendsherhandtosomeonebyherside.Shelooksasifsheisgraciouslyreceivingthetributesduetoher.Itisutterlyunlike the sweet and purposeful demeanour in the photo of her innurse’suniformthatwastakenbarelymorethanthreeyearslater.Glitz,publiclife,thedignityoftheCarnarvons–thesewerestillvery

importanttoherin1911,andtheyallcombinedon22June1911,theday of the coronation of King George V and QueenMary. The wholehouseholdhadgoneuptotowntoprepare.Fearnside,RobertsandJessieMoney, Almina’s new lady’s maid, had been in charge of bringingeverything that would be required to the house in Berkeley Square.Meticulously,FearnsidebrusheddowntheEarl’serminerobes.Theyhadlastbeenusedeightyearspreviously,at thecoronationofEdwardVII,andhad been carefully kept in camphor and checked twice a year formoths. Roberts and Money laid out Almina’s ornate dress, tiara andjewels.LordandLadyCarnarvoneachhadabedroomanddressingroomon the second floor of the house and, by the time they arrived to get

ready, the runningalongcorridors and franticunpackingofboxeswasall finishedandeverythingwas ready for them.TheEarlandCountesssetoffforWestminsterAbbeytojointhethrongofpeersandnoblesoftherealm.The procession to the abbey was splendid. The King and Queentravelled in the gold State Coach, drawn by eight heavily caparisonedcarriage horses with four postillions riding and several footmenaccompanying.LordKitchenerrodeinaplaceofhonourtotherightoftheStateCoach.HehadbeenmadeFieldMarshal, thehighest rank intheArmy,byEdwardVIIashelayonhisdeathbed,inrecognitionofhisserviceinSudan,SouthAfricaandIndia.Astheywaitedfortheceremonytobegin,therewasplentyoftimetoobservethesplendoursoftheabbey,familiartothemofcoursefromalltheStateoccasionstheyhadattendedthere,andthedressof theothermembers of the congregation. The church was full of the Carnarvons’friendsandallthecrownedheadsofEurope,butAlminamusthavebeenirritatedtohavetoshakehandswithHerbertAsquith,theLiberalPrimeMinister,leaderofthedreadful‘Radicals’.The Carnarvons watched anxiously for the arrival of the processionand strained to catch their first glimpse of their son, who had beenchosen to be one of the Pages of Honour. He had been granted leavefromhisprepschool,Ludgrove,toattendtheendlessrehearsalsforthecoronation, all masterminded by the Duke of Norfolk. The Duke wasapparently meticulous in his supervision of the pages and requiredcompleteattentiontodetail,butPorchyrememberedthat,ifarehearsalhad gone well, he dished out delicious chocolates to everyoneafterwards.On this occasion, doubtless to Almina’s relief, her son acquittedhimself perfectly and the whole ceremony was magnificent, with theguns’ salute thundering across Hyde Park and the bells of the abbeypealing out over the newly crowned King and Queen as they left thechurch. It was probably the last great gathering of the old order.Europe’s political scene was tense and getting worse; there were justover three years to go beforewarwas declared.Of the eight Pages ofHonouron thatoccasion,only twowould survive the comingcarnage.LordPorchesterwouldbeoneofthem.OnNewYear’sEve1911,Alminagaveherannualchildren’spartyat

Highclere,withhundredsofguests,andentertainersbroughtdownfromLondon.Twelvedayslatershethrewaballfor500localpeople.AlminahadtogreetherguestswithouttheEarl,whosemigrainewassobadthathecouldnotattend formore thana fewminutesbefore retiring tohisrooms.Thatwasn’tunusual;Alminawasincreasinglythepowerthatwaskeeping everything going. She addressed the throng of people atmidnight, fromthebalconythatoverlooksthebeautifulvaultedSaloonat theheartof theCastle, apologisingonLordCarnarvon’sbehalf. ShewasflankedbyhermotherMarie,herhusband’ssisters,andbyAubreyandhiswifeMary.PrinceVictorDuleepSinghstayedtolendhissupporttoAlminaasshespokeandthenloyallyretiredtotheEarl’ssittingroomto keep his old friend company. Aubrey welcomed everyone again atsupper and then the Mayor of Newbury thanked the Carnarvons andfamily on behalf of the guests. The dancing began after supper withmusic supplied by Merier’s Viennese orchestra and twenty differentdances on the programme. Almina had placed lanterns all along thecarriagedriveways to lightherguestshome in theearlyhoursandthepartydidn’tfinishuntil6.00a.m.It had been fun, it had been a success; but by now Almina couldmanage these occasions in her sleep. It was not the challenge sheneeded. The Earl’s health continued to be poor and she was busyoverseeing all his treatments. She loved to take care of him and,gradually, nursing became a preoccupation, not just at home but ingeneral.SheattendedoperationsperformedbyBerkeleyMoynihan, theeminentsurgeonatLeedsGeneralInfirmarywhomadeoccasionaltripstoLondontocarryouthisdutiesasaconsultantatUniversityHospital.A plan was forming in the back of her mind, and she wanted to bepreparedifthemomentforactionpresenteditself.Almina continued to accompany Carnarvon on his trips to Egypt,whereheandCarterwerestrugglingtogetaccesstothesitestheyweredeterminedtoexcavate.TheyhadtheireyeonaspotintheValleyoftheKings, rather than theValleyof theQueensorNobles,where theyhadalwaysbeenbased,butatthattimetheconcessionwasstillheldbyanAmerican, Theodore Davis. Alternatives were proposed and rejected.Privateexcavationswereno longer favouredandMaspero insisted thatthepyramidsiteCarnarvonhadbeenconsideringmustbe reserved forofficialexploration.

Ever resourceful, Carnarvon contacted Lord Kitchener, who was apersonal friend, andasked ifhe could leanonMaspero.AfterhisnineyearsasCommanderinChiefofIndia,KitchenerhadbeensenttoEgyptin 1909, where he was Consul General and de facto Viceroy. It wasinevitable that Kitchener and Carnarvonwouldmeet and socialise outthere,sincetheymovedinpreciselythesamecircles.Despitethishigh-levelconnection,though,Carnarvonhadnosuccess.Unsure where to concentrate next, he was persuaded by Percy

Newberry,anotedEnglishEgyptologist,toapplyforsomedeltasitesatSakhaandTell el-Balamun.Working in thedeltaof theRiverNileputthemoutofrangeofcivilisedamenities:itwasgoingtoentailcamping.The fact thatamanofCarnarvon’s fragilehealthshouldevenconsidersuch a thing is proof of his obsessive love for hiswork. The fact thatAlminawentalongtooissurelyproofofherloveforhim.CarnarvonaskedPercyNewberrytoorganisetentsandprovisionsfor

him, Almina, his valet Fearnside, Her Ladyship’s maid Edith Wiggal,HowardCarter,DrJohnnieandhimself.ProvisionssuchastinsofsoupwereshippedfromFortnum&Mason’s inLondon.Theexpeditiondulyset off. It was an adventure by anyone’s standards, and one imaginesJessieandAlminarollingtheireyestogetherattheprivationstheywereboth expected to bear. Jessie was a regular traveller since sheaccompanied Alminawherever shewent, but it was the first time thetwowomenhadrougheditanditprovedtoomuch.The delta wasmuddy and full of cobras but the group stuck it out

until the Earl fell ill with bronchitis, at which point they repaired toLuxorand theWinterPalaceHotel.Withhisweak lungs,hewasquiteseriously sick, andAlminahad to nurseher husband,whowasnot aneasy patient, back towhat constitutedmore or less full health over anumber of weeks. Carnarvon wrote at one point to Budge saying hecouldnotputanyweighton.Heweighedlessthanninestoneandwasfivefeetteninchestall.By Easter, Lord and Lady Carnarvon were back at Highclere and

diggingwasoverforanotheryear.TheEarlusedthesummermonthstoentertain his Egyptian contacts, since without a supportive group offriendsinhighplaces,itwaslikelytoproveharderandhardertoworkoutthere.This routineofwinter inEgyptand springand summeratHighclere

wasdisrupted in1913whenAlmina’smothergrewvery ill.Mariehadbeen a key presence throughout Almina’s married life, coming toHighclere forweekendpartiesand forChristmaswithPorchyandEve,looking after the children in London when Lord and Lady Carnarvonwereaway.Alminaadoredherallherlifeandthebondtheyhadformedwhen times were much harder was sustained when Almina’scircumstanceschanged.ItwasaterribleblowwhenMarie’shealthbeganto fail in spring 1913.Almina’s instinctwas to bring her toHighclereand care for her there, with the aid of Dr Johnnie, but Marie wasadamantthatshewantedtovisithernativeFranceonelasttime.Marie Wombwell’s death was announced in the Daily Mail on 1

October1913.ShehadpassedawaythepreviousweekatherhouseinBrutonStreet.MariehadgotherwishandtravelledtoFrance,takingthewatersinVernetles-Bainswithherdaughterbyherside,butAlminahadbeenconcerned that themedicalcare therewasnotasgoodas that inLondonandthewomenreturnedtoMayfair.ForsixweeksAlminaputintopracticeeverything shehad learnednursingherhusbandover theyears to make her mother’s last days as comfortable as possible. Sheowed her an enormous amount, from her French charm to herdetermination and self-belief, and when Marie was gone, Almina waslostwithouther.Alfredwasterriblysaddened.HeandMariehadbeencompanionsforalmostfortyyears.Afewdayslater,Almina’suncle,SirGeorgeWombwell,alsodied.He

had stood by her all those years when rumours about her paternitycirculatedandhadsteppeduptogiveherawayonherweddingday.SirGeorge and Lady Julia had often been at the Castle when Marie hadbeenvisitingandnow,withhisloss,itmusthavefeltasifonemorelinktoherpastandtohermotherhadbeenbroken.ShewenthometoHighclereandresolvedtoresumeallherduties,but

never had the everyday tasks of hosting her husband’s friends andbusinesscontactsseemedsuchastruggle.Earlierintheyear,AlminahadbeendelightedtowritetoRutherfordfromEgypttoacceptarequesttobecomethePatronessofColdAshHospital,whichlayfivemilesnorthofHighclere.Shehadalwayssaidshewoulddoanythingtohelpthem,andnow, more determined than ever that nursing was her vocation, sheapplied herself to finding out how she could be most useful at thehospital.

The guests at the Highclere house parties had always been eclectic,andnowtheywerebecomingmorethanalittleodd.TheEarlhadbeeninterested in the Occult for years, an interest that deepened themoretimehespentinEgypt.By1912heoccasionallyemployedapalmisttoreadhispalmandquitefrequentlyengagedaclairvoyanttoholdséancesatHighclere.Therewasnothingunusualinthat.Spiritualism,whichhadbegunasanimportfromtheUnitedStatesinthe1850s,rapidlybecamea craze. The first national Spiritualist meeting in the UK was held in1890, by which time it was a genuine mass movement. All over thecountry, people were sitting in circles, hands joined, hoping to makecontactwiththespiritworldandreceivemessagesfromthedead.Therewere celebrity fans such as Sir Arthur ConanDoyle, the author of theSherlockHolmesbooks,whowroteextensivelyonthephenomenon.Sometimestheséanceswereprivateaffairs,butsometimestheywere

offeredasentertainmentatahouseparty.Porchyrememberedobservingseveral, sometimes with his sister, Eve. They were held in one of theupstairsguestbedrooms,withtheshuttersclosedagainstanyglimmeroflight, and could be very tense occasions. Once, Porchy and Evewitnessedabowlofflowerslevitatingoffthetable.Evegotsonervousshe reportedlyhad togo into anursinghome for a fortnight’s rest.Atone,HowardCarterandafemaleguestwerepresent,andtheladywasplaced in a trance in order to channel a spiritmessage. She began tospeak in a strange voice and a language that at first no one couldidentify.Carterproclaimed,inatoneofamazement,‘It’sCoptic!’Out in the real world, there were things far more frightening than

inexplicably floating flowers or even the reappearance of long-deadlanguages.Youdidn’tneedtobepsychictosensethatsomethingnastywascomingforthepeopleofHighclere.

ThestaffofHighclereCastleinAlmina’sday.

ApartofthestaffstaircaseintheCastlewhichbeginsinthebasementandrunsrightuptotheroofthroughseveral

bedroomfloors.ThestaircasewasusedinthefilmingofITV1’sDowntonAbbey.

SomeofthestaffoftheCastleonanoutingtoBeaconHillLodgeGateinEdwardiantimes.SometimescalledWinchester

Lodge,itwasoncethemaingatewaytotheEstatefromthesouth.

ThebellboardinthelowergroundcorridoroftheCastle,photographedin2011butexactlyasitwas100yearsago.

TheoriginalstaffroomoftheCastle100yearsago.

Agroupshot,takenbythe5thEarlofCarnavoninDecember1895,ofAlbert,HRHThePrinceofWales,onhisvisitto

HighclereCastle.Albert,laterKingEdwardVII,isinthemiddle,standingbehindAlmina,seatedwithfurstole,onwhose

left(rightinthepicture)isLadyWinifredHerbert,the5thEarl’ssister.

Alminapicturedwithhernewbornson,laterthe6thEarlofCarnarvon,inJanuary1899.Hewasalwaysreferredtoas

‘Porchy’,neverHenry,hisrealname.

AlminaasfrontcoverstarofCountryLifemagazineinNovember1902.(photocrediti2.8)

The5thEarlandCountessofCarnarvonandLadyEvelyn,withthepeopleofNewbury,celebratingtheCoronationof

GeorgeVin1911.

EdwardianestateworkersontheCastlegrounds.

Panhard-LevassormotorcarriagesarrivingattheCastle,c.1910.

LivingtheEdwardianHighLifeatHighclereCastle.(photocrediti2.12)

9

TheSummerof1914

Thesummerof1914wasdelightfullywarm.AlminaarrivedbackfromEgyptinlateAprilandwasonlyatHighclereforafewweeksbeforeshemadeaweek-longtriptoParis.On11June,theEarlandCountesswereentertaininga largehouseparty for theNewburyRaces;amongst theirguestswereMrandMrsJamesRothschild.Ifyouwereacasualobserver,youmightsayitwasbusinessasusual,butaglanceatthenewspapers,or at Alfred de Rothschild’s distraught face as he sat puffing cigarsnervouslyintheSmokingRoom,wouldhavetoldyouotherwise.Europewasonthebrinkofwar,despitethebesteffortsofnumerous

people,includingAlfred,toavertit.Alfredhadplacedhisconsiderablepowers of influence, his network of contacts and his money at thedisposaloftheBritishgovernment,actingasanunofficial intermediarybetweentheunravellingAustro-HungarianEmpireandGermany.HalfofAlfred’s family and friendswere based in Europe and itwas agony tohim thathostilitieswereabout toopenupbetweencountries thathaduntil relatively recently been bound together so closely. The growingcertainty thatconflictwas inevitable lefthimworried sickabout loved

onesonbothsidesandsufferingfromasenseofhelplessness.The challenge of holding back war was too big for any singleindividual, family or politician, despite all the desperate, behind-the-scenes negotiations. Formonths the newspapers had carried stories ofGermany,RussiaandAustriaallconscriptingmenintotheirarmiesandhurriedly constructing more railways to transport them. Germany,althoughvirtuallylandlocked,hadbeenbuildingupaNavybigenoughtorivalBritain’s.Alminasensedwhatwascomingandmadeadecision.Shehad,afterall, been thinking about it for at least two years. She consulted LordCarnarvon,whowaslukewarm,butwhenpressed,agreedthatitmightbeapossibility.LadyAlminawantedtoconvertHighclereintoahospitalforinjuredofficers,tobringinthemostexpertmedicalstaffandprovidethe best of everything a soldier could possibly need to recover, fromstate-of-the-art equipmentandpioneeringoperations toabundant freshfoodandsoftcleansheets.Almina’sinstinctwastocreateahospitalthatsoothedandcheeredthesensesofmenwhohadbeenhalfdestroyedbyhorror.Withherhusband’sassentsecured,Almina’snextstepwastospeaktothemilitaryauthorities.Shewouldneedtheirassistanceatleastontheadministrative side, if not the financing. Almina already had a thirdconversationplannedthatwouldresolvetheproblemofwhowasgoingto pay for everything: themoney question could wait. It was entirelytypical of Almina’s life that when she decided to establish a militaryhospital,thepersonsheelectedtocalltodiscussherplansshouldbethehighest-rankingofficialintheArmy.Straighttothetop–thatmightaswellhavebeenAlmina’smotto.FieldMarshalEarlKitchener,SirdarofEgypt,acceptedherinvitationtolunchinlateJuneandarriveddressedinanimmaculatetweedsuit,accompanied by his military secretary Colonel Evelyn Fitzgerald. Thefamous hero was now sixty-four years old but he was an upright,imposingman,withthepiercingeyesandperfectlygroomedmoustachethatwould shortly be put to such iconic use in the famous recruitingposter‘YourCountryNeedsYou’.He was also a longstanding friend of the Carnarvons and Alfred deRothschild.AlminahadpreparedadelicioussummerlunchandshowedLord Kitchener around, explaining what she wished to do. He was

impressedbyherenthusiasmandsincerity.Sheneededhisapprovalandblessing, and a promise that he would encourage the Services,particularlySouthernCommand,totakeheruponheroffer.Shegotit.Porchy had been allowed to join them for lunch. He was anoverexcited Eton schoolboy in awe of meeting one of his heroes, andyearslaterhestillvividlyrecalledthemomenthisfatherturnedtoK,ashe called the great man, and said, ‘In future, dear K, our telegraphicaddresswillhavetobeCarnarvon,Amputate,Highclere.’Alminawaseuphoric.Shehadneverdoubted foramoment that shewould bring the necessary people round to her way of thinking. Sheimmediately set about laying plans. The first step, naturally, was tosecurethefinances.Andequallynaturally,thatwasaseasyasgettingonthetraintoLondonandmakingherwaytotheRothschildofficesinNewCourt,StSwithin’sLane,tospeaktoAlfred.Alfred had never ceased to be astoundingly generouswith his time,money and affection over the years. It was hardly unprecedented forAlminatoapplytohimforsupport–theelectriclightsinHighclereweretestament to that. Porchy remembered being taken up to visit hisrelatives from time to timeand relishing the fact thathewas likely tofindallthreeRothschildbrothersatwork,allofthemonlytoowillingtopressasmuchastengoldsovereignsintohishand.AlfredoccasionallyusedtoremonstrategentlywithAlmina,saying,‘Oh,puss-cat,Igaveyouten thousandpoundsonly lastweek.Whateverhaveyoudonewith it,my darling child?’ But he never refused her; he simply took out hischequebookandunscrewedthelidofhispen.Evenso, thisrequestwasfora lotofmoney.AlminaaskedAlfredtogiveher£25,000 for the set-up costs.Heagreedunhesitatingly.Alfredwasdelightedtohelp.Hehadbeenactivelytryingtoavertconflict,butnow that it was coming, he switched his attention to supporting theBritishwar effort.He lentHaltonHouse, his beloved country pleasureground,tothearmedforcesforthedurationofthehostilities.(Itwouldbeusedasatrainingcentre,completewithdug-outtrenches,forsomeofKitchener’s‘firsthundredthousandvolunteers’laterintheyear.)Healsosupported other grand ladies in their relief work. (Almina was by nomeanstheonlySocietyhostessengagedinwarwork–LadySutherlandwas to setupa fieldhospital inFrance, and the indomitableDowagerCountessofCarnarvon,Elsie,wouldplayacrucialpartinalleviatingthe

sufferingofsoldierscaughtupinthesavagefightinginGallipoli.)TheRothschildshadalwayshadastrongcommitmenttophilanthropic

work and were particularly interested in supporting hospitals. Thefamily interest might have been one of the spurs for Almina’s ownfascinationwith nursing, and probably fuelled her belief that itwas aperfectly reasonable thing to aspire to do. After all, the EvelinaChildren’s Hospital that was eventually merged with Guy’s and StThomas’shadbegunasaRothschild-financedmemorialhospitalforLadyEvelinadeRothschild,whohaddiedinchildbirthin1866.Almina left New Court with a sense of purpose and an iron

determination.Shewasgoingtomakethingshappen.The eighteenth of July was the start of the last big house party at

Highclereforyears.Thereweretwenty-sixguests,plusalltheirservants.Among the visitors were General Sir John Cowans, General Sir JohnMaxwell,AubreyHerbertandHowardCarter.LordCarnarvonwasverymuch alive to the threatening state of affairs, and advised Sir John torecall his wife and daughter from Aix-en-Provence in France andHomburginGermany,immediately.TheEarl, like therestof thecountry,wasworried that theGermans

hadbeenbuildinguptheirNavyinordertoblockadeBritain.Ifthatdidhappen, food shortageswere likely.The farmatHighclerewouldbe acrucial resource in thewar effort and, in fact, Carnarvon had alreadyreceived a large offer for his grain stock. Considering that he wasmorally responsible for thewelfare of the entirehousehold, aswell asthetenants,herefusedtheofferandsetaboutaddingtohisflocksandherds. He also bought one and a half tons of cheese and an immenseamountoftea.Having sorted out the provisions, Carnarvon went to the Bank of

Englandandaskedtowithdraw£3,000ingold.Theclerksuggestedthatperhaps His Lordship might consider upping that amount to £5,000,which he duly did. Once he had deposited the gold in his bank inNewbury,hewasinapositiontoprovide243men,womenandchildrenwithallessentialsforatleastthreemonths.Theclerk’stipprovedtobeverywelljudgedwhenfrom31Julythere

wasarunonthebanksasthenationrealisedwithhorrorthatwarwasnowimminent.Meanwhile,therestofthefamilywasalsocaughtupinpreparations.

AubreyandPorchywerebothdesperatetofight,despitebeingeithertooblindortooyoung.Carnarvonknewhewouldneverseeactiveservice,given his health problems, but he volunteered to advise on aerialphotography,shouldtheneedarise,whichinduecourseitdid.Lord Carnarvon’s sister Winifred and her husband Herbert, LordBurghclere, had been in Europe since June, but so tense was theatmospherethattheyturnedaroundandmadetheirwaybackfromtheVichy spa at which they’d been intending to stay some weeks. Theyarrived back in London on 25 July, with a copy of the newspaperannouncing news of the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia following theassassinationoftheArchduke.WinifredwrotetoLordCarnarvonthatitwas‘thelastSundaymorningoftheoldworld’.ArrivingunexpectedlyatherLondonhouseonCharlesStreet,sheaddedthatshehadjustenoughservantstocontrive‘apicnicexistence’.After all the build-up, the excuse to take the final dramatic steptowardswarhadbeentheassassinationoftheAustrianArchdukeFranzFerdinandon28June1914byaSerbnationalist.Once theultimatumcame and went, Austria declared war on 28 July. That triggered adominoeffectasvarioustreatieswereinvokedandallthegreatpowerswaded in. Russia mobilised on 31 July and Germany could thereforeclaimthatitwasactinginitsowndefencewhenitdeclaredwaragainstRussiaon1AugustandagainstFranceon3August.BritainhadsignedtheEntenteCordialewithFrancein1904andtheAnglo-RussianEntentein1907,bothofwhichdictatedthatitshouldfightagainstGermany,butits hand was in any case forced by Germany’s invasion of neutralBelgium.GreatBritaindeclaredwaronGermanyon4August1914.TheHighclere guestbook has ‘August 1–4WAR!’ written in a shakyhandacrossthetopofthepagethatrecordsthenamesofafewguestswhostayedonatthehousethatweekend.LeonardWoolleywasstayingaswasLadyMaxwellandDrJohnnie.Thescaleoftheimminentcarnagewas literallyunimaginable to thosemenandwomencarefullystudyingthe newspapers and sipping on a brandy to steady the nerves, ordownstairs in thekitchens,discussing the latestnewsas they scrubbedpotatoesorwasheddishes.Alreadyitwasobviousthatrecruitswouldbeneeded.Porchy,sixteenyears old, declared he would join the cavalry. Kitchen maids joshedfootmenaboutwhether theywereplanning to signup.Teenagerswith

nothingbutbravadotosustainthemboastedoftheirbravery.EveryonethoughtthewarwouldbeoverbyChristmas.Therewasnervousness,ofcourse,butalsoconfidenceandasincerepassiontoserveKing,CountryandEmpire.Upstairs and downstairs, the people of Highclere were staring life-

changingtragedyintheface.Theyjustdidn’tknowityet.

10

CalltoArms

After the tense summer of waiting for something definite to happen,oncewarwasdeclaredtherewasanexplosionofactivity.Almina immediately pressed her sister-in-law, Winifred, for an

introductiontoawomancalledAgnesKeyser,thefounderoftheEdwardVIIHospital.Agneshadbeenaveryrich,veryprettyyoungsocialiteofthe1870sand1880s.Somewhatinevitablyshecametotheattentionofthe Prince of Wales. They became friends and, later, lovers. Agnesallowedhim touseherhouse inBelgravia for entertaininghis variousotherfriends,includingMrsAliceKeppel.Thetwoformedastrongbondandtheirrelationship,whichwasacceptedwithincourtcirclesandevenbyQueenAlexandra,lasteduntiltheKing’sdeath.The Prince of Wales’s extravagant generosity meant that when he

cametovisitAgnesinWiltonPlacehebroughtpresentsforeveryoneinthehousehold, from the housekeeper to the newest scullerymaid. Butwhen the Boer War broke out and Agnes discovered a vocation fornursing,hisassistancebecamemoreconsequential.AgneswashorrifiedbytheplightofofficersreturningfromtheBoer

war,whomshediscoveredweremostlyhighlyself-sacrificing,unabletopay for surgeons’ fees and consequentlymedically neglected. SheusedherownmoneytofinanceahospitalbutreliedonherconnectiontotheKing to secure the co-operation of themost distinguished doctors andsurgeons. She had a genius for organisation and by 1914 was a verywell-respectedhumanitarian.Here was the perfect role model for Almina. She was absolutelydeterminedtomeetAgnesandaskheradvice.ButSisterAgnes,assheliked tobeknown,wasalreadyextremelybusywithherownhospital.As soon as war was declared, she was offered five private houses toexpandtheworkshewasalreadydoing,andhadjusttakenonanextrasurgeonandanotherhousedoctorwhenAlminasentanoterequestingameeting.Almina, very practised in getting her own way, was insistent, andeventuallyAgnesgrantedherhalfanhour,althoughshestayedstandingthroughout,sayingshewastoobusytosit.Alminatookhercuefromhermoreexperiencedcolleagueandrefusedaseat.Sheputhercasesimplyandclearly,andAgneswassowonoverbythewomanstandinginfrontof her that she embraced her warmly as the two parted. Almina leftSister Agnes’s hospital armed with practical advice from a rigorouslyorganisedandexperiencednurse,andfullofinspiration.Acrossthecountry,dozensofwell-offwomeninsimilarcircumstancestoAlminawere also rushing to establish nursing homes and hospitals.The needwas desperate. Queen Alexandra’s ImperialMilitary NursingServicehadjust463trainednurseswhenwarwasdeclared,althoughitwasrapidlybeingaugmentedbyTerritorialNursingServicesandothervoluntaryorganisations.Meanwhile, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was preparing itsdeparture for France, commanded by Sir John French and under thedirectionofLordKitchener.ThelatterhadpreviouslybeenplanningtoreturntoEgypttoresumehisduties,andwasinfactwaitingatDovertoboard a steamer bound for France when he received a telephone callfromthePrimeMinisterrequestinghisimmediatereturntoLondon.On5August,LordKitchener,nowtheSecretaryofStateforWar,confirmedtothegovernment’sCouncilofWarthat theArmy’s forceswouldcrossthe channel immediately. Fourteen thousand extra horses had beensecured for the purpose by General Sir John Cowans, the General

Quartermaster (and Highclere house guest back in July, in what wasrapidlyfeelinglikeavanishedage).Kitchenerwas doubtful about the French capacity to defend againsttheGermans,but in truth, theBritishwere scarcelybetterplaced.Theentire Army’s strength was 250,000 men, of whom nearly half werestationedoverseas.TherewasofcoursetheTerritorialArmy,foundedin1908andmadeupofafurther250,000volunteers,someofwhomhadevenattendedshorttrainingcamps.TheGermanprofessionalArmy,bycontrast,was700,000strong,andby10Augustafurtherthreemillionmenhadbeencalledup.Still,thenationwasbuoyedbythefactthatitsgreatmilitaryherowasleadingthechargeandtheBritishExpeditionaryForcebegantodeployjustthreedaysafterwarwasdeclared.Itwasledbyofficersinscarletorbluecoats, carefullypullingon theirwhiteglovesas theyreturned thesalute of the staff officers who were issuing orders to the men. Thecommanding officers rode beautifully groomed and burnished horses.Thewholescenewaslikeapageant,unchangedinthelasttwohundredyears.Aubrey Herbert, with amazing bloody-mindedness, disregarded thefactthathehadbeenrejectedfromboththeprofessionalArmyandtheTerritorialsonthegroundsthathewasmorethanhalf-blind.Itwastruehe was somewhat disadvantaged in that area, but he was also highlyeducated,with a First in history fromOxford; hewas also a seasoneddiplomat, fluent in six languages and passionate about the nationalcause,andhewasdamnedifhewasgoingtostayathome.Sohegotauniformmade,acompletecopyoftheonewornbytheIrishGuards,inwhich regiment his brother-in-law was a colonel. When the GuardsmarchedoutofWellingtonBarracksoppositeBuckinghamPalaceearlyonthemorningof12August1914,hesimplyfellintostep.HismotherElsie andwifeMarywavedhimoff atVictoria Station andAubrey satwithhisfriendsinatraincarriageboundforSouthampton,toboardtheboat to theContinent.Hewasn’tdiscovereduntil theyalldisembarkedin France, and by that time it was too late for the Army to send thestowawayback,sotheytookhimonasaninterpreter.Aubreyhadwritten toWinifredasheprepared togooff towar.Hisletterischarminginitsexpressionofloveforhissisterandpoignantinitsnaïveoptimism.

Mydearone,

Itwassodearofyoutohavesentmethelovelyflask.Iwasonthepointofgoingouttobuy one. I had given up the foolish habit of believing one could dowithout a drink. Isupposeitwillbeveryuncomfortablewithoutaservantetc.,butonereallyhasthetimeofone’s life before one goes. This war is a most extraordinary thing. It has made thegovernment popular, the House of Lords popular, the House of Commons popular, theChurch popular now that the Bishop of London is going, the King popular, the Armypopularetc.Thankyouagainsomuchmydear,andalllovetoallofyou.

Aubrey’sgallantmission toserveasa frontlinesoldierdidn’t last long.The Irish Guards travelled northeast on foot and by train, welcomedeverywhere by the French Army and civilians. Finally reaching theFront, Aubrey dismounted from his horse to march with the troopsthroughavillageandmakesomesortofreplytotheGermangunstheycouldhear.Henotedthathewentintothefirstfightpreparedonlyforpeaceashehadlefthisrevolverandswordonhishorsetetheredinthewoodsbehind.ScarcelyhadtheyreachedthebattlelinesatMonsbeforethey came under fire, and less than a day laterwere swept up in theretreat.TheBritish force’s rolewas to protect the Fifth FrenchArmy’s flank

and prevent the Germans from executing their long-planned pincermovementtocutofftheAllies.TheBEFwasoutnumberedthreetoonebutinitiallyheldtheenemywithsuchgoodmarksmanshipthatGermansoldiers later reported they thought they were being fired at withmachine guns rather than rifles. But once the French Army took theunexpecteddecisiontoretreat,therewasnothingforitbuttofallback,fighting rearguard actions and blowing up bridges all the way to theoutskirtsofParis.Aubrey found a role as a galloper, passing messages between

commanders, riding a fast if troublesome horse calledMoonshine. Heout-galloped several bullets before, on 1 September, one found him,punching a hole in his side and passing clean through.ARoyal Armymedic dressed it and left him on a stretcher heavily dosed withmorphine, slipping in and out of consciousness. Hours passed andsuddenlyAubreyfoundhewasbeing jabbedwiththebuttofarifle. Itwas a German soldier doing the jabbing. Themanmust have got theshock of his life when the heavily wounded British soldier suddenly

startedmumblingingroggybutfluentGerman.Itwasprobably the fact thathewasanobjectof interest that savedAubrey’s life.Thatand theheavydoseofmorphine thathadkepthimsedatedandimmobile.HewastakentoaGerman-runfieldhospitalandeventuallymoved on to the town of Viviers and depositedwith otherwoundedofficers inamakeshift triage station.Storiesand informationabout friends were swapped and Aubrey’s spirits recovered, butconditions were tough. The only food was unleavened biscuits, thebandages had run out and the morphine was reserved for Germans.TherewasnowaytogetamessagetoanyoneontheBritishside.BackatHighclere,reportswerefilteringthroughof theIrishGuards’involvement in the battle and the retreat. Everyone was terrified forAubrey,whocutanunlikelyfigureasafrontlinesoldier;aftersomedaysofanxiouswaiting,theEarldecidedtotakemattersintohisownhands.Hesetoff inhis largestmotorcartogotorescueAubreyfromFrance.Thiswasof coursehugelydangerous,butat thatpoint itwas still justabout possible. Carnarvon was on the brink of boarding a boat fromSouthampton when he heard the news that the French had retakenViviersfromtheGermans.Theseriouslywoundedhadbeenleftbehindin the temporary hospital towonderwhatwas going on and listen infrustration to the machine-gun fire rattling around outside. Amongstthemwashisbrother.LordCarnarvonwiredbacktohissister, ‘Aubreywoundedinthestomach;leftbehindwhenArmyretired;willwire.’WinifredthenreceivedarathermoredetailedaccountfromAlmina.Ittranspired that the information about Aubrey’s whereabouts had beengiventoherbySirMarkSykes,agreatfriendofAubrey’swhosharedhispassionfortheMiddleEastandwasworkingintheWarOfficewithLordKitchener.ThemomentSirMarkreceivednews,hecalledonAlminainLondon,whocabledWinifredwithanupdate:

Aubrey last seen invicinityofCompiègne lyingwounded inabdomen.EnglishsurgeonsadvisedleavinghimtocareofGermansastomoveunderexistingcircumstancestoorisky.Two things in Aubrey’s favour were having had no food for considerable time andassurancethatwhenwoundedaretendedbyGermanstheyarewelllookedafter.Thatisall I knowofAubrey so far. I have personally requestedAmericanAmbassador, FrenchCouncillorandSwissMinistertomakeeverypossibleenquiry.AminLondonfortwoorthreedays,wireifyouwantmetodoanything.ElsieandMarylunching.AmdoingallI

can.Almina.

Almina’s telegrams caused some acerbic amusement amongst herCarnarvonrelativesastheywereneverconspicuousfortheirbrevity.Sheretortedthatparsimonyincommunicatingimportantinformationwasafalseeconomy,andshewasrightinthisinstance.Duetoallthepressureintheformoftelegramsflyingaround,SirJohnFrenchallowedAubreytobetransportedtoLeHavrebyroadunderthecareofanurseratherthaninthesomewhatroughtroophospitaltrains.Alminawasn’tgoingtoletalittlethinglikeawargetinthewayofherpolicyofaskingforwhatshewantedand,asusual,shewasvindicated.Winifred had just finished her breakfast when another telegram

arrived, this one only as long as it needed to be to convey the goodnews.‘Aubreyfound;disembarksatSouthamptontoday.’He was met by Elsie, Mary, Lord Carnarvon and Dr Johnnie.

Carnarvonwanted to take him straight toHighclere butAubrey’swifeandmother preferred to have him in town, close to them, at a smallnursing home run by Almina’s sister-in-law, Vera. The family set offslowly in convoy for London. Aubrey was incredibly lucky to havesurvivedhisinjuries,andwhatwasmostextraordinarywasthatwhenherecovered,hewentbacktothefrontline.Hiswarwasfarfromover.Fired up by her conversation with Agnes Keyser, and fuelled by

nervous energy from fretting about Aubrey, Almina had set about theprocessofconvertingHighclereintoahospital.Thefirststepwastofindthepeopletostaffit.ShehadappointedDrMarcusJohnson,thefamily’smuch-loved personal physician, asmedical director. Dr Johnniewas aGP.HeknewtheCarnarvonswell,hadtravelledwiththemforyearsandwasmore likeamemberof the family thananemployee.Hehad longagogrownused tobeing teasedby theEarlwho, indulginghis loveofpracticaljokes,onceplantedapieceofGorgonzolacheeseinoneofpoorDr Johnnie’s travelling trunks and teased him relentlessly about thesmellwaftingfromhiscabin.DrJohnsonmovedintotheCastleon12August1914andprovedhimselftobeacapableadministratorandtheperfectright-handmanforAlmina,whomheadored.TheyplacedadvertsandcalledonallthenursingagenciesinLondon

and, between them, Almina and Dr Johnnie recruited thirty nurses.Theremust have been quite a run on nursing staff, whatwith all the

grandladiesrushingtoperformtheirpatrioticdutybyopeninghospitals,butAlminahadplentyofmoneytopay for thebestpeople.Shehadadecidedpreference for IrishnursingstaffandtheHighclerenursesalsotended to be good-looking; Almina seems to have decided that prettynurses would be good formorale. As it turned out, shewasn’t wrongaboutthat.Sinceshewasalsosomewhatpronetoself-importance,Alminahada

visionofherselfintheroleofall-powerfulmatron.ShecertainlyrelishedusingthesameorganisationalandleadershipskillsshehadbeenhoningforyearsintherunningofHighclereandinherpoliticalwork.Forthefirst time since her campaigning days, she felt herself flexing somementalmuscle.Shewasinherelement.It is deliciously typical of Almina that the thing she did next was

commission a high-fashion uniform for her nurses. Their dresses weremadeoffinewool inacheerfulcrushed-strawberry-pink,withstarchedwhite aprons and caps. This detail set the tone:Highclerewould be acutting-edge hospital, but also a sensual retreat from the horror ofcombat.Alminaprovedherself to be an instinctivemaster ofwhatwemightcall,nowadays,holisticmedicine.Sheunderstoodthattotreattheinjured soldiers as individuals in need of space, time and comfort, aswellasmedicalattention,wasthekeytosuccess.Once the staff were engaged it was time to tackle the equipping of

Highclere.Almina reliedheavilyuponMaryWeekes tohelpher.Maryhadalreadyprovedherselfasaveryusefulsecretary,butnowshetookon the role of deputy hospital administrator and found herself liaisingwithvisitingdoctors,ArmyMedicalBoardsandpatients’relatives.Thefirst taskwastoorganise forblinds tobeconstructedforall the

Castle’ssouth-facingwindows.Arundel,abedroomonthefirst floor inthe northwest corner of the house was to be used as an operatingtheatre. It was right opposite the back stairs, so hot water and othersupplies could be rushed up and down as required. There was noquestionof installinghospitalbeds inanyof the largerroomstomakecommunal wards. The patients, up to twenty at a time, were to haveindividualroomsor,attimesofgreatpressure,tosharewithoneotherperson.Alltheguestbedroomsonthefirstfloorwerereadiedforuse,aswellassomeofthoseonthefloorabove.Themenwouldbemadetofeelas if they were house guests, sleeping in comfortable beds with soft

downpillowsandbeautifullinenandcottonsheets.The Castle had its own laundry on the northern edge of the estate.When a new laundress was required in 1915, a servants’ employmentagencywasengaged to finda suitable candidate toensureanefficientsupplyofcleanlinentothehospital;HarriettRussellwasrecruitedwithherhusbandHarry,andtheestatepaidfortheirremovalexpensesfromFolkestone.Highclere was of course well used to receiving guests, but still, themaidshadtodoubleupintheirbedrooms,sincetheyweretomakewayfor all the arrivingnurses; and everyone, from thekitchen staff to thehousemaidsandthefootmentothegardeners,hadtobracethemselvesfor an enormous increase in their workload. Almina’s vision of herrefuge for the men stipulated that the patients would be served theirmealseitherintheirrooms,iftheywerenotwellenoughtoleavethem,or at a large table at the end of theNorth Library, behind the gildedcolumns.Ineithercase,theywouldbewaitedonbyfootmen.Ineffectitwas like moving a house party of fifty people into the Castle, on apermanentbasis.Streatfield and Mrs Macnair, who had replaced Mrs Bridgland ashousekeeper by 1911were instrumental inmaking it all happen.MrsMacnairreceivedherordersfromLadyCarnarvoninthesittingroomasusual,butnowtheyconcernedthenurses’accommodationandthebestfoods to givemen recovering from fractures or dysentery.Almina hadadopted the nurse’s uniform she wore throughout the war whenworking,buthernewoccupationinnowaycountenancedanychangeintheinteractionsbetweenherandthestaff.Alminamighthavehadajobtodo,butshewasstillHerLadyship.AlminareportedanupbeatspiritofwillingnessinherhouseholdstaffastheyhelpedhertomakeHighclerereadyforitsfirstnewguests.Theymusthavebeenrunofftheirfeet,butofcoursetheywerealsoinvolvedin an important element of the nation’s war work. For everybody,keepingbusywasawelcomedistractionfromwonderingwhenthecall-upmightcome,forthemselvesortheirhusbandorson.Andthenagainthereweresomemembersofthehouseholdwhoconsideredthat,giventheusualstrictregimeofMrStreatfield,itwasapleasuretohavesomenewbloodaround theplace,adifferent setof tasksandplentyofnewfaces.

So it was all change at Highclere. Almina decided that the Librarywouldbeusedasthemen’sdayroom.Noneofthefurniturewasmovedoutbutadditionalchairswereadded,sothattherewasamplespaceforthementositandplaycardsor toreadthebooks.Theroomruns thewidth of the house and is elegant but supremely comfortable. Theleather-boundbooksandveneeredwoodenshelves,theorientalrugsandthelampsonlowtablesnexttooverstuffedsofasmakeitfeellikeaplacetositbythefireandbesoothed.TheFrenchwindowsopenstraightouton to the sweep of the drive and look out over the gardens, so on asunnydaytheroomisfloodedwithlight,andwithinmomentsyoucancrunchoverthegravelandfeelspringylawnbeneathyourfeet.EverythinghadbeendesignedtomakeHighclere’sluxuriouscountry-houselifestyleavailabletotheinjuredsoldiers;Alminahadre-imaginedthe Castle as a therapeutic space, one where the atmosphere in theLibrary or the excellent cooking from the Castle’s kitchen was asimportantas the servicesof the radiologist sheplanned tobringdownfromLondon. The first patients arrived inmid-September,members ofthe Seaforth Highlanders and the Royal Artillery, who had fractures,gunshotwoundsandnodoubtalargedoseofwhatwouldsoonbecalledshellshock,andwhatwenowdescribeaspost-traumaticstressdisorder.NowondertheyreportedthatwhentheyfirstlaideyesonHighclere,itfeltasiftheyhadarrivedinParadise.

11

ParadiseLost

Assoonas thecall formenwentout,Highclereanswered.Mostof themalestaffworkedontheestate,asgardenersandforesters,gamekeepersandgrooms.Naturallytheyhadtoaskpermissionfromtheiremployertogo. Lord Carnarvon let it be known that any man who wished tovolunteer would be guaranteed his job when he returned. LordCarnarvonalsoofferedtopaythemen’swiveshalftheirwagestoensurethe families had some income. Arthur Hayter, who had started as agroomandrisentobetheheadmaninthestables,volunteeredandwastold hewas too old, but six othermen had gone by the beginning ofSeptember.History chronicles the bravery of themen joiningup – as it should,

given that by December 1914 over one million men had enlisted inKitchener’s New Army, and recruitment was maintained at 100,000 amonthuntilAugust1915.Buttheflipsideofthecoinisthemovementintheotherdirection:24,000menaweekcomingbackwounded.The clearing hospitals in France and Belgium were extremely

rudimentary and barely able to cope with the huge numbers of

casualties.Theyweredesperatelyshort-staffed.TheRoyalArmyMedicalCorps had 1,509 officers and 16,331 other ranks in 1914, and all itsprocedureswerebasedonexperiencegainedintheBoerWar.Conditionsin France and Belgiumwere very different. Bacteria lurked in the soilthatwasbeingdugoutfortrenches;itcausedgangrene,whichwasthebiggest killer of soldierswhomade it back to a clearing hospital, andtetanus. Typhoid was rife throughout theWestern Front and isolationunitswere often not a top priority, somoremen died from infection.Doctorsresentedthefactthattheywereexpectedtoturntheirhandtoanythingratherthanbeingencouragedtospecialise.Oncethewoundedhadbeenevacuatedfromthefieldandtransportedfrom their unit base, via a dressing station, to the clearing hospital,triage could be carried out. But it was haphazard at best. Surgeonswouldwalktherowsofstretcherslinedupunderamakeshiftcoverandhavetoassesswhotogivebasictreatmenttothereinthefield,whotosend home for operations that could only be performed in a fullyequipped hospital, and who to allow to die. The lucky few whoseinjuriesmeritedanattempttotreatthembutweretooserioustobeseenbyadoctorinFrance,gotputonanambulancethatbumpeditswaytothe nearest working train station for return to England by boat. Thejourney from battlefield to a hospital at home could take up to threeweeks.Plentyofmendiedenroute.Southamptonwasoneoftheprincipalpointsofreturnfortheinjuredsoldiers,andfromtheretheyweredispatchedalloverthecountry.Someof them came to Highclere. Later on, when the hospital’s fame hadspread,stringshadtobepulledtogainadmission,butatthestartofthewar,yousimplyhadtobeintherightplaceattherighttime.Thiswasan era before public healthcare, when all hospitals were funded bywealthyindividualsorcharitableorganisations.WomenlikeAlminaandtheotherSocietyladieswhosteppedintohelpwiththehugenumbersofwarwoundedwerenotjustonsomevaingloriousmission;theywerefulfillinganeedthatwouldn’thavebeenmetwithouttheiractions.InSeptember1914therewerejustadozenpatientsatHighclere.LadyCarnarvongreetedeveryoneat the frontdoor. She showed themen totheirroomand,havingseenthattheyweresettlingin,hernextcourseofactionwas to send a telegram to their families to let them know thattheir son or husband was safe. Almina loved these moments of being

able to givepeople thenews theyweredesperatelywaiting for.Giventhe length of the telegram she sent Winifred about Aubrey’swhereabouts,youimaginethatshedidn’tskimponherwords,wantingtotellthefamilyeverypossibledetailthatmightreassurethem.The patients knew they had arrived somewhere special from themoment they opened their eyes to realise they were no longer in adugoutinBelgium,butsurveyinganEnglishpark.Theyspenttheirfirstfew days at Highclere in their rooms with books, home-brewed beerfromtheCastle’sbreweryandexquisitemeals.Onepatient,BasilJones,wrote later to Almina, ‘You get on as well as they do in fairy tales,howevergrievousyourhurtmaybe.’Hewasthefirstofmanysoldierstocommentappreciativelyonthecharmingnurses,singlingoutoneSisterBowdler,whomhethought‘justwonderful’.Thepatientscouldn’tthankAlminaenoughforgivingthemherhomeand,asoneman,JohnPollen,putit,‘personallyattendingtothemanythingsthatmakeahousearealhome.’LadyCarnarvonassignedanurse toeachpatient tobathe their feet,dress their wounds and offer comfort. Shewanted to be verymuch ahands-on nurse herself, though, and enjoyed her rounds enormously,makingsuresheknewexactlywhatwasgoingonwitheverymaninhercare.ShealsobroughttheEarlroundtoseehercharges.Patientswhose‘nerves…wereutterlywrong’,eventhisearlyinthewar,wrotetoherlater of their enjoyment of the Earl’s calls. Almina always encouragedtheirownfamiliestocometoseethem.Saturdaywasvisitingday.Itwasallpartandparcelof thedeliberateattempt toresist theanonymityofbighospitalsandtolookafterthemenineverywaypossible.Almina’s approach might have been exemplary, but it was alsoexpensive; in fact it was turning out to be a constant drain on theRothschildcoffers.Not thatAlfredreallyminded.Quiteapart fromthefamily commitment to philanthropy, not to mention Alfred’s keenpatriotism, he was also a hospital administrator, being Treasurer ofQueenCharlotte’sHospitalfor31yearsbythetimehedied.When,afterafewweeksofHighclerebeingupandrunning,Alminatookadayoffwork to travel again toNewCourt to ask her father formoremoney,Alfred’s protests were nothing but routine. ‘Darling, it was only lastmonthIgaveyou£25,000,whatonearthhaveyoudonewithit?Iknowit’s all in a good cause, but please do be careful.’ Almina reassured

Alfred,pocketedanother£10,000andreturnedtotheCastletoputherplans into action. Given the way the war was going, she neededeverythingshecouldget.On 22 October Lord and Lady Carnarvon lent their support at a

stirringmassmeeting inNewbury toencouragemen to join theArmy.Therewasa‘moodofgravity’inthecountryand,althoughthepaceofrecruitment was brisk, more and more troops were needed. TheCarnarvons were joined on the platform by Lord Charles Beresford,Admiral andMP, who was a great naval hero and never appeared inpublic without his bulldog. Lord Carnarvon, as High Steward ofNewbury, opened themeeting and expressed the belief that, althoughthewarhadbeenforceduponGreatBritain, itwouldallbeoversoon,providedthenationstoodfirm.ThenLordBeresfordexhortedthecrowdtodotheirbit,andechoedthesentimentthatanyboysjoiningupnowcoulddotheirdutyandbehomeintimeforChristmas.BeresfordstayedatHighclerethatnight;asyet,notquiteallthebedswereoccupiedbypatients.By this point the British Expeditionary Forcewas taking part in the

first battle of Ypres. The pressure on theWestern Front had increasedsince the Russians suffered a heavy defeat on the Eastern Front. TheAllies were holding the line, but it was already abundantly clear thatwithmorethanamillionmenonbothsidesduginacrossBelgiumandnorthern France, this war was definitely not going to be over byChristmas.TheCarnarvonsheardthatWinifred’snephew,BarMaitland,hadbeen

killedbya shell.HisbrotherDick,adelicateboywhohadpneumoniamostwintersandwasanartist,volunteered to takehisbrother’splaceand obtained a commission in the Scots Guards. Then came the newsfromevenclosertohome.Twooftheyoungladswhohadvolunteeredfromtheestate,HarryGarrettandHarryIllot,haddiedwhileservinginIndia and France respectively. They had both been gardeners underAugustusBlakewhohadsucceededPopeinabout1908,andHarryIllot’sfamilyhadbeenworkingatHighclereforthepasttwentyyears.The casualties were high, much higher than the men in charge of

strategy had ever allowed for. As Almina could have testified, thewoundedandthedeadwerefrequentlyexperiencedsoldiers.ThecreamoftheAlliedprofessionalfightingforceswasbeingshippedhomeinbits.

Alminaseemstohaverespondedtothehorrorinaverycharacteristicway:byusinghermoneyanddeterminationandcontactstokeepupthepressuretogetmoredone.ShedecidedthattheyneededmoreexpertiseatHighclereandso,bymid-October,RobertJoneswasoperatingintheArundelroomonasuccessionofmenwithbrokenbones.Jones,whowaslaterknightedinrecognitionofhiswork,wasalreadyan experienced orthopaedic surgeon who had learned how to treatfractures from years working as the surgeon-superintendent on theconstruction of the Manchester Shipping Canal. He devised the firstcomprehensiveaccidentresponseserviceintheworld,andimplementeditalongthelengthofthecanal,sohewasaccustomedtotreatinglotsofpeople in stressful conditions. By contrast with the on-site service heprovidedforthecanallabourers,thedamaskcurtainsandcarpetsoftheArundelbedroommusthavemadeasurrealbackdrop.Joneswas fifty-seven years old and felt a huge duty to do his bit on the home front,giventhatsomanyofhisyoungercolleagueswereinthefieldhospitals,battling with conditions that made the ship canal look like a SundaystrollaroundHighclere’sgardens.Two-thirds of all casualties during the First World War (those whosurvived long enough to reach a hospital) had injuries to bones fromshrapnelandgunshotwounds.Therewasalotofworkfororthopaedicsurgeons.(Abdominalwounds,bycontrast,wereconsideredtoocomplexto treat and these men, like Aubrey Herbert, were simply dosed onmorphine;and,unlikehim,mostdied.)Joneswasadamantthatbyusinga particular technique called the Thomas splint, which had beendeveloped by his uncle Hugh Thomas, in the treatment of compoundfractures,themortalityratecouldbebroughtdownfrom80percentto20percent.Itseemsoddtousnowtoimaginethatabrokenlegcouldkillyou,butonthebattlefieldsoftheGreatWar,itfrequentlydid.Thefemuristhelongestboneinthebodyandthemusclessurroundingitarecorrespondingly strong.When the femur breaks, themuscles contract,pulling the bone ends past each other, causing additional injury,dangerous loss of blood, nerve damage and a lot of pain. Jones’s ideawas touse traction toensure that the twobrokenpiecesofbonewereheld end to end so healing could take place. It was a brilliantlysuccessful treatment and saved countless lives at Highclere andthroughoutthewar.Thepatientswhobenefitedweresogratefulandso

consciousofothers’needsthat theyfrequentlyreturnedtheirsplints toAlmina’shospitaloncetheyweredonewiththem.Almina and her team got to December before having to deal with

someone dying in their care, which suggests that someone atSouthampton docks was making the right decisions about whom toprioritise for their attention. Robert Jones left Highclere, havinginstructed Lady Carnarvon and Dr Johnnie, who assisted at numerousoperations, how to carry out the more straightforward proceduresthemselves.ThenexteminentmedicalmantocomedowntothehospitalwasHectorMackenzie.Hewas a renowned specialist in chest surgerybut,despiteallhisbestefforts,oneofthepatientsheoperatedon,amancalledThompson,died.When itbecameclear thatherpatientwasnotgoingtorecover,AlminasentawiretohisdaughterandinvitedhertocometostayatHighclere.AgnesThompsonwrotetoAlminalater.‘Iwillneverforgetmyfewdays’visittoHighclereandthatIsawthedeathofDaddyandtheverykindtreatmentthathereceivedfromyourhands.Idohopeyouarefeelingbetter…youlookedveryill.’ThefamilyspentChristmas1914atHighclere.Alminadidherbestto

decorate the house and create a special Christmas for everyone. Therewas theusual enormousChristmas tree in theSaloon,beautifulwinterflowers scattered on the tables and garlands of greenery. The visitorbookrecordsthatthehousewasfulltoburstingwithwoundedsoldiersaswellasafewclosefriends.Thosewhocouldleavethehouseattendedservicesatthevillagechurch,alongwiththeentirehousehold,fromthenurses,whowouldnotbe takinganyholiday, to themaids andestatestaff.Thekitchenstaffhadbeenpreparing foracelebratorydinner fordays. Lord Carnarvon’s worries about securing enough food for thehospitalweregettingmoreacute,butthiswasnotthedayforstinting,andStreatfieldandhisteamoffootmenservedthepatientssoups,thenroastgoosefollowedbyaplumpudding,inthenorthLibrary.LordandLadyCarnarvonjoinedthemintheLibraryafterwardsandtheysharedabrandyinfrontofthefire.OutontheWesternFront, therewasastrangemeetingtakingplace,

an event that has assumed an almost mythic status. It began whenGerman andBritish soldiers called outHappyChristmas to each otheracrossNoMan’sLand.Tentatively,disbelieving,thesoldiersnegotiatedtheirowntotallyunofficialtruceforaday.Unarmedsoldiersfromboth

sideswentoverthetoptocollecttheirdeadand,whentheymetinthebog of blood andmud that lay between them, they shook hands andagreed to bury their fallen comrades together. Somebody suggested agameof football.Provisionswereproducedandexchanged: sauerkrautandsausagesforchocolate.Thatnight,asthemenatHighclerethankedtheirluckystarstheyweretuckedupinwarmbeds,comfortablyfullofbrandyandpudding, the soundof ‘SilentNight’beingsung inGermanandEnglishrosefromthetrenches.Foralmosttwenty-fourhourstherewaspeaceontheWesternFront.It was the tiniest respite. The first battle of Ypres in October and

Novemberhad left theBritishExpeditionaryForcescrambling toadaptits tactics in the face ofmorale-devastating losses. The following year,1915,wassettodeliverlossoflifeonanevengreaterscale.At Highclere, Lord Carnarvon invited a few friends, including the

stalwartVictorDuleepSingh to stayon for aweekbetweenChristmasandNewYear.There isadejected scrawl in thevisitors’book. ‘SeeingtheNewYearin…thesaddestandmosttryingowingtotheawfulwar.’In early January thehousehold readied itself for thearrivalofmore

patients.Mostof thetwentymenwhoarrivedfortreatmentwerefromthe9thBhopalInfantryandthe8thGurkhaRifles,butnotallofthem.Ina letter toWinifred,LordCarnarvonrelated thestoryofonepatient,asailor,whohadarrivedinthefirstweekofJanuary.ThemanwascalledS. W. Saxton, and he had had an extraordinary escape. He had beenservingonHMSFormidable,whichwasoutonexercisesonNewYear’sDaywhenitwastorpedoedbyaGermanU-boat.Astheshipwentdown,Saxton clung to the propeller, despite his injuries and the immensewaves,strongwindsandhailthatthreatenedtowashhimaway.Whenhe lost his grip on the blades of the propeller, his instinct to swimpushedhimtoheadforadistant trawlerboat,butwhenheeventuallymadeit,hefoundhewastotallyincapableofhaulinghimselfupthesideoftheboat.Hewasabouttogiveupandlethimselfdrownwhenahugewavecaughthimupandswepthimondeck.SaxtonarrivedatAlmina’shospitalwithbrokenbones,shockandhypothermia–buthewasoneofthe lucky ones. The Formidable was the first dreadnought sunk in thewar,andonly199menofthe750onboardweresaved.SaxtonrespondedbrilliantlytotheregimeatHighclereandwassoon

wellenoughtobesentouttooneoftheconvalescenthomesthatwere

usedasstagingpostsbeforethemenwerereturnedtotheirduties.Manyof thesehomeswere runbyacquaintancesofAlmina’s, and shewouldarrangetransportandensurethatthemenweretransferredwithalltheirrecordsoftreatment.Trotman,theEarl’schauffeur,woulddrivethemtothe station to catch their train, allwrappedup in rugs for the journeyandwitha storeofprovisions. SometimesTrotmandrove themall theway to their destination. On several occasions, Almina accompaniedhim,andwouldlaterreceivealetterfromagratefulparentwhohadnotrealised that the ladywho had escorted their boy back homewas theCountesswhosehospitalhadrestoredhishealth.BytheendofJanuary1915,theBritishHighCommandhaddecidedthat any recovered British Expeditionary Force officers should not bereturned to the front line to face almost certaindeath, but retained inBritaintotrainthemenofKitchener’sNewArmy,hundredsofthousandsofwhomwereneeded.Vastnumbersof thosemenwouldofcoursebeheading for their own deaths in due course. The year saw the warexpand to Italy, the Balkans and theMiddle East, and conflict deepeneverywhere.Inthemeantime,althoughAlminafeltshehadfoundhervocationinlife,exhaustionwassettinginatHighclere.Noonehadhadanytimeoffsince thehospitalopened.Thenurseswere shattered; the staffwereatbreaking point. The scale of what they were dealing with was nowbecoming horrifyingly apparent. Almina had been working constantlysince her decision to open the hospital back in July 1914 and wasexhausted,physicallyandemotionally.Shedecidedthattheyallneededabreak.TheCastlewasclosedforsixweekssothatitcouldbereadiedformorepatientsinMarch,andAlminaandCarnarvonheadedforEgyptandarest.

12

WarHeroes

After sixmonths of listening to horror stories from theWestern Frontandtendingdesperatepatients,thefamiliarityofthewintertriptoEgyptmusthavefeltlikeareturntoarapidlyvanishingworld.TraveltoNorthAfricawasstillpossible,thoughdifficult.They were following in Aubrey, Mary and Elsie’s footsteps, all of

whomhad separatelymade the journey just before Christmas. Aubreyhad recovered from his injuries and been passed for active service. Infourmonthshehadgonefrombeinganobjectofmildfun,stowingawaybecause theArmydidn’t think him fit enough to serve, to desperatelyneeded and rubber-stamped for duty. Attitudes had changed since thewarhadshownitselftobeabloodynightmare.Now,virtuallyeveryonewaswelcomeinHisMajesty’sservice.Aubrey headed for Egypt on the strength of his expertise inMiddle

Easternaffairsandknowledgeofseverallocallanguages.Hesetoffwithnothingbutafewrandomclothesandhistypewriter,andarrivedtofindthatGeneralSirJohnMaxwell, commanderof theArmy inEgypt,wasstillfeelingconfidentthattheTurkswouldbeunabletoposemuchofa

threat.LifewascarryingonmuchasiteverdidinCairo,withtheusualentertainmentsstillinplaceforthewintertouristsandthesamecastofoddballs and adventurers flitting around. Aubrey met T. E. Lawrence,whowenton tobecomea close friendbutwhose initial impressionofAubreywastheentirelytypicaloneofamusement.‘ThenthereisAubreyHerbert,whoisajokebutaveryniceone:heistooshort-sightedtoreadorrecogniseanyonebutspeaksTurkishwell,Albanian,French, Italian,Arabic,German.’AubreydescribedthemanwhowouldbeLawrenceofArabiaas‘anoddgnome,halfcad–withatouchofgenius.’Aubrey’s mother, Elsie the Dowager Countess of Carnarvon, sailedacross theMediterranean toAlexandria to bewithhim, but arrived inCairojustafewhoursbeforehewassenttotheDardanelles.Shefoundherdaughter-in-lawMaryalready there and,havingdecided she couldbeuseful,beganthetaskoforganisingthelogisticsforthehospitalships:oncethecampaigngotunderway,theywouldbecomingandgoingoutof Alexandria’s port. Within four months there were dozens a day,ferryingthesurvivorsfromtheslaughteratGallipolibacktoBritain.AlminaandCarnarvonstayedatShepheard’sHotel,astheyhadbeendoing for more than ten years, and Almina focused on recuperatingenoughtobestrongforherreturntowork.TheproblemwasthatEgyptwasturningfromanupmarkettouristdestinationtothenexttheatreofwar.Theaimofthecampaignwastousecombinednavalandmilitarypower to capture the Turkish capital Constantinople, thereby securingthesearoutetoRussiaviatheBlackSea.ThatwaytheRussiansfightingon the Eastern Front could be properly supplied and some pressurewouldbetakenofftheWesternFront,whichwasinastateofhopelessstalemate. A young Winston Churchill, then the First Lord of theAdmiralty,wasoneofthechiefarchitectsoftheplan.Cairo was filling up with volunteer troops from New Zealand andAustralia in their thousands. These were the men who formed theANZACforcethatwentontosufferstaggeringlossesintheDardanellesover the next year. Almina wandered the streets; they were throngedwithyoungmenstillfulloftheoptimismanddeterminationthatshehadseen inAubreyandhis friendsbefore they setoff fornorthernFrance.Sheknewwhatthoseboyslookedlikewhentheyreturned,withlegsinneedof amputation andnerves shot to pieces. Itwasheartbreaking tosee the same thing happening all over again, and it made Almina

desperate to get back toHighclere and do everything in her power tohelp.By earlyMarch, Highclere had regrouped. In Almina’s absence onlythevery sickestmenwhowere too ill tobemovedhadstayed,withacouple of nurses in attendance. Once they had been seen off toconvalescent homes, the entire staff had a rest. The pause didn’t lastlong.ByApriltheAlliesweresufferinghugelossesinFranceandintheMediterraneanandthehospitalwasbusierthanever.OntheWesternFrontthesecondBattleofYpreswasunderway.TheGermanslaunchedamajorattacktotrytobreakthroughtheAlliedlinesand, on 22 April, introduced a new and particularly horribleweapon.Gas. They followed up the artillery shelling with the release of 168tonnesofchlorinegasintotheAlliedpositions.Itwastotallyunexpectedandterrifying.FivethousandFrenchsoldiersdiedwithintenminutesofthegasdroppingdownintothetrenches.Afurther10,000wereblindedandmaimedastheytriedtoflee.EverythingwaschaosastheGermansadvanced, fitted with their rudimentary gas masks, picking off thedesperate French soldiers as they went. The Allies were completelywrong-footedand,overthenextmonth,theGermansgainedthreemiles.Theyrepeatedthegasattack,withthesamedevastatingresults,ontheBritishExpeditionaryForce.Onehundredthousandmendied,morethantwo-thirdsofthemAlliedsoldiers,andthousandsmoreweresentbacktoBritainwithawholenewraftofsymptomsforthemedicalstafftotreat.Things were no better in the Mediterranean. Three days after theGermans used gas for the first time, the British, French and ANZACforces arrived beneath the towering cliffs of Gallipoli and began todisembarkontothebeaches.TheTurkshadhadplentyoftimetoinstallartillery on the cliff tops and lay out barbed wire on the beaches toprotectmachine-gunposts.Asthefirsttroopswadedfromtheirshipsontothebeaches,theTurkishArmyopenedfire.TheAlliedsoldiersdiedintheirhundreds,theirbloodturningtheseared.Ofthefirst200soldierstodisembark,only21made itashore.Thosewhomanagedtostruggleup the beach met the machine gunners, who were running out ofammunitionbutnotdetermination.TheOttoman57thInfantryDivisionwerewipedout;theregimentlosteverysinglemanastheyfoughtwithnothing but bayonets. Their sacrifice allowed enough time for moretroopstoarriveandthebattletogrindon.

AnyAlliedsurvivorswereforcedtoclingtonarrowledgesonthecliffsandwatchastheircomradesdiedaroundthem;medicspickedtheirwaythroughthechaoswithstretchers,huntingforthewounded.Bytheendofthefirstfewdaysoflandings,itwasobviousthattheanticipatedswiftvictorywasnotgoingtohappen.Asthecampaigncontinued, it turnedintoabrutaldisasterwithenormousnumbersofcasualtiesonbothsides.The ships that the Allied forces had arrived onwere transformed intofloatinghospitals,andmorgues.AubreyHerbertwasthere,forcinghiswaythroughthebattle,picking

his way past the trenches that were full of men trying to stay saneenough to fight, despite the hell that was unfolding around them.Aubrey was trying to reach the Turkish commanding officers tonegotiate armistices to bury the dead. One month after he landed atGallipoli,AubreynegotiatedwithMustafaKemal,wholaterfoundfameasAtatürk,thefirstPresidentoftheRepublicofTurkey;AubreyofferedhimselfashostagewhiletheTurkishArmycollected3,000bodiesfromKabe Tepe. Aubreywrote in his letters to Elsie in Alexandria that thethyme-filled gullies in the hills behind the beach stank of nothing butdeath.The battle dragged on formonths, despite the desperate loss of life

andthefactthatnoheadwayhadbeenmade.Aubreysurvivedsummeron the cliffs but became very sick in early September. It was hardlysurprising: conditions in Gallipoli were notorious. The summer wasblisteringhot,causingthecorpseslitteringtheareatodecomposeevenfaster and cause even more disease. The winter was cold, sleety andpronetostormsthatwashedawaytheshallowgravesandsentbloatedcorpsesfloodingintotrenches.Aubrey was shipped to Alexandria, where he was received by his

mother in her capacity as co-ordinator of hospital ships. Elsie wasdelightedtoseehimbut,oncehavingestablishedthathewasnotinanyimmediatedanger, dispatchedhim toCairo for a rest andgot onwiththe job. Aubrey spent a few days in Shepheard’s Hotel, now almosttotallyclosedupandfullofghostsfromhappierdays.Maryjoinedhimand the couple had a few days’ rest. His fever cleared up but hewasrestlessandguilt-riddenatbeingensconcedinthelastshredsofluxuryto be had in Egypt. As soon as he was well enough, he returned toGallipoli,buthefellsickagainalmostimmediatelyandwasshippedout

for good inmid-October,worn out and low in spirit. The DardanelleshadnearlydestroyedAubrey’speaceofmind.BythentheAllieswerehavingtofacethefactthatthecampaignhadfailed.Therehadbeencalls for evacuation fromOctoberonwards,butonlyafteronelast,disastrouspush.BackinAugust,thelackofprogresshad already been beginning to cause political problems for thecommanding officers, but there was an insistence that reinforcementsshouldbebrought in.Oneof themwasamancalledDavidCampbell,whomadehiswaytotheslaughterhouseofGallipoli fromhishomeinIreland.Campbell had volunteered for the 6th Royal Irish Rifles, answeringKitchener’s call for men to join up. Following training in Dublin andthen at Basingstoke near Highclere, the battalion embarked forAlexandria and the Dardanelles. They had no idea what they weresailingto:pressreportsinBritainatthatpointwerestilldominatedbypropaganda. Themen arrived at Gallipoli on 5 August, in the intenseheatofhighsummer.Theycouldsmellthedecayingbodiesonthebeachfromhalfamileaway.Twodayslatertheymovedout,rattledbyshellslanding around them and tense with nerves, up Dead Man’s Gully.Occasionally,breaksinthecliffsframedstunningviewsofthedazzlingsea,whilst inland, tongues of fire showed themwhere the shellswerecomingfrom.DuringamissiontotakeasummitatSuvla,Campbellwasshotinthecalf. As a fellow soldier helped him to dress thewound, themanwasshotinthefoot.Davidnowhelpedinturntodresstheman’swound,butgunshot was still raining down all around them, and up ahead theycouldseeawheatfieldfullofthebodiesofdeadsoldiers.Sureenough,Davidwashitagain,byabulletthatdrilledthroughhisfoot.Unabletomove, losing blood from his two gunshot wounds, David passed out.Comingto,hesawthatthemanwhohadhelpedhimwasdead.Hedecidedtotrytocrawlbackthewayhehadcome.Hefellinwithastreamofotherbloodiedsoldiers,butbeforelonghecollapsed,tooweakfrom lossofblood tocarryon.ThenDavid felthimselfbeing liftedupandrealisedthataGurkhawasmanhandlinghimoverhisshoulderandcarrying him, dodging from cover to cover, back towards the first-aidpost.Ittookthemtwohourstogetthere,andDavidwasshotagaininthe leg,but theymade it.TheGurkhadepositedhimandmeltedaway

intothecrowd,evenasDavidwasthankinghimforsavinghislife.Theorderliesondutydressedhiswoundsbuttherewerenostretchers

left,soDavidhoppedbetweentwoothermenuntilhehadnoenergylefttodoanythingbutcrawl.Exhaustedfromtheeffort,heandhishelpersfinallymadeittothefieldambulancestationandDavidwasplacedonastretcherandleftovernighttotrytogetsomesleepbetweentheshoutsoftheotherwoundedanddyingmen.In themorning, stretcher-bearers began to transport those who had

survived to the evacuation point. They had to cross the beach to getthere,andonceagainthesniperspickedthemoff,untiltherewerenotenoughstretcher-bearersleftalivetocarrythewounded,whocouldonlylie there, helpless, wondering whether each shot would be the finalsoundtheyheard.Thesunburneddownonthemandtheyhadnowaterto drink. David came to the conclusion that the only way he wouldsurvivewasbydragginghimselftotheevacuationpoint.Whenhefinallygot there he was treated immediately. There was no pressure on themedical staff because hardly any patients made it to them alive. ThehospitalshipswerefullbutanofficermanagedtocommandeerafishingtrawlerandDavidwasoneofthemenloadedontoitand,thenextday,ontoaBritishArmyhospital ship.Hewasassigneda cabinwith threeotherofficers.All threediedinthenightandwerereplacedwiththreemore.David Campbell couldn’t have known it, but the harbour master

overseeingthearrivalofhisshipatAlexandriawasElsieCarnarvon.SirJohnMaxwell,CommanderinChiefoftheMediterraneanExpeditionaryForce,commentedtohisstaffthatshewasdoingreallygoodworkandshewasgivenamotorlaunchtomeettheincomingships,whichmadeherjobeasier.Evenby the beginningofMay itwas obvious to everyoneout there

that the casualties in theDardanelleswere catastrophic, far exceedingwhathadbeenexpected.SirJohn’sconfidentpredictionthat theTurkswouldn’t be able to do much damage had proved to be laughably illinformed. Once Elsie got a sense of how bad things were, she tookmatters into her own hands. She contactedAlmina and between themthe two women arranged for twenty-seven nurses to travel out toAlexandria.Thenurses leftTilburyon15May1915onboardtheP&OsteamerMongolia.

Aubrey’s wife Mary helped Elsie to sort things out in Egypt. Thebureaucracyproveddifficultsincethenurseshadnopermitstoworkorvisastostay,andthemilitaryauthoritieswereinitiallymoreconcernedwith the rule book and the budget than anything else.Mary andElsiearguedthattheywerepreparedtopaythewagebillof£22sperweekpernurse,whichremovedoneobstacle;theyalsosuggestedthat,giventhat the nurses were here now and they were certainly desperatelyneeded,perhapsitwastimetochangetherulesonvisasandpermits.Itwas a persuasive argument, and eventually Elsie got her nurses. ItprobablyhelpedthatSirJohnMaxwellwasagreatfriendofhers.Elsie, now in her sixtieth year,was one of those formidablewomen

with an enormous capacity for getting things done. The intense heatneverseemedtobotherherandsheneverevercomplained.Whentherewasashortageofstretchersshewentoutandscouredthecityforsewingmachineandfabrics,organisingworkteamstomakeuptheequipmentthat was so desperately needed. She started a canteen for the ANZACforcesandprovidedallthecutleryandcrockery.Onedaythemengotsorowdythatplatesandcupsweresmashed,andElsietookituponherselftomarchinthereanddemandwhattheythoughttheyweredoing.Whatwouldtheirmotherssay?Somethinginhermannerbroughtthefracastoahalt,andwhenthemenrealisedwhoshewasandwhatshehaddoneforthem,theylineduptoapologisetoher.Meanwhile, David Campbell had struck lucky. He was assessed as

suitableforreturntoBritainand,havingavoidedtheEgyptianmilitaryhospitals, he sailed out of Alexandria on the Aquitania. Conditionsaboard could most generously be described as basic. Everyone gotdysentery, includingDavid.Hehad splinters of lead removed fromhisgunshot wounds without any anaesthetic. Unsurprisingly, his footbecame gangrenous, and was marked for amputation, but then thesurgeon fell sick and was too ill to carry out the operation, so Davidarrivedback inBritain still inpossessionofboth feet. InSouthamptonhisluckheldandhewastaggedforHighclere.So,inmid-September,hebumped up from the south coast in an ambulance with three otherpatients, all of them groaning every time they were jolted over apothole.ThetrailerrumbleduptothefrontofthehouseandDavidwashelped out and into a wheelchair by a footman, who pushed himcarefully across the gravel drive and in through the front door of

Highclere.As always, Almina was there to welcome the new arrivals,accompaniedbytwonurses.IttooktwofootmentohelpDavidmakehiswayuptheornatecarpetedstairs,past theItalianmarblestatueofthe4th Earl and his sister Eveline at the bottom landing, up past theseventeenth-century Flemish tapestry and into his bedroom. There thenurses helped him to wash. He was still caked in the filth of thebattlefields and all his clothes had to be taken away and burned.Pyjamas and a dressing gown were provided and then, once he wascleanandcomfortable,AlminaandDrJohnnievisitedhimtomaketheirassessment.The foot looked ghastly. It was swollen and dark and almost toopainful to touch. But Almina had decided something. She wanted toavoid amputations wherever possible, believing that they were toofrequently performed, sometimes for the doctors’ convenience ratherthanthegoodofthepatient.Inthefielditmightbeamatteroflifeordeath, but here at Highclerewhere the risk of infectionwas somuchlower, she took the view that they could be ambitious about reducingthenumberofamputations.Almina washed and dressed David’s foot every day, and came atmealtimes to check that he had everything he needed. The excellentnursingpaidoff–afteraweekhewasencouragedtogoandsitoutsideand then he progressed to crutches. Some friends came to visit andhardlyrecognisedhimbecausehis framewassoshrunkenandhis facesohollowfromtheeffectsofthedysenteryandthementalfatigue.Buthewashealing inmindaswellasbody.Hewrotetohis family, ‘therecanbenobettersolacethantowanderoverthecoolgreengrassandsitunderthecedars.’Actually, David wasn’t quite right about that. One lucky patientreceivedevengreatersolace,intheformoftheattentionsofHighclere’ssweetheart, a particularly pretty auburn-haired nurse. Porchy, by thattimeaseventeen-year-oldschoolboywhohadfallenslightlyinlovewithher himself, delighted in recounting the story of howone evening, onherpatrols,AlminastumbledacrossthefortunateMajorGeorgePaynter,from the Scots Guards, in the nurse’s embrace. Almina tactfullywithdrew from thebedroom,but the followingmorning she called thenursetoseeher.Apparently,Almina’schampioningofholisticcarehad

itslimits.‘Lookhere,mydear,I’mafraidyou’llhavetogo.Icannothavemynursesbehaving in this fashion. Itmusthaveputagreat strainonthe patient’s heart. Hemight have died as a result!’ The flame-hairedbeautyleft,muchtothepatients’sorrow.David was soon considered well enough to be discharged, and wasordered toappearbefore theArmyMedicalBoardon4November.HewasloathtoleaveHighclere,buthehadtomakewayforotherpatientsandreporttotheauthorities.Hewasgivenonemonth’sleavebeforehehadtoreportagain,sohesetoffforIreland.Thejourneyprovedtobetoo much too soon for his foot and he ended up back in hospital inDublin.Davidspentamonththerebeforehewasdischargedandfinallymade it home, but it was only twoweeks before he received anothertelegramtellinghimtoattendforassessmentbytheMedicalBoard.ThistimeDavidwas passed fit andordered to report to the IrishRifles foractivedutiesimmediately.

13

HospitalontheMove

Christmas 1915 arrived andAlmina had no spare energy to devote tofestivities. The hospital was a success: she could see the good it wasdoing her patients; could read the gratitude in their letters. She wastraininga selectbandofnurses, engaging themosteminentdoctorsofthedaytoperformpioneeringoperationsthatsavedcountlesslives.Shehad themeans to enableher staff to treat all their chargeswith everypossiblecareandattention.ShewasgainingtherespectoftheSouthernCommandofthemilitaryauthorities,whocametotrustherjudgementcompletely–sothatifshesaidamanwasnotyetwellenoughtoattendtheMedicalBoard,theybelievedher.Byanyaccount,Almina’shospitalatHighclerewasthriving;sheknewforcertain thatshehadfoundherlife’swork.Still, shewasexhaustedandfrustratedthatshecouldn’tdomore.Andtherewasnothingbutbadnews,fromalldirections.Reports of anotherHighcleredeathhad filteredback.GeorgeCox, a

groom,hadbeenkilledatYpresbackinMaybutithadtakensixmonthsfor the authorities to informhismother.Therehadbeenno system inplaceforregisteringcasualtieswhenthewarstarted,andthescaleofthelossesmeantthatitwasn’tuntiltheendof1915thatwhatbecame,two

yearslater,theImperialWarGravesCommissionmanagedtoestablishaworkablesystem.FollowingtheFrenchgovernment’sgiftoflandforwarcemeteries forAlliedsoldiersontheWesternFront, thetaskof logginggravesbegan.Armychaplainshadusedbottlescontainingslipsofpaperwiththesoldier’snamescrawledonit tomarkgraves,andthesecouldnowbereplacedbywoodencrosses.GeorgeCox’sbodyhadlaininthefieldsofFranceforsixmonthswhilehismotherwaitedwithdwindlinghopefornews,butnoneofthatdeterredtwomoreHighcleremenfromjoiningup.Maber and Absalonwere both gamekeeperswho elected to join thenewlycentralisedMachineGunCorps.Theyhandledgunseverydayoftheirworkinglives,sowerepresumablyregardedasanasset.Despitethestrategic failures, the lackof progress and themorale-sapping casualtyrate, the publicmood at the end of 1915was still determined. Therewas,asyet,noshortageofrecruits.But the last few months had been depressing for even the mostvehementandpositivepatriot.OntheWesternFronttheAllieshadlostnearly 90,000 men compared to the Germans’ 25,000, and Sir JohnFrench,thecommanderoftheBritishExpeditionaryForce,continuedtodither and to fall out with both his own colleagues and the Frenchcommand. InDecemberhewas recalled toBritainand replacedbySirDouglasHaig.It was the same story in the Dardanelles. Kitchener finally gavepermission to evacuate; ironically, that part of the operation was theonlysuccessstory,withrelativelyfewcasualties.ButtheANZACandtheMediterranean Expeditionary Forces lost nearly 35,000 men betweenthem, up to 70 per cent in some regiments, and total casualties –includingthehorrificeffectsofillness–wereclosetohalfamillion.Thewhole thing was such a disaster that it triggered the collapse of theLiberal government. Winston Churchill, who had been one of theGallipoli campaign’s principal and earliest cheerleaders, was forced toresign his position at the Admiralty. As Secretary of State for War,Kitchenerwashit hardby these two failures and the great heroneverrecovered his reputation for invincibility. The country was at adesperatelylowebb.OneofthefewbrightspotsforAlminawasherrelationshipwithherdaughter.Alminahadbeengettinga lotofhelpand support thatyear

fromLadyEvelyn.Shewasfourteenin1915andstillbeingeducatedathome by her governess. She missed Porchy, who was away at Eton,terribly;althoughunlikeherbrother,Evewasclosetobothherparents.Sheoftentriedtomediatebetweenherbrotherandherparentsbutwithonlylimitedsuccess.AsWinifredcommentedinanotherofherletterstoherhusband,LordBurghclere, ‘Alminawasageniuswhenorganisingahospital,butnotsowithherfirst-born.’But then,Evepresentednoneof thedifficulties thatPorchydid.Shewas more diffident, so she didn’t rub her flamboyant mother up thewrongway.Theyhadatremendousamountincommonsincetheybothenjoyedpartiesand fashionandpossesseda restlessenergy thatmeantneitherofthemcouldsitstillforlong.AlminaandPorchy,ontheotherhand, clashed partly because theywere suchwilful personalities, whobothlikedtobethecentreofattention.Evewasalsoharderworkingandmore scholarly than her charming but feckless brother, and had agenuine enthusiasm and curiosity about her father’s explorations inEgypt that Porchy never shared. Perhaps theweight of expectation onbothsideswasalsoalittleless,sinceEvewouldnotinherit.Whateveritwas, shewasnever shortof familyaffection.LordCarnarvondotedonherthroughouthislife,asdidPorchy,andsheandAlminaadoredeachother. They looked remarkably similar; Eve was tiny, just fractionallymorethanfivefoottallandveryslim.Shegrewuptobeabeautifulgirl,allrosebudlips,highcheekbonesanddarkeyes.Whenwarwasdeclared andhermotherdecided tomake theCastleintoahospital,Evewasplunged intoaverydifferent routine fromtheone she had enjoyed in her girlhood years. Rather than quiet days atlessonsandoccasionalexpeditionstotownwithhermothertoseeAlfredand visit theWallaceCollection,where her grandfatherwas a trustee,shefoundherselflivinginahousefullofgrievouslyinjuredsoldiers.Theatmospherecouldchangefromtensetotriumphant,dependingonhowwellthingsweregoingintheoperatingtheatreorhowmanynamesoffriendstherewereonTheTimes’sdaily listofcasualties. ItwasasharpjoltoutofaveryprivilegedlifeandforcedEvetogrowupfast.Almina’sphilosophy of the desirability of public service extended to herdaughter’s leisure time.Once she’ddoneher lessons,Eveused tohelpAlminaonherrounds,chattingtothepatientsanddoingbasicnursingtasks.Thissweetprettygirlwasunderstandablyagreatfavouriteofthe

patients.OneofthemhadsmuggledanAlsatianpuppybackfromFrancewith him, which he gave to Eve. The dog slept in her room on thesecond floor of the Castle and became absolutely devoted to her. EvewasagoodhorsewomanandoftenwentoutridingintheParkwiththehead stable man, Arthur Hayter. The puppy always went with her,racingtokeepup.EvenLadyEvelyn’sassistancecouldn’tconcealthefactthatHighclere

wasreachingthelimitsofwhatitcouldachieve.TheteamofAlmina,DrJohnnie andMaryWeekes, backedupbyStreatfield andMrsMacnair,wasrunningatmaximumefficiency,butAlminawasstilltorturedbythesensethatsheneededtodomore.BythebeginningofDecembershehaddecidedthattheyhadoutgrownHighclereanditwastimetomovethehospitaltoLondon.Shecouldhaveconvertedthedownstairsroomsintohugewards,ofcourse,andbeenabletohouseuptotwentymenineach,butshewasconvincedthatagreatpartofhersuccesshingedonthefactthatthenurse-to-patientratiowashigh,andthemenhadtheluxuryofpeaceandpersonalspace.Thehospitalwasrunasapersonallabourofloveandshewantedittostaythatway.Itwouldbeawrench:therewassomething uniquely healing about Highclere. Almina was particularlysorry to lose thewonderful gardens and the abundant supply of freshfruitandvegetables,soshedecidedthathernewpremiseswouldatleasthave access to a garden, and that she would continue to source foodfromHighclereandhaveitsentuptothehospital.Almina secured the lease on48Bryanston Square, a delightful town

house in Mayfair overlooking a peaceful garden behind railings. TheCadogan Trustees noted in their minutes that ‘they were loath toentertain theapplication’ fromLadyCarnarvonbut, if theydeclined it,theWarOfficemightusetheirpowerstocommandeerthepremises.SotheyagreedtoAlmina’srequest.Thehousehadtwodistinctadvantagesover Highclere: specialist doctors were never more than half an houraway, and it could be far better equipped to treat a wider range ofinjuries than the Castle ever could. Almina installed a lift, a purpose-built operating theatre andanX-raymachine.Then she transferredallherstafffromthecountryuptotownandputthemunderthechargeofSisterMacken,theheadmatron.TheLondonhospitalwasnotonlygoingtobebetter,itwasalsogoing

to be bigger: Almina sacrificed her cherished notion of individual

bedroomsinordertodoublecapacity.Therewerenow40patientsatatime,with some single roomsbut,moreusually, two to fourmen toaroom, and she gave the mini-wards the same names as the Highclerebedrooms: Stanhope, Sussex, Arundel, and so on. It still felt to thepatientslikeahomeawayfromhome,withcomfortablebeds,thebest-quality bed linen and spare pyjamas and clothes until their familiescould send theirown.Alminacontinued tomake liaisonwith familyapriority, sending telegrams and letters with regular updates whenpatientswerethemselvesunabletodoso.Truetohervisionforthenewhospital, the men could spend time in the residents’ garden in thesquare,andtheystilldinedonthevegetablesandcheesessentupeverydayfromHighclere.The London hospital had barely opened when it was honoured byvisits from two of Almina’s earliest supporters. On January 4 LordKitchener came to inspect the new premises and pronounced himselfvery impressed. Two weeks later, Sister Keyser, who had beeninstrumentalinprovidinginspirationandadviceatthestartofthewar,alsocame.Alminawasalmostburstingwithprideasshetookherguestsaroundthebuilding.TheCastle returned to somethingapproachingnormal life, exceptofcoursethatevenifthehospitalhadgone,thewarwasstillraging.Thenurseshadtransferredtotown,ashadMaryWeekes,butDrJohnniewasbased between London and Highclere. Almina had engaged theadditional services of Dr Sneyd for Bryanston Square. Streatfield, MrsMacnairandtherestof thestaffstayedatHighclere–after the franticpaceof the last sixteenmonths, theywelldeserved to takeabreather.LadyEvelynandLordCarnarvonwouldcontinue to livebetween theirhouse in Berkeley Square and Highclere, and Almina visited forweekends when she could take them. There would be precious littlegrand entertaining for the foreseeable future, but of course theCarnarvonshadnodesiretoseeanybodyletgo,sothestaffsimplyhadfewerjobstodo.It was a sad crowd of mostly women who kept up appearances atHighclereduring1916.Allthetalkintheservants’hallwasofthewar,andofthefortunesoftheHighcleremeninparticular.Florence,oneofthehousemaids,hadleftbecauseshehadmarriedthegardenerTommyHill. They had planned tomake a different sort of life. Now she was

terrified that her Tommywas going to enlist and she didn’t think shecouldstanditifhedid.TheyhadbeenmarriedforlessthantwoyearsandFlorencewantedtostartafamily.Theonlynews that filteredbackwasof thoseon thecasualty listor

killedinaction.Therewasalwaystensionbetweenthesinceresensethatsacrificewas required fromeveryoneand theentirelynatural terroroflosingalovedone.Thepublic’sstomachforsacrificevariedthroughoutthe war, with a general feeling of revulsion growing over time.Blessedly, Florence couldn’t know that Tommywould be caught up inthe events of 1916 that tipped the mood of the nation into furiousdespair.Another long-running romance between staff members came to a

happyendlaterintheyear.MinnieWillshadbeenworkingherwayupthroughthekitchenrankssince1902,whenshehadstartedasthemostjunior maid. By 1916 she was the cook, first at Highclere, and then,when Alminamoved the hospital to London, at 48 Bryanston Square.Minnieworealongwhiteapronoverheruniformandatidywhitecap,andsworebythepowersofMrsBeeton’sBookofHouseholdManagement:AGuide toCookery inAllBranches.Havingreached thepinnacleofherprofession, she decided that now was the moment to accept ArthurHayter’s proposal of marriage. After the wedding they left theCarnarvons’ service and bought a pub. The female staff at Highclerewerealldelightedforherbutsaiditwassuchashamethatitwasn’tarestaurant:theycouldn’tvisitherinapubastheywereverymuchmen-onlyplaces.TheurgetojoinupgrippedPorchyjustasmuchasitdidTommy.In

early1916,Porchywasonlyseventeen,buthewasabsolutelydesperatetoleaveEtonandenrolatSandhurst.BothLordandLadyCarnarvonhadgravemisgivingson thegroundsofhisage,but their sonwas insistentand they also felt itwaswrong to try to dissuadehim fromdoing hisduty.Porchywenttotaketheentranceexamandscrapedthrougheverysubject exceptmaths, which he failed spectacularly. It wasmentionedthatLordKitchenerwasaclose friendof the familyand,mysteriously,Porchy’s shortcomings seemed to fade from sight. So he went off toSandhurstandlefthissisterandparentsfretfulonhisbehalf.Porchywasdestinedtobeacavalryofficer,whichwasfortunatesincehehadfallenarchesandflatfeet.

Almina needed the distractions of work more than ever and flungherself into life at Bryanston Square. She had brought much of thehospitalequipmentfromHighclereandspentherownmoneyontoppingitupwithmorebeds,linensandcrockery.ButAlfredwascontinuingtopayforstaffcosts,bothforthenursesandthehouseholdstaff.Therewasa cook, a dozen maids and several footmen. Even more crucially, hesupplied more reserves to install the state-of-the-art equipment andessentialmedicalsuppliesthatAlminaneededtosavemorelives.Alfredwasby this time abrokenman.Hehadbeen somethingof a

hypochondriacallhis lifebutnowhewasgenuinely suffering.Hewasplaguedby the combinedeffectsof yearsofhigh livingandemotionalfatigue.Hehadbeensickathearteversincethedeclarationofwar,andnothingthathadhappenedsincehaddoneanythingtorelievehisgloom.Hiscloselyknitbut far-flungextendedfamilyhadfoundthemselvesonopposingsides,justashefeared.TherewerebranchesoftheRothschildsincentralEuropethatwerenowlosttohim,andtheworldinwhichhehad lived his life – the banks, the family holidays with Continentalcousinsandthesocialwhirl–hadbeencomprehensivelydestroyed.Alfred’s only consolation was his support for the Allies’ war work.

Later intheyear,oncethebloodbathoftheSommegotunderway,heoffered the glorious beech trees from Halton House to the TimberControl Board, to be used as props in the waterlogged trenches ofnorthern France. For now, he concentrated on maintaining Almina’shospital.Almina’s X-ray machine was her pride and joy. X-rays had been

discovered in 1895 and their relevance to military surgeons wasimmediately obvious: being able to locate a bullet precisely withoutmessyinterventionswasincalculablyuseful.BryanstonSquarenowhadthemeanstocarryoutcutting-edgeproceduresonfracturesandgunshotwounds.Therewasnoshortageofpatientsinneed.InFebruary,theBattleofVerdun,whicheventuallyclaimed306,000

lives, got under way, and a man called Bates arrived at Almina’shospital.HaroldBateswas a padre, anArmy chaplain, a reserved andstoicalpersonwho,evenfortyyearslater,refusedtodiscusswhathehadseenanddoneintheGreatWar.HehadbeenontheWesternFrontsinceAugust1914whenhewassentoutwiththe6thDivision.Atsomepointlatein1915hewaswoundedatYpres,shotintheleg.

There have been Army chaplains for as long as there have beenarmies,buttheirroleexpanded,ofnecessity,intheGreatWar.Forthefirsttimeinhistory,largenumbersofmenwerelivingonthebattlefieldinatrociousconditions, forweeksandmonthsata time.Theywere indesperate need of comfort and guidance, and the padres, while beingunarmednon-combatants,wereofteninthethickofthehorror.ClearlyMrBateswascloseenoughtotakeahit,andquiteanastyone,sinceheendedupspendingsevenmonthsinAlmina’scareatBryanstonSquare.He was a dedicated churchman who went on to serve the Church ofEnglanduntilhisdeathinthe1960s.At the hospital he carried out his duties with determination anddignity,accompanyingAlminaonherroundsfromthemomenthewasabletogetoutofbedandlimp.DespitetheX-raymachine,theoperationandexcellentnursing,Bates,whowasa tall,broadman,was lame forthe rest of his life. He used a stick and always struggled with stairs.When he was finally well enough to leave the hospital, he wasdischarged from theArmy.Hewasanexcellentpadre,buthisdaysofwading throughmud to comfort injured soldierswere behindhim.Hehadgotoutjustintime.

14

DeathintheTrenches

Mr Bates’s war was over, but Aubrey Herbert, despite his severedisillusionmentintheaftermathoftheGallipolicampaign,wasgearingup to return to the Middle East. In March 1916 he was sailing forMesopotamia in thecompanyof theCommander-in-ChiefofEgypt, theCommander-in-Chief of theMediterranean and the Prince ofWales. ItwasthefirsttimeAubreyhadmettheeldestsonofGeorgeVandQueenMary, who was briefly Edward VIII before his desire to marryWallisSimpson sparked the abdication crisis. Aubrey, clearly somewhatunderwhelmed,commentedthatatleast‘hewasmoreimaginativethanIexpected.Hesaidthathehatedbeingathome,itworriedhimthinkingoftheothersinthetrenches.’British military involvement in Mesopotamia had started out as an

operation to safeguard theoil fields inwhat isnow Iraq; crucialgiventhatthenavalcampaigninparticularwasheavilyoil-dependent.But itwas spiralling into ahumiliatingdisaster, andAubrey’s language skillsandlocalknowledgeagainmadehimindispensable.The 6th Indian division had been dispatched to the region from the

Army’s bases in Bombay, under the command of General Townshend,but they were woefully poorly supplied in terms of both food andtransport.Asthemilitaryproblemsescalated,suchcost-cuttingmeasuresproved catastrophic. Aubrey had a very bad feeling about the wholething, butwashoping tobeprovedwrong.Whenhe arrivedhewrotebacktohisgreatfriendSirMarkSykes,whowasstillbasedattheWarOffice.‘Well,thepositionhereisabsolutelybloody.’General Townshend had retreated to Kut al-Amara, which he wastryingtodefendagainst thevastlysuperiorTurkish forces.Attempts torelieve him and break the siege had failed. His troops were starving;someaerialdropsofrationshadbeenmadebut,evenso,byApril, themenweredowntofourouncesoffoodadayandriddledwithdisease.Therewasnochoicebuttosurrender.Aubreywrote to Colonel Beach, the head ofMilitary Intelligence inthe region, offering to accompany General Townshend to thenegotiations–heknewsomeof the leadingTurksverywell.Whilehewaswaiting for a response, he visited Turkish prisoners ofwar in theBritishArmycampsandnotedthattheirmoralewashigh.Theybelievedthat after Gallipoli, Salonika and now Kut, they were going to win.Aubrey’sresponsewastypicalofthebullishdeterminationthatpersistedin the British forces and public, despite the shock of failures. HeinformedtheconfidentTurksthatitwashiscountry’s‘nationalhabittobedefeatedatthebeginningofeverywarandtowinintheend.’AyeartothedayafterAubrey’sarrivalatGallipoli,hewasreunitedwithhis friendT.E.Lawrence,andsent togoand talk termswith theTurkishHighCommand.Thetwomen’shopeswerelimitedtobeingabletosecurea truce toallowthewoundedsoldiers tobeshippedout,buttheBritishgovernmentseemedtohavealonger-termgoalinmind.Themen were authorised to offer £2 million and the promise of notlaunchingfurtherattacksontheOttomanEmpire.Thisofferwasrejectedand,althoughtherewasatrucetoallowforanexchangeofprisoners,on29 April 1916 General Townshend surrendered. Thirteen thousandBritishandIndiansoldiersweretakenprisoner.The whole incident was a tremendous humiliation for the BritishArmy.ItmusthavebeenhardevenforAubreytoremainpositiveaboutthe national chances as he surveyed the River Tigris, full of bloatedcorpses.Theywashedupontheriverbanksandbumpedupagainstthe

smallboatsthatpliedtheirwayupanddown.Therehadbeenacholeraoutbreakthatragedthroughthealreadyweakenedtroops.Ofthe13,000prisoners ofwar,more than half died of starvation or at the hands oftheircaptors.Aubrey wasn’t the only Highclere man out in the region. MajorRutherford, the Earl’s agent, had a son serving as a Lieutenant in the¼th Hampshire Regiment. He eventually made it back to Almina’shospitalandsurvivedthewar.LordCarnarvonwrote toAubreyaskinghimtofindoutwhathadhappenedto‘[his]boysfromthestudfarmandtheestate.’He‘hopedtosendmoneyorsomesmallcomforts.’Thenewstrickled back agonisingly slowly. Albert Young, Charlie Adnams andGeorge Digweed had all been gardeners and joined up together, alsoservinginthe¼thHampshireRegimentontheill-fatedattempttotakeBaghdad.Perhapswhen the flies and the stifling air and the stenchofthe cholera-infested corpses became too much, they dreamt of thepeacefulwalledgardensandtalkedabouttheDutchazaleasthatwouldbe flowering on the Castle’s east lawns. They were all buried inMesopotamia.AdnamsandDigweedweretakenprisoneratKutanddiedin captivity. ThomasYoungwas killed in action at the crossing of theShumranBendon21 January1916aswasFrederickFifield.His bodywas never found. His young brother was still at home at Highclere,workinginthebuildingsdepartment.OnlyTomWhincup,whoworkedunder his half-brother CharlieWhincup at the stud, and Charles Steerwho had also worked there, survived the campaign and were luckyenoughtoavoidbeingtakenprisoner.AubreymadeitbacktoBritaininearlyJulyandwenttoHighclere.Hewanted to see his brother. All his life, even after he had establishedhimselfasamantocallupontonegotiateforsoldiers’lives,Aubreyfelttheneedtotouchbasewithhisbrother.LordCarnarvonwasofcoursedelightedthatAubreywassafeandinapositiontotellhimexactlywhathadgoneon.Hewasalsoinfinitelyfrustratedthathecouldonlyplayapart on the sidelines. Through his friendshipwithMoore-Brabazon hehad become closely involved with the development of cameras andinterpretation of aerial photography carried out by the Royal FlyingCorps,buthewishedardentlythathishealthpermittedhimtodomore.ItwasthesecondtimeinayearthatAubreyreturnedfromtheMiddleEast feeling helpless and despairing. He wanted the comfort of being

home.Just weeks later, seven more men left the Highclere estate. Henry

Berryfromthesawmill,CharlesBrindley,aplumber,CharlesChoules,awoodsman,WillieKewellwhoworkedatthefarm,ErnestBartonalsoawoodsman, Gilbert Attwood and William Bendle, both from thebuildingsdepartmentwereallspurredonbythenewsAubreybroughtoftheircolleagues’deaths.TheyheadedforFrance.TheywereheadingfortheSomme.Summer1916was dominated by the nation’s dismay and grief over

the death of Lord Kitchener. K might have lost his aura of theunimpeachablehero,butindeathhewasrestoredtomythicstatus.Thenaval battle had been escalating brutally as the effects of the BritishblockadeonGermany’straderoutesandfoodsuppliesbegantobite.Thewar at sea claimed its most high-profile casualty when the HMSHampshirewas sunkbyamineon5June.Sixhundredand forty-threemen,includingLordKitchener,losttheirlives.TheCarnarvonswereevenmoredevastatedthanmostashehadbeen

afamilyfriend.Porchy,whohadtwomoremonthstogoatSandhurst,wasutterlylaidlow:KhadbeenhisgreatinspirationforacareerintheArmy.HewasduetogotoIrelandforfourmonths’trainingattheendofthesummer,butwasmopyanduncharacteristicallyreflectiveforweeks.If K’s losswas a hammer blow to Britishmorale, already shredded bystalemateandsurrender,nobodycouldhavepredictedhowmuchworsethingswereabouttoget.TheBattleof theSommewasplannedbyGeneralHaigasadecisive

breakthrough in the stalemate in France. Instead it has passed intoBritishandCanadian consciousness as the epitome of catastrophic andfutile loss of life. On its opening day, 1 July 1916, the British Armysuffered60,000casualties–stillthehighestnumbereversustainedinasingle day of combat. The 1st Newfoundland Regiment was totallyannihilated as a fighting unit, with 500 of 801 men killed. Over thecourse of the battle’s four and a halfmonths, that storywas repeatedover and over again. Whole battalions of men, who had joined uptogether and came from tight-knit communities, were wiped out,creatinglostgenerationsbackhome.Highclere, likethousandsofotherplaces all over the Empire,was about to suffer a test of its ability forself-sacrificethelikeofwhichithadneverknownbefore.

The impact on every hospital in the country was enormous. FourhundreddoctorswerekilledandinjuredinJuly,increasingthepressureon the already horrifically overstretched medical corps. Patients weresent back to Britain in a barely controlled flood. The Somme wascharacterisedbytheuseofveryheavyartillery.Itwasalsomarkedthedebutofanewweapon–thetank.Aswellastheirphysicalinjuries,themen were suffering from devastating shell shock. The human framecouldn’twithstandtheimpactofthisnew,fullymechanisedslaughterona grand scale and the number of cases ofmental breakdownbegan toincreaseexponentially.LadyAlminahadtostepuptothetask.ThestaffatBryanstonSquarehadbeenworkingsteadily,withthesameattentiontoeverylittledetailas ever.Theworkwas tough, but the routineswere inplacenowandtherewasapalpablesensethattheresultswereenoughtojustifyallthelabourinvolved.Everyonewastiredanddemoralisedbythewar,butatthe same timekeenly invested in andpositive about thehospital. IntothisstabilitycrashedthevastnumbersofofficersarrivingwithcomplexinjuriesandseveretraumafromthebattlefieldsoftheSomme.OnesuchmanwasCharlesClout,twenty-oneyearsold,aCambridge-educated linguist from a modest middle-class home in south London,who had been recruited by the War Office in August 1914, on thestrength of his military cadet training at Cambridge University. Cloutjoined the Territorial Army and was gazetted to the rank of 2ndLieutenantinthe20thBattaliontheLondonRegiment.Hewasaserious-mindedmanwho,eveninlaterlife,disapprovedoftheuseoffirstnamesexceptbetweenclosefriendsofthesamesex.Thisseriousnessmadehimanexcellentofficer,andhetookprideintraininghismenupbeforetheyshippedouttoFranceon9March1915.Cloutwasterriblydisappointedwhenondisembarkinghewasmoved toanotherbattalion thatwas inneedofagoodofficertolickitintoshape.ByAugust1916,ClouthadseenalmostayearandahalfofactionontheWesternFront.HehadbeeninreserveforthefirstbattleofNeuveChapelleandfoughtformonthsattheBattleofLoos.Hehadseenamanshot in the head by a German sniper as he ran towards him down atrench.Thebomber’sbrainwas‘excisedasifonanoperatingtable’andfell in two neat hemispheres on the ground behind him and lay there‘steaminginthesunlight’.WhenClout’smenrefusedtotouchtheman’s

brains,Clouttookaspadeandshovelledtheremainsoutofthetrench.InAugust1916,aftertwoweeks’leaveinwhichhevisitedhisparents

inBlackheath,hefoundhimselfbackoutonthefrontlineattheBattleof the Somme. His first job was to accompany a more inexperiencedofficerasheventuredoutofthetrenchtocollectallthepropertyofthedeadmenwholayscatteredinthemud,sothatitcouldbesentbacktoEngland. Clout was sitting reading a map, trying to locate the finalrestingplaceof thebattalion theyhadbeensent tosearch for,whenasnipershothimintheface.Thebulletentereddirectlybetweenhiseyes,passed throughhispalateandshattered the right-handsideofhis jaw.Partoftheboneseveredanarteryinhisthroat.Instinctivelyheclutchedhis neck and, finding the place where bloodwas gushing, he tried tostemitashestaggeredbackinthedirectionoftheheadquarters’dugout,shoutingathis juniorofficer tostay lowsincethesniperwascertainlystilllookingoutforthem.Hewasalmostunconsciouswhentheygotbackandwasimmediately

sent to thebasehospital atLeTouqueton thecoast.Thehospitalwasfundedby theDuchess ofWestminster and – in another of the surrealcontrastsoftheGreatWar–hadbeensetupinthecasinooftheelegantholidayresort.Clouthadbeenunluckytobehitonhisfirstdayinthenew post (although luck like that was not terribly unusual on theSomme),buthemusthavebeenbothfortunateandtoughtosurvivehiswoundevenasfarasLeTouquet.Thescienceofbloodtransfusionwasinitsinfancyin1916,andsuchprocedureswereveryrarelyattempted,so the only hopewhen treating a patient losing a lot of bloodwas tokeep them immobile and administer drugs like morphine to slow theheartrate.Cloutwasoperatedontoremovepartofthebulletlodgedinhisjaw

and, two weeks later, once he was stable, he was transferred to ahospital ship for return to Britain. From Dover he went by train toVictoriaStation;there,ashelayontheplatformwithhundredsofotherwoundedmen,hewaslabelledfortheCountessofCarnarvon’shospitalat48BryanstonSquare.ClouttriedtoinsistthathewouldrathergototheGeneralHospital in south London.Hemust have been thinking ofvisits fromhis family, and of getting as close to home as possible.Hewas dispatched to Bryanston Square in any case, and arrived late atnighton2October1916.

Clout always recalled the pleasure of being allowed to sleep late atAlmina’shospital.AtLeTouquet thematronmadeherwardroundsatthe crack of dawn. In the slightly more tranquil surroundings ofBryanstonSquare,themensleptuntilbreakfast,andthentheysawthemedicalstaff.Cloutwasthereuntil13Novemberandmadeareasonablerecovery,althoughhehadtoreturninJanuaryforaseriesofoperationsto continue removing fragments of bone and shrapnel. He later hadreconstructive surgery to enable him to eat solids, but his speechwasimpairedforyears.Hetooktowearingabandageonhisthroatbecausehewasembarrassedbyhis speechandconcerned thatpeoplewouldn’tappreciatethatitwastheresultofawarwound.Abouttwoweeksafterhisarrival,whenhewasabletositupinbed

andtheswellingandpain inhis facehad improvedenoughforhimtotakean interest in theworldagain,Charlesnoticed thatAlminahadavery charming assistant who accompanied her on her rounds, takingnotesonaclipboardasAlminadirected.MaryWeekes,whowasrathertallandneatlydressedwithakindlyandefficientmanner,wasbythen26 years old. She had beenwithAlmina first as a secretary then as ahospital administrator for five years, and the two had becomecompletelydependentoneachother.CharleswroteinhismemoirsthatAlmina regarded her more as a daughter than an employee, which iscertainlyborneoutbyAlmina’sgenerositytoher.Charles caughtMary’s eye. Therewas small talk and shemade sure

shevisitedhimeveryday;anattractionformedandwithinweeksithadprogressedtoadefinitecourtship.CharlesandMaryfrequentlywentfora turn in the gardens behind the railings of Bryanston Square.Alminathought that going out for a walk or going to the theatre was verytherapeutic. Perhaps she had been quietly encouraging Mary. CharlesaskedMarytomarryhiminearly1917.Despite his insistence on formality, Charles definitely had a roguish

streak, and he certainly looked good in a uniform.He recorded in hismemoir that when he returned to King’s College Cambridge after hisArmytrainingtoinformtheauthoritiesthathewasheadingtoFrance,he also called on a lady student fromNewnhamwhom he’dmet at auniversity society for reading plays in foreign languages. The TabardSocietywasoneofthefewopportunitiestheundergraduateshadtomeetthe opposite sex, and although the girls were chaperoned, sparks had

clearlyflownastheyoungpeoplerecitedlinestogether.Astheysatoverteainherrooms,‘herflatteringcommentsonmyappearanceinuniformputmeoutof countenance, especiallyasanumberofothergirlsweresummoned tomeetme. It seemed I was something of a trophy to bedisplayedtoherfriends.’On another occasion, before Charles was wounded and hospitalisedbacktoLondon,hefoundveryattractivebillets.SincehespokeFrench,he was often asked to help out when another officer was havingproblems with his accommodation. Officers were billeted with localpeople,butitwasnotobligatoryforhouseholdsofwomentotakeinaguest.AyoungladylivingwithhermotherhadrefusedtoallowaBritishofficertolodgewiththembutthecommunicationproblemsmeanttherewasalotofmisunderstanding.Cloutwenttoinvestigatewithhisfellowofficer and the matter was resolved and alternative accommodationfound.‘Iofferedtoescorttheladybacktoherhome.Ontheway,withaside-long glance atme, she said, “If it had been youwhowanted ourroomIwouldnothaverefused.”’Charleswasnotabouttopassupthisopportunity.‘Asshewasaveryattractiveperson,Iimmediatelytookupthe offer and hadmy orderlymovemy kit into her home.My friendwouldneverbelievethatIhadnot“pulledafastone”onhim.Thatnighttheladycameintomybedroom,andfortherestoftheperiodthatwewere inaction in this sectionof the line Iwasalwaysable tovisitherduringanyrestperiod,whichprobablyhelpedkeepmesane.’MaryandCharlesweremarriedinJuly1918,whenCharles‘believedthatthewarmightdragonforyearsyet’.Theyhaddecidedtowaituntilhis recovery was complete and all the work on his jaw was finished.LordandLadyCarnarvonweretheirguestsofhonourand,infact,theirwitnesses. Almina arranged for them to bemarried at the fashionablechurchStGeorge’s,HanoverSquare.ShethensetthemupinahouseinPaddington, buying all their furniture. They went on to have threechildren, anduntilMary becamebriefly ill after the birth of her thirdchild,shecontinuedtoworkforAlmina.Allherlife,Alminahadwildlycavalierattitudestomoney.Shecouldbe a bully about it, but she was also generous to a fault, oftenindiscriminately so. It was a habit that got her into a great deal oftroubleinlaterlife,butonthisoccasionhergenerositywasbornoutofsincere affection and in recognition ofMary’s years of hardwork. She

alsolentthecoupletheLakeHouseontheestateatHighclerefortheirhoneymoon, and, as a souvenir, she gaveMary a specially made fan,paintedwithaviewofthebuilding.It isabeautifulhouse,anelegant,lowvillarightonthewater’sedge,andapeacefulidyllfortwopeoplewhohadbeenworking surroundedbydeathanddestruction foryears.Almina,whowasgoodatdetail,madesurethatfoodandstaffwerelaidonsothatthecouplewouldnothavetoliftafinger.Charleswrotea letter toAlminaon theeveningofhisweddingday,justafterthecouplearrivedattheLakeHouse,thankingherforhergiftsto him and for everything she had done for them. ‘My dear FairyGodmotherIshouldliketocallyou,forthatishowIshallalwaysthinkofyou…thankyouforthelinksandstuds,whicharecharming,andthegiftofplate,whichissofineIthinkIwillneverwishtodineawayfromhome …’ The man who wondered about the propriety of using firstnamesexpressedhimselffulsomelytoAlmina,whohadnursedhimbacktohealth,introducedhimtohiswifeandsethimupinlife.‘Iwilltrytoliveup to the trustyouhaveplaced inme.Withverybestwishesandlovefrom,yourssincerely,CharlesClout.’The following day Mary wrote to her ‘Dearest Little Lady’ to tellAlminaofherperfecthappinessattheLakeHouseandtoaddherownthanks.‘HowcanIeventrytothankyouforallyouhavedoneforme.IlongtotellyouwhatIfeelaboutyourwonderfulloveandaffectionbutalasnowordsofminecouldadequatelyexpresswhat I really feel… IhopeIwillalwaysbeacredittothekindestladyIknow,whohasindeedbeenamothertomeforthelastsevenyearsandIknowwillgoonbeingso…Withlovefromusboth,yoursaffectionately,Mary.’

LetterfromCharlesClouttoLadyAlmina,1918.

Seethispageforfulltranscriptoftheletter.

LetterfromMaryWeekestoLadyAlmina.

Seethispageforfulltranscriptoftheletter.

These voices from a supposedly buttoned-down age overflow withsincere emotion. There’s no doubt that Almina could be frivolous anddomineering,butshealsotransformedpeople’sliveswithherenergeticdesiretomakeothershappy.Forthat,manyofthemlovedherbackwithdevotion.

OneofLadyCarnarvon’snursesattheCastle.HernurseswerealwaysexceptionallywellturnedoutandLadyCarnarvon

paidforalltheiruniformspersonally.

OneofmanypicturesfromtheCastleArchivesofGreatWarsoldiersrecuperatingattheCastle.

ThesouthelevationofHighclereCastleduringtheGreatWar,completewithsunblinds,sinceremoved.

Ahand-writtenletterfromGeneralSirJohnCowans,Quarter-Master-GeneraloftheBritishArmyduringtheGreatWar,

toAlfreddeRothschild,afteravisithemadeto‘HighclereHospital’.‘…Itissimplythebest…anditslittleLadyisa

marvel,anotherFlorenceNightingale…’.

PatientsrecoveringattheCastle.

Thisbenchisstilltobeseen(andsaton!)intheGroundsoftheCastle.

AwoundedsoldierontheSouthLawnsoftheCastlenearthesoutheastcorner.

Apictureofarecuperatedofficer,whowasnursedatthehospitalin1915,kindlydonatedtotheCastlebyadescendant.

MajorJARutherfordwithhisfivesons,allofwhomservedintheGreatWar.MajorRutherfordwastheEstateManager

tothe5thEarlofCarnarvon.ThreeofhissonswereinvalidedfromtheArmywithwarwounds.Thereare75nameson

theHighclereEstateRollofHonourforthosewhowenttofightduringtheGreatWar.13arelistedas‘Killed’.Major

Rutherfordis‘MentionedforValuableServices’.

MaryWeekes,Almina’sloyalsecretary,andherhusband,CharlesClout.CharleswassenttoHighclerewhenhewas

injuredinWorldWarOne,andtheysoonfellinlove.(photocrediti3.10)

ThefanthatAlminagavetoMaryasaweddingpresent.

SirBerkeleyMoynihan,afamoussurgeonandMajorGeneralintheBritishArmyintheGreatWar,andPresidentofthe

RoyalCollegeofSurgeons.Heoperatedonthe5thEarlin1918whenhehadalmostdiedofperitonitis.LadyAlmina’s

medicalexperiencehelpedsaveherhusband’slifeasshenursedhimbacktohealth.

OneofmanypicturesfoundintheCastlearchivesoftheGreatWar.

Avictoryparade,shortlyaftertheCenotaphwaserected.

Acertificatefromtherecuperatingsoldiers,thankingthe5thCountessforherefforts.

Aremarkabledrawing,foundintheCastlearchivesintheWartimeVisitorsbook,madebyarecuperatingsoldierin

praiseofthe5thCountess’seffortsasthehospitalwasbeingmovedtoasiteinLondon.

AportraitofLadyEvelynHerbert(1901-1979)duringtheGreatWar.

15

TheDarkTimes

TheromancebetweenCharlesCloutandMaryWeekeswasanuntypicalbright spot inagloomyyear.Charleswasnever sentback to the frontline – his injury was too severe – and he spent the rest of the warhelpingtotrainbattalionsofnewrecruits.Butthesickeningrhythmofinjury,recoveryandreturntothewarwasrepeatedoverandoveragainforhundredsofthousandsofothers.Somemenhadtofindthestrengthtoreturntwo, three,evenfourtimes, inthefullknowledgethatwhilsttheyhadbeenluckysofar,theirluckcouldnotholdforever.At the same time that Charles Clout was being shipped out of the

Sommewithabulletlodgedinhisshatteredjaw,Alminawasfranticallypulling strings to secureapass for the fatherof a youngman shehadtreatedbackinFebruary,togoovertoFrance.MontySquirehadbeenat‘48’,astheBryanstonSquarehospitalwasknown,foramonthandhadmadeafullrecoveryasaresultoftheexcellentnursinghehadreceivedthere.AlminahadasusualmadeitherbusinesstocontactandbefriendMonty’sfamily,andhisparentswroteagratefullettertoheraftertheirson’srelease.Assoonashewaswell,hewassentbacktoFrance,andto

the Battle of the Somme. Some time in August, Mr and Mrs Squirereceivedthenewstheyhadbeendreading.Montywashit,hewasbeingheldinabasehospitalinFranceandtreatedthere.Itwasanadmissionthathewasgoingtodie.TheywroteagaintoAlmina,thistimebegginghertodoanythinginherpowertohelpthemsecurepermissionfromthemilitaryauthoritiestotraveltobeattheirchild’sbedside.Onceagain,Almina’sconnections,andherwillingnesstousethem,gotresults.ApasswassecuredtospeedMrSquireouttothefieldhospitalwherehissonlaydying.Montywasunconsciousforhislastfourdays,duringwhichtimehisfathersatbyhisbedside talking and reading to him. Monty’s mother Alice wrote toAlminaafterwards tosay thatshehadbeencomfortedby the fact thatMontywasnotalonewhenhedied.‘Ihavetobestrongformyhusband,aswellasmyson,’shewrote.Winifred Burghclere’s nephew RichardMaitland, whose brother hadalready been killed, was also serving at the Somme. He was badlywounded in the leg and sent back to Southampton and from there toBryanston Square. He spent five months there and survived the warthough, even after his final operation in 1917, hewalkedwith a limpbecauseofastiffknee.No familywas immune todeath, and theCarnarvons, although theywerebecomingalmostnumbfromtheendlesslossoffriends,werestilldevastated to hear in November that their cousin, Bron Herbert, wasmissinginaction.AubreyHerbertwasespeciallyclosetoBron,whohadjoined theRoyal FlyingCorps.He had lost a leg in the BoerWar andthen followed family traditionbybecomingapoliticianand serving inAsquith’s government asUnder-Secretaryof State for theColonies, thesame post as his uncle, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon, had held. He wasconfirmeddeadinDecember.Aubreywrotetohiscousin,Bron’ssister,‘Ohmydear,Ican’twrite,Iamtooselfishlysorry.Ididlovehimso.’Inhis letter tohiswifeMary,Aubreysaid, ‘BronismorethanIcanbear,forhimthistimeaswellasmyself.’MarywasworriedthatthenewswouldpushAubreyovertheedgeandmake him do something stupid. His nerves had been frayed by thehorrors he had seen in theGallipoli campaign and the futility he saweverywhere.AubreycouldnolongerbeartoreadTheTimesfornewsofthe death of friends, and began to express the view that the ‘military

solution’ had failed and could not go on. That was not a popularposition, in spiteofeverything,andAubreywas increasingly seenasacrackpotandapotentialdangertohimself.Aubrey was still a servingMP, though, and took the job extremelyseriously.Hewaswell placed to substantiatehis opinion that thenewgovernmentwas not to be trusted. InDecemberMrAsquith,whowasincreasingly blamed for the drift in strategy and the lack of decisiveprogress, had been ousted. David Lloyd George, who had been madeSecretary of State for War after Lord Kitchener’s death, took over asLiberal Prime Minister of the Conservative-dominated coalitiongovernment.It was not a good moment to take on the top job. The public wasrestive,thegeneralswerepatentlyconfusedandthewarwasadisaster.On top of that, the Easter Uprising in Dublin had reawakened thequestion of Home Rule for Ireland, which had been the recurringnightmare for every British Prime Minister for more than fifty years.Overshadowingeverythingwasanalmostunimaginablenumber.WhentheBattleoftheSommefinallypeteredoutinNovember1916,415,000soldiers from the British and Dominions Army had been killed orwounded or were missing in action. The total number of casualtiesacross all the nations that participatedwas 1.5million. Eventually, ofcourse,LloydGeorgewouldbeassociatedwithvictory,regardedasoneofthegreatestpoliticiansofthetwentiethcentury,butfornow,hehadinheritedaverypoisonedchalice.LordCarnarvonhadbeenillagainintheautumnof1916andAlminabegged him to come up to London and stay at the house in BerkeleySquaresoshecouldkeepaneyeonhim.Hewasfretfulaboutthenewgovernment,particularly theiragriculturalpolicies for land requisition,andwrotetoWinifredthathewasworriedabouthisson,Porchy,whowas suddenly looking far too young to be serving in the Army. OnBoxing Day 1916, Lord and Lady Carnarvon had to wave Porchy offwhen he sailed with his regiment, for war. Their big consolation wasthathewasheadingnottoFranceortheBalkansbut,fornowatleast,tothebackwatersofIndia.LordPorchesterwasjusteighteenwhenhelandedatBombayandwasa boisterous, self-important teenager who had been enjoying his firstloveaffairsinbetweentrainingtojointhecavalry.Porchy’sattitudewas

theembodimentoftheyoungman’sinabilitytograspthathemaydie,thatsomethingbadmighthappentohim.Healwaysrecalledtheawfulsinking sensation of scanning the casualty lists for the names of hisschoolfriends, but as a boy he was quite capable of resisting themelancholyandhopelessnessthathisuncleAubreycouldnot.Nothing Porchy foundwhen he arrived at Gillespie Barracks to join

the7thHussarsdisabusedhimofhisgood-naturedexpectationthathislifewould continue towork out verywell indeed. As hewrote in hismemoirs, ‘thechangingpatternofwarfareontheWesternFronthadn’tfilteredthroughtoIndia.TheIndianArmystilltrainedanddrilledtoapattern thathadn’t altered in200years: sword-play exercise,mountedcombat with lances, revolver practice and polo, to practisehorsemanship.’The niceties were meticulously observed out in Meerut. The Anglo-

Indianmilitary’swayoflifewastotallyimpervioustotheausteritythatwasbitingbackhome.Therewere fourchangesofkitadayanddressuniformwaswornfordinner,whichwasalwaysservedonthebestsilverplatebyaretinueofstaffthatputHighclere’stoshame.Porchyenjoyedhimself,buthewasalsofrustrated,aswasthewhole

regiment, that despite the awful news from France and the EasternFront,therewasnosignofthembeingcalledupandgivenanyworktodo.Porchy would have to endure the luxurious calm until the late

autumn,buteverywhereelse,allwaschaos.ThenavalbattlewasbeingsteppedupbyGermany, since it hadbeendecided that dominationoftheseaswasthewaytobreakthepublicsupportforthewarinBritain.FromFebruary1917therewasa‘sinkonsight’policyandcivilianboatswere increasingly targeted. US boats were also being sunk in theAtlantic,andGermanywasgamblingthatBritishmoralewouldcollapsebefore the United States’ neutrality was tested too far. German HighCommandmisjudgeditandtheUSdeclaredwarontheCentralPowerson6April1917.Thatwouldeventuallyprovedecisive,butinitiallytheAmericans’ involvement couldn’t alter the fact that Germany waswinningthewar.BoththeFrenchandtheRussianarmiesweremutinying.TheRussians’

abilitytofightontheEasternFront,whichhadbeenebbingawaysince1915,wasonthebrinkofcollapse.InMarch1917theRussianpeople’s

loathing of the war and contempt for their government’s leadershipspilledoverintoviolentdemonstrations.TheTsarabdicated;theRussianArmy had only one eye on the job of trying to win the war. Theprovisional government launched a highly unpopular big push againsttheCentralPowersinJulyandthatwasenoughtopreparethegroundfor the October Revolution in which Lenin and the Bolsheviks seizedpower.AtBryanstonSquarethehospitalwasbusierthanever.InJanuaryandFebruarytherewerestillmenstayingwhohadcomefromtheSomme,men who needed too much nursing to be sent out to convalescenthomes, some of whom had been there for five months. New patientswerearrivingfromFranceeveryday.TheybeggedAlminatobeallowedtocomebacktoherhospitalthenexttimetheywerewounded.Noonehadanyhopethatthewarwouldbeoversoon,andnoonewantedtogobacktotheFront.Aconditionofstasisgrippedpeople;itbegantofeelasifwarwasapermanentstate.Alminainstructedhernursestospendasmuch time as possible sitting with the men, talking, listening andplayingcards.Shelivedbytheprincipleoftakingonedayatatimeandstayingbusy.Therewasverylittlealternative.In February therewas a boost to the spirits of the residents of ‘48’when King George andQueenMary paid a visit. Almina hadmet theroyalcoupleofcourse,hadbeentotheircoronationdressedinherfinestsilks and jewels. Now she greeted them on the doorstep wearing hernurse’suniformwitha largestarchedcapand floor-lengthapron.Onlyhertrademarkwavedhairandenormoussmilewerethesame.Shecouldnever resist the opportunity to be charming, and she welcomed herguestseffusively.Theyspoketoeverysinglepatient,nurseanddoctor,walking fromward toward and commending the excellent equipmentandstandardofcare.Alminawasnaturallyoverjoyedbythisrecognitionanddelightedwhen,followingtheKing’sglowingreport,shewelcomedhisuncle,PrinceArthur,DukeofConnaught,thefollowingweek.TheKingandQueenwereaccompaniedbyAdmiralLouisBattenbergand Sir Thomas Myles, a high-ranking member of the Royal ArmyMedicalCorps.AdmiralBattenbergwasaGermanPrinceandacousinofGeorgeV.HehadbeenservingintheRoyalNavyforfortyyearswhenwarbrokeout,andhadbeenFirstSeaLordsince1912.Hehadbeguntodraw up the Navy’s plans for war, but a huge wave of anti-German

feelinghad forcedhis retirement. JustasAlfreddeRothschild’s familyhad found itself on two different sides of the conflict, so the BritishRoyal family had to contend with the perception that some membersmighthave split loyalties.The issue came to ahead in the summerof1917 when anti-German sentiment was so insistent that King GeorgeissuedaproclamationchangingthenameoftheRoyalfamilyfromSaxe-CoburgandGothatoWindsor.Loyaltywasanincreasinglyvexedissuein1917.TheMilitaryService

Act of January 1916 had introduced conscription for all single menbetweentheagesofnineteenandforty-one.ThatwasadjustedinMaytoinclude married men without children. The fact was that by 1917,althoughtheArmymanagedtoreachitstargetofanadditional800,000men,thenumberoffitsoldiersabletoserveatthefrontlinewasfalling.Thosewhowereservingwereabletotakeonlyhalftheleavetheywereentitled to. Feelings of resentment towards those who were notperceivedtobedoingtheirbitwereincreasing.TheWestern Front continued to stack up with the bodies of young

men. In June 1917 the British scored a significant success when theycaptured the Messines Ridge, near Ypres, using a different tactic: thedeployment of mines before the artillery attack. But any forwardmomentum was lost when there was an eight-week delay before thelaunchofthenextattack.AfterthestrategicsuccessatMessinesandtherelativelylowcasualties,expectationswerehigh.Passchendaelecrushedthemallbackintothemud.Thebattleopenedon31JulyandlasteduntilearlyNovember.Itwas

another exchange of pitiless attrition,with heavy shells pounding intobotharmies’defencesandno-man’s-landbetweenthem,dayandnight.Theground,whichwasboggyeveninadrysummer,wasdestroyedbythe explosions,which left behind overlapping craters, huge pockmarksthatfilledwithwater,mudandbodies.Thenitbegantorain.Itrainedevery day apart from three in August. The mud was inescapable.Trenches collapsed, burying men alive; they drowned in mud up anddownthelines.Therewasnoreliefanywhere,fromthenoise,thefear,thethreatofagasattack.Dependingontheamountofpoisonreleased,gaswas sometimesmerely onemore irritant, but other times itwas aterrifyingchokingfogthatcausedblindness. Inveryheavygasattacks,mendrownedinitasitdissolvedtheirlungs.Thereweremanywaysto

dieintheGreatWar.ThelittlebandofHighcleremenwhohadjoinedupinthesummerof

1916,whohadtrainedtogetherandbeenoutinFranceforsixmonths,dodgingbullets,stayinglucky,foughtatPasschendaele.StanHerringtonsurvivedseveralmonthsbutwaskilledinSeptember,agednineteen.InOctober it was Tommy Hill’s turn. His wife, Florence, had borne hisabsence as best she could, cherishing every letter, refusing to believethatherTommywouldn’tmakeitback.Hisbody,likesomanyothersatPasschendaele,wasneverfound.When she got the telegram to say that he was missing in action,

Florencedecided towait forbetternews.Perhaps shebelievedhehadbeentakenprisoner.Florencewaitedandwaiteduntilfinally,morethantwoyearslater,aftertheArmistice,shehadtoacceptthatherhusbandwas dead. She never remarried. When her nephew was born, he wasnamedTommy,inhonouroftheunclehehadneverknown.HenryCrawleyhadbeenfightinginYpresin1917andwaswounded

andsenttoLadyCarnarvon’shospital.HehadalreadyfoughtatGallipoliandnowhehadalsosurvivedtheSomme.HisparentslivedinBethnalGreeninLondonsoitwaseasyforthemtovisittheirson.Apprehensiveafterthestressofthepreviousthreeyears,theysaidgoodbyeasheleftagainto joinhisbattalioninFrance.This timethe lettersstopped,andlikesomanyotherparentstheycouldonlyvisithisnamedgraveinthewarcemeteryinFrance.HewaskilledinMay1918.Bycontrast,Alminawas thrilledwhenDavidCampbell turnedupon

herdoorstepatBryanstonSquare.ShehadnotheardfromhimsinceheleftHighclere.‘Shegavemeaterrificwelcome,’hewrote,andthenshewhirled him upstairs to show him round her wonderful hospital andmeet all the patients. She was thrilled that he had been awarded theMilitaryCrossandmadehimpromisetocomeagainthefollowingweeksoshecouldspoilhimandtakehimouttolunch.

16

ThePromisedEnd

Highclere in 1917 echoed with ghosts. It was virtually shut up; LadyEvelyn was the onlymember of the family still spendingmost of hertimeatthehouse.LordCarnarvonwasbackandforthbetweenLondonand the Castle, depending on the state of his health and the need towork on estate matters. Almina hated to leave Bryanston Squareunattended,butshefrettedaboutherdaughterandpoppeddownfortheoddweekendtobewithher.Eve missed Porchy and was lonely and unsure of herself; she was

sixteen years oldwith a sense ofwaiting for her life to start thatwasexacerbatedbythenation’sendlesssuffering.Thehousefeltsadwithoutthebustleofthehospital,whichEvehadenjoyed,andalthoughshewasnaturally inclined towork hard on her lessons, it was difficult to feelconfidentaboutabrightfuture.Theoldpathforagirlinherposition–thedebutanteseasonthatwouldleadtomakingagoodmarriage–wassomething of a sideshow compared to the trauma the country wasexperiencing.Evelookedforwardanxiouslytohertripstotownandherparents’visits,anddevouredthelettersfromherbrotherthatconnected

hertoabiggerworld.When her father was at the Castle they dined together in the StateDining Room, seated below the Van Dyck portrait of Charles I onhorseback. The wonder of a house like Highclere is that, althoughchangeragesaroundit,itsphysicalfabricstayssorecognisable.Thereisacomfortinthewaysomanythingsendure.Evemighthavebeenlonelysometimes, but she could never feel completely lost when she was athome in the house she had lived in all her life, a house that was amonumenttoherfamily’spermanence.Eveandherfatherhadalwaysbeendevotedtooneanotherandnowtheir conversations about estate business, the war and the hospitalbroughtthemevenclosertogether.LordCarnarvonwasdesperatetogetbacktoEgyptandresumehislife’swork,andEve,whowasasfascinatedbytheeleganceofAncientEgyptianartasherfather,lovedtolistentohis plans for resuming the excavations. Therewas sporadic news fromHowardCarter,whohadreportedfordutyinCairoandbeenassignedtothe Intelligence Department of the War Office. He wrote to tell LordCarnarvonthathehadbeenabletoundertakesomeclearingworkintheValleyoftheKings,buttherecouldbenorealprogressuntilthewarwaswon.One topic that, given his instinctive reticence, Lord CarnarvonprobablychosenottodiscusswithEvewashisconcerntoavoidgivingupanyofthelandatHighcleretothegovernment.Since1916therehadbeenapolicyoflandrequisition,withcompensationforowners,sothatmore food could be produced. But Lord Carnarvon found the officialagricultural policies absurd. He had written to his sister in December1916,‘MostoftheagriculturalschemesIseemootedaretoofoolishforwords.Asifyoucouldsowwheatoncommonsinthatcasualway.’HewasdoingeverythinghecouldtokeepenoughmenatHighclereforthefarm to continue to function, andwas convinced that thiswould be amore efficient way to maximise output than handing over land to befarmed by strangers on behalf of central government. Carnarvon hadasked his long-serving agent, James Rutherford, to write to theauthorities to request a dispensation for Blake, the head gardener,removinghisobligation tovolunteer. ‘It is farmore important that theHospital shouldcontinue tobe suppliedwith fruitandvegetables thanthatBlakeshouldbeputtosomeunsuitableformoflabour.’

AubreyandMarywereoccasionalvisitorstoHighclereandEvelookedforwardespeciallyeagerlytotheirarrivalnowthatshewasateenagerand often starved of company.Aubrey had always been a favourite ofbothhisnieceandnephewandtheyadoredhim,buthiselderbrotherwas troubled by some of the conversations that went on around thedining-room table. Politics could not be kept off the agenda whenAubrey was around and his views were becoming more and morecontroversial.HewasincreasinglyvotingwiththeLabourPartyandthepacifists in the House of Commons. Mary cautioned him that LordNorthcliffe, the newspaper baron who owned both The Times and theDailyMail,hadahabitofdestroyingthereputationsofmenlikeAubrey.Look at Lord Lansdowne, who had been vilified for writing that ‘theprolongationof thewar [would] spell ruin for thecivilisedworld,andaninfiniteadditiontotheloadofhumansufferingwhichalreadyweighsuponit.’But if ever there was a time for the pacifist position to be takenseriously, it was the second half of 1917. The Allies’ prospects wereworseningbytheday.FieldMarshalHaigwasinsistentthattheGermanswereonthebrinkofcollapseandthatthewarofattritionwasworking,but that simply wasn’t borne out by results. In reality the Germansbenefitedhugelyfromtwodevelopments.Firstly,theymanagedtoknockItaly out of the conflict in just two months through superb logisticalmanagement, and thereby prop up the crumbling Austro-HungarianEmpire a little while longer. Then, in December, the demoralised anddefeatedRussianssuedforpeace.Ukraine,GeorgiaandtheBalticstateswereall turnedintoaGermanprotectorateandfortyGermandivisionscouldbetransferredfromtheEasterntotheWesternFront.TheCentralPowersbelievedtheendwasinsight.Theyweretomakeonelasthugeeffort to break through on the West and defeat the Allies. Morale inEngland could not have been lower. Eight hundred thousand Britishsoldierswerekilledorinjuredin1917.Theendoftheyearsawinches’worthofgroundgainedandthenlost,a depressing back and forth across the bog that had been northernFrance.TheBritishArmy’sattackattheBattleofCambraiutilisedtanksas well as a lighter, moremobile artillery, and was plannedwith thebenefitofaerial reconnaissance. Initial gains couldn’t beheld, though,andtheBritishwerefoughtbackbyGermanstormtroopers.

At the same time as the deadly dance on the Western Front wasclaimingmorelives,LordPorchesterwasrejoicingoverthetelegramforwhichhehadbeenwaitingalmostayear.The7thHussarswerebeingsenttofighttheTurks.MesopotamiahadclaimedthelivesofthousandsofBritish and Indianmen after thehumiliating siege ofKut al-Amara,but thepressingneed todefend theoil fieldshadn’t abated, and sincethen therehadbeenachangeof fortunes.Twohundred thousandmendeployedtotheregionhadsucceededintakingBaghdadinMarch1917.PorchywasgoingtojoinabrigadeofreinforcementswhowereneededtorespondtotherumouredcounterattackfromtheOttomanArmy.Thewar in Arabiawas the last campaign inwhich there could still

conceivably be a role for the cavalry.Only a fewmonths beforehand,FieldMarshalHaighadfinallygivenuponhischerishedurgetodeploythemagainsttheGermantrenches,whenhehadorderedamountedunittowaitforabreakthroughatPasschendaeleandthenrushthroughthelines to attack. The breakthrough never came, the horses churned theground toevenstickiermudand theplan touse thecavalry inFrancewasatlastabandoned.ButthedesertsandsoftheMiddleEastwereverydifferent: there were no heavily defended trenches to contend with.Porchy’sregimentjoinedaforcebeingshippedfromIndiaovertoBasraandfromtheretheybeganthe500-milemarchonBaghdad.The troops’ enthusiasm for finally seeing some action evaporated

almost instantlyintheferociousheat.Evenastheysetoff,Porchyandhis men heard that there had been 360 deaths from heatstroke theprevious day. It was blisteringly hot by day, freezing by night, anddysentery,malariaandsand-flyfeverwererampant.Allied High Command were proved right about the usefulness of

highlytrainedmenandhorses,though.OnebandofmenrodehardintothedesertawayfromtheEuphratestocutofftheflankoftheOttomanArmy,andPorchyandhismenmountedanambushontheAlepporoadtopickuptheTurkishforcesastheyretreated.Itallworkedexactlyasplanned,andtheOttoman50thDivisionwasdefeated.But,eveninthemidstof this low-casualty success,aboy’sownadventurecompared tothe slaughter in France and Belgium, there was horror. Porchy cameuponacaveinthehillsofthedesertinwhichanentireArabvillagehadtakenshelterfromtheconflict.TheyhadbeencompletelycutoffbytheOttomanArmyandhundredsofpeoplehadstarvedtodeath.Atfirsthe

thoughttherewasnooneleftalive,thatthecavewasfullofemaciatedcorpses,butthenhesawthatafewofthemwerestillclingingontolife.The regiment of happy-go-lucky Anglo-Indians, who had been playingpolo just two months before, were incredulous at the fate of thesecivilianmen,womenandchildren.Whentheydesperatelytriedtofeedthevillagerstheirrationsofcondensedmilk,itwasmorethantheArabs’wasted frames could take. The last remaining survivors died in thesoldiers’arms.Thewar turnedup suffering everywhere – therewas anever-endingsupply of it – but at Bryanston Square therewas an enclavewhere itcouldatleastbealleviatedwithexpertiseandpatience,andincomfort.ThecontrastbetweenwhatthemenhadseenandwhattheyexperiencedunderAlmina’scarewasalmostsurreal,likethesickeningdisconnectionbetweenstarvingvillagersandcondensedmilk.Sidney Roberts was sent to Lady Carnarvon’s hospital from Francewithashatteredrightleg.TheorderlywhodispatchedhimsaidhewassendinghimtoLadyCarnarvon’splace‘becausetheylikedgoodsurgicalcasesthere.’Sidneycapturedtheoddnessaswellastheluxuriouseaseoflifeat ‘48’perfectlywhenhewrotetothankAlminaandtoldherwhathe particularly remembered. There was the exquisite breakfast in bedserved by Almina’s butler, while the footman politely enquired notwhether he would like to read a paper, but which paper he requiredfirst. Like so many of Almina’s correspondents, Sidney was obviouslymuch cheered by the banter of the Irish nurses. Dr Johnnie had alsomade a great impression.Hewas undoubtedly an excellent doctor butapparently he never really got the hang of the X-ray machine. AtSidney’s firstexaminationhe turnedvarious switchesonandoff in ‘anexperimental way’ before saying brightly, ‘Well, the whole place willprobably blow up. You don’t mind do you?’ It’s a good thing SidneyRobertswasinclinedtolaugh,becauseonecan’thelpthinkingthatsomeofAlmina’spatientsmighthavetakenthatquipratherhard.SidneywasoutbyChristmas1917andabletogobacktohisparents’place inWorthingwithhis leg ina splint.Notall ofAlmina’spatientssurvived, though. Sid Baker arrived at Bryanston Square at about thesametimeasSidneyRoberts,butallAlmina’sskillandnursingcouldn’tsavehim.Whenhediedhe lefta littledaughterandhiswidow,Ruth,whowrotetothankLadyCarnarvonfornotmerelysendingabeautiful

wreathbutactuallyattendinghis funeral.There is the familiarmovingstruggletoexpresslimitlessgratitudeandappreciation. ‘Iamunabletofindwordstoexpressmythanksforyoursweetnessandkindness.’Itwastheendofthemostterribleyear.Battlefieldsallovertheworld

werestillfillingupwithcorpses,andcitieswereacquiringmorewidowslike Ruth. Whoever officially won the war, it was starting to feelimpossible to establish what victory would look like. The moral andmentalexhaustionwastoogreattoallowanymeaningfulassessment.AstheCarnarvonsembarkedon1918,theyhaddramasoftheirown

to focus on. In the middle of January, the Earl spent a morning outshootingwithafriendandwasjustfinishinglunchattheCastlewhenhewas taken ill with agonising abdominal pain. Almina received thetelegramatBryanstonSquareanddroppedeverything to racedown toHighclere,fetchherhusbandandbringhimbacktothehospital,wherehewasimmediatelyoperatedonforappendicitis.Almina’slongstandingcolleague,SirBerkeleyMoynihan,whohadrushedtohelp,toldLordandLadyCarnarvonafter theoperation thatwithhalf anhour’sdelay, theEarlmighthavedied.LordCarnarvonwrotetohissisterWinifredtotellher what had happened and attributed his recovery to ‘the skill anddevotionofmywife’.The Earl’s lucky escape had to be set against the loss of Alfred de

Rothschildjustthreeweekslater.Theoldman,whohadneverrecoveredhis joiedevivre after theoutbreakofwar,hadbeengetting frailerandfrailerforyears.Hediedon31Januaryafterashortillness.Alminawasalready exhausted, and had only just recovered her calm after herhusband’sclose-runthing.Nowshewasdevastated.LadyEvelyncametoLondonthemomentsheheardthenewsandfoundhermotherweepinguncontrollablyatAlfred’sdeathbedinSeamorePlace.Alfred was buried with great ceremony at the Willesden United

Synagogue Cemetery in north London the following day. Hisextraordinary generosity and boundless affection for his family hadsustainedAlminaintheenviablepositionofbeingbothwell lovedandalsogiftedwitheverymaterialthingshedesired.HislosswasaterribleblowandwastohaveprofoundimplicationsforAlmina’sfuturelife.Alminahad losther father, justbarelysavedherhusbandandhada

son fighting in theMiddle East toworry about.Oncemore she threwherself into her work; it was the best possible distraction. Lord

Carnarvon remained in London until March, recovering from hisoperationandfrettingaboutPorchy.Everytimehereceivedascribbledmessage fromhim, he rushed round the corner toWinifred’s house toreadittohissister.HewasalsoworriedaboutAubrey,whoserecordofvotingwithLabourhadmadehim sounpopularwithhisConservativeconstituency that he’d left the country for Italy and Albania, leavingMarytodealwiththefallout.ThenewsfromtheContinentwasallbad.TheCentralPowersjudged

thatthetimetosecureadecisivevictorywasnow,beforetheUStroopscouldarriveinFranceinbigenoughnumberstomakeAlliedvictoryallbut inevitable. General Ludendorff planned a spring offensive for theWestern Front, and threw every last resource into the battle. Sevenhundredandfiftythousandmenweremadereadyandon21March,vastquantitiesofartillerypounded theBritishpositions.TheGermanArmyproceeded to advance forty kilometres and the British fell back toAmiens, retreating over the fields of the Somme that they had beeninchingacross for the last threeyears. Itwasonlywhen the landscapereasserteditselfandtheheavyGermanartillerybecameboggeddowninthemud,that theoffensiveslowed.Britishreinforcementsweresent into Amiens in red double-decker buses and the two armies paused toassess.It was the biggestmovement in any direction since 1914 and,with

hindsight,thestartoftheendofthewar,butitwasalsotheendofFieldMarshalHaig’sdominance.HeplacedhimselfunderthecommandofanoutstandingFrenchGeneral,FerdinandFoch,andon26March,GeneralFochwasappointedSupremeCommanderoftheAlliedforces.TheGermanswerestilladvancingandon13AprilHaigtoldhistroops

itwas‘backsagainstthewall’,urgingeverylastmanto‘fightontotheend’. Everyonewas praying that theUSArmy underGeneral Pershingwould deploy in time to give the Allied forces the boost they sodesperatelyneeded.TheGermanslostatleast110,000menattheBattleoftheLys,andtheAlliesevenmore.ButbytheendofAprilitbecameclear that the Germans were overextended and undersupplied. TheBritish, for all that they had lost the ground they had spent yearsdefending,hadinfactconcededlittlemorethanamuddyswamp.By29April theextraordinaryGermanadvancewasagain temporarilyhalted.The outcome of thewarwas felt to hang in the balance. Both armies

gathered their forces, called up more reserves, and then Ludendorffmoved emphatically against the French, northeast of Paris at Aisne,catching them completely by surprise. The German Army reached theRiverMarneandPariswaswithinsight.KaiserWilhelmwaselated–theGermansthoughtvictorywasnear.Theirelationwasshort-lived.The Battle of Château-Thierry on 18 July was a day of fighting asferocious as anything that had been seen earlier in thewar. But now,finally, the American Expeditionary Force had arrived: hundreds ofthousands of untraumatised, well-rested men. It was a turning point.AmericanmachinegunnersfoughtalongsideFrenchcolonialtroopsfromSenegal and beat the Germans back. At last the Allies had gained theinitiative.Summer1918sawaseriesofstrategicwins,butmenkeptdyingandBryanstonSquarewasstillfulltotherafters.MajorOliverHopkinsonoftheSeaforthHighlanderswaswounded for the third time inFrance in1918, and to his relief itwas serious enough for him to be evacuatedbackhome.HehadpleadedtobereturnedtoLadyCarnarvon’shospital.‘If you knewwhat a difference itmade tome the last time Iwent toFrance, knowing that if hit again I shouldhave every chance of beingunderyourspecialcare…’hewrotetoAlminawhenhewasdischargedfromthehospitalforthelasttime.Almina became firm friends with some of the returning men andinvited them to Highclere to take their convalescence there. KennethHarbord was with the Royal Flying Corps and had spent a month atBryanston Square in 1916. British pilots in the FirstWorldWar wereincredibly lucky to survive being shot down because, unlike theirGermancounterparts,theywerenotissuedwithparachutes.Iftheywerehit they had no option but to try to land their plane safely.Many ofthemsufferedhorrificburnsbecausetheplanescaught fireonthewaydownbuttheycouldn’tbailout.KennethHarbordsurvivedthisghastlyHobson’sChoicenotoncebuttwice.Hehadaskedtobepassedfitafterhisfirstcrashlandingandrecovery,buthegotshotdownagainandwasback inAlmina’s hospital at the end of 1917.He again recovered andAlmina,whowasdeeplyimpressedbyhisbravery,invitedhimtospendtheweekendatHighclerewithLordCarnarvon.Almina was naturally thinking of the good it would do KennethHarbord,butshewasalsoworriedaboutherhusband.Hewashavinga

dreadful few months and needed cheering up in good company. HischildhoodfriendPrinceVictorDuleepSinghhaddiedofaheartattackinJune inMonteCarlo.Victorhadbeenan immoderate eater all his lifeandbytheendhewasclinicallyobese.LordCarnarvonwasutterlycastlow.HewasalsofuriouswithAubrey,whohadgottheCarnarvonnamemixedupinalibeltrial.LordCarnarvonhadonlymetthedefendantinthe‘BillingTrial’oncebychancefortenminutes,butAubrey,whodidn’thavea judgementalbone in his body, had been inviting him to Pixton ratherindiscriminately. The case revolved around a delusional Americaneccentric and a libellous poem entitled ‘The Cult of the Clitoris’.ConductedbyMrJusticeDarling,thetrialdegeneratedintofarce,albeitone the newspapers adored. By the time the case came to court thatsummer, Aubrey was abroad again, heading up the British AdriaticMissionandco-ordinatingspecialintelligenceinRome.Itwaslefttohisolder brother to handle the fallout as the newspapers raked over thestoriesofanyoneevenremotelyconnectedtothedefendant.Carnarvonhadto instruct SirEdwardMarshallHall,QC,Aubrey refused to comeback,andCarnarvontriedtoignorethewholematter.KennethHarbordprovedtobeextremelycongenialcompanyandwasinvitedtoHighclereseveral times.TheEarlofcoursesharedHarbord’spassionforflying.Heinvitedanotherhouseguest,alongstandingfriendof his, to participate in their conversations about planes and aerialreconnaissance. JohnMoore-Brabazonwas the first Englishman to fly,albeitinaFrenchmachine,andinAugust1914hehadjoinedtheRoyalFlying Corps. Lord Carnarvon’s knowledge of photographic techniquewashighlyregarded,andhehaddiscussedreconnaissancewithMoore-Brabazon throughout the war. By the time the Allies launched theirHundredDaysOffensive,whicheffectivelyendedtheconflict,theRoyalFlying Corps had been combinedwith the Royal Naval Air Service toformtheRoyalAirForceandwasplayingacrucialroleinintelligence.TheGermans believed that the great losses suffered by theAllies in1917wouldprecludetheBritishandFrenchfromundertakinganymajoroffensive in 1918. The Germans knew that they had to strike beforeAmerican troops arrived in force and the general consensus was thattherewouldnotbeenoughAmericantroopsinFranceuntilearly1919.Alliedactivityin1918,therefore,wouldhavetoberestrictedtomeeting

the planned German advance. The Americans did not want toamalgamatetheirtroopsintoFrenchandBritishbattalions,preferringtowait until an independentAmericanArmy could be shipped to Frenchsoil,whichexasperatedtheAllies.Eventsrapidlyovertookthedisputesassalientswerepushedforwardorheld,andtheestimateofearly1919forthearrivaloftheAmericanforceturnedout,crucially,tobewrong.August 1918 really was, at last, the endgame. By then, 200,000

American troopswerearrivingeverymonth,and theBritishArmywasreinforcedbythereturnoflargenumbersoftroopsfromtheMiddleEastand Italy. The British Navy’s blockade of Germany had destroyed theGermanpublic’sspiritandtheCentralPowers’resolvefoldedinaseriesofheavydefeats.Intheend,afterfourdecimatingyearsofdeath,victorycame in just three months of sharp, decisive battles that cost theGermans twomillionmen killed, captured or injured.Once the Alliedforces had broken the Hindenburg Line of defence, the German Armywas in retreat. By October the Allies were claiming victory and theexhaustedGeneralLudendorff,whohadbeencertainthathismenwereon the brink of capturing Paris just four short months before, had anervous collapse.Acrosswhat had been theAustro-Hungarian Empire,countries were declaring independence; now it was the turn of thepoliticians to begin the long and painful process of working out thetermsonwhichtoendaconflictthathadengulfedmillionsofpeople.KaiserWilhelmabdicatedon9Novemberandthegunsstoppedatthe

eleventhhourontheeleventhdayoftheeleventhmonth,1918.Thewarhadstutteredtoaclose,withrearguardactionsbeingfoughtrightuptotheverylastmoment.TheGermanssatdowntonegotiateUSPresidentWoodrowWilson’sproposalforpeace,withGeneralFoch.TheArmisticewassignedinacarriageofhisprivatetrain,stoppedinthecountrysidenorthofParis.Thenewswaspassedasfastaspossibletothearmies,andhundredsofthousandsofmenfromdozensofdifferentcountriesfinallydaredtohopeitwasreallyallover.Theendhadn’tcomesoonenoughforeveryoneinthelastlittleband

ofHighclerementogotofight.FredBowsherwhoprobablyworkedinthegardenshadjoinedupwithseveralSheermanandMaberboysinthegloomy days of 1917. Both theMabersmade it back toHighclere butoneoftheSheermanboys,Harry,wasdrownedwhentheHMSLeinsterwas sunkby aGerman submarine in the Irish Sea amonth and a day

beforetheArmistice.FredBowsherwaskilledon21June,agedtwenty-one. His friend Arthur Fifield, whose brother had been killed inMesopotamia back in 1916, was buried in France in the summer of1918.The lastFifieldboymade it toArmisticeDayandwenthometohismother.

17

FromWartoPeace

Of course, after the initial disbelief, there was euphoria everywhere,fromthebattlefieldsofFlanderstotheservants’hallatHighclere.DavidLloyd George issued an official communiqué at 10.20 a.m. on 11November, announcing the ceasefire, and by the end of the day,Newbury was decked with flags and the local newspaper reportedfireworks and ‘liveliness’ in the streets. Aubrey walked through thecrowdsinLondon,whichhad‘gonewildwithdelight’,accordingtotheDailyMirror, andnoted their jubilation. Itwasn’t until a fewdays andweeks later that sheer fatigue overtook people, civilians and soldiersalike.AcrosstheMiddleEast,NorthAfricaandallofEurope,millionsofmen were crisscrossing countries, trying to get home. Florence, theformer housemaid fromHighclere,whose husband Tommy’s bodywasnever found, had to face a future without theman she loved, like somanyotherwomenacrosstheworld.Nerveshadbeenstretchedalmosttobreakingpointoverfouryears,andnow,asthePeaceConferenceofVersaillesgotunderway,itwastimetoaskthequestion:whathaditallbeenfor?

OnSunday17November1918,aserviceofthanksgivingwasheldattheNewbury Corn Exchange. Lord Carnarvon spoke in his capacity asHigh Steward and told the crowd of local dignitaries that, although itwasverypropertorejoice,thepeopletherethatdaycouldneverrepaythedebttheyowedtothosewhohadfought.AlminaandEvewerebothat his side, but Porchy of course was not. He had sent word that hisregiment was to stay inMesopotamia for at least a couple of monthsbefore beginning the long trip back. At the end of the gathering, apatrioticnotewasstruckbythesingingofthenewverseofthenationalanthem:‘Godsaveourvaliantmen’.AlminalostnotimeinreturningtoBryanstonSquareaftertheservice.The hospital would have to be dismantled, like all the rest of theapparatus ofwar, but for now itwas still home to some twenty or somen,aswellasthebandofnurses.JustasAlminagotbacktoLondon,shewentdownwiththeSpanishflu, as did some of her patients. News of this great disaster had beenemerging since the summer and now the numbers affected wereterrifyinganalreadytraumatisedpopulation.BrokenEuropewassweptby an influenza pandemic so deadly that it claimed many more livesthan the recently finished war. At least 50 million died all over theworld,fromtheArctictothePacificIslands.Thewarhadnotcausedtheflu, but the fact that men with weakened immune systems had beenclosely herded together for four years probably helped to incubate it.The sickest flu patients were hospitalised and shipped home with thewounded,spreadingthediseaseacrosstheContinentandthentheworld.Itwasanunusualstrain inthat itafflictedhealthyyoungadultsratherthanthemoreusualvictims,anditwasterribletonurse,asthesuffererdrownedinhisownmucus.DrSneyd,thedoctoratBryanstonSquare,wasoneofthoseaffected;AlminasenthimtoHighcleretorecover.Shehadonlycontractedamildstrainherself, soshestayedonat thehospitaland,assoonasshewasbetter, continued to nurse her patients. There was cruel luck for oneyoungmanwhom she couldn’t save: having survived three and a halfyearsattheFront,hediedoftheflujustweeksafterArmisticeDay.At the end of the year,Alminawas also preoccupiedwith resolvingthematterofherinheritance.AlfreddeRothschildhadlefthervirtuallyeverything.Hegavegenerously indeath ashehaddone in life.There

were sizeable bequests for friends and family and£50,000 for charity,£25,000ofwhichwenttoLordKitchener’sMemorialFundforthereliefofsufferingamongstmembersoftheArmedForces.TheNationalGalleryreceivedaspectacularpaintingbySirJoshuaReynolds.Alfred’sbelovedHal ton House went to his nephew Lionel, since he was ‘the onlyRothschildnottohaveagreathouse’,butSeamorePlacewasleftinitsentirety andwithall its contents toAlmina. Itwas an impeccable andenormous house in Mayfair and it was crowded with beautiful thingsandpricelesspaintings,someofwhichAlfredaskedthatAlminaconsiderasheirloomsandnotdisposeof.Inaddition,Alminareceivedatax-freelegacy of £50,000 and Lord Carnarvon, Porchy and Lady Evelyn allreceived bequests of £25,000. This was wealth on a staggering scale,giventhatagardeneratHighclerewaspaid£24ayearin1918,andthetopsalary,forthechef,was£150.From now on the Carnarvon family home in London was SeamorePlace; Berkeley Square was sold. Almina, who all her life loved fewthings more than doing up a house, set about a programme ofrenovations. The property, for all its museum-quality furnishings,apparently left something to be desiredwith regards to the drains. InDecembershewasaskinghersolicitors,FrereandCo,towritetoAlfredde Rothschild’s solicitors to ask for a substantial contribution to herfunds. She explained that she had been obliged to carry out majorrepairs to Seamore Place and had also incurred very heavy liabilitieswith regard to her hospital. She therefore intended to sell two of thepaintingslefttoher,tax-freeaslongassheretainedthem,andrequiredtheexecutorofAlfred’swilltobearthecostofthedutiespayable.IftherewasonesinofwhichAlminacouldcertainlybeguilty,itwasatendencytofecklessnesswithmoney.Shewasunfailinglygenerouswhengivingitawayanddelightedinthespendingofit;shewasalsoentirelycasual about the getting of it. The fact that Alfred’s death meant hismoneywasnowbydefinitionfinitedoesnotseemtohaveoccurredtoAlmina.Shesimplyaskedformore,asshehaddoneallherlife.The executor of Alfred’s will was the distinguished barrister SirEdwardMarshallHall,whotookastandandrefusedtobowtoAlmina’ssomewhat imperious demand. Almina did sell her paintings, despiteAlfred’s stipulation thatsheshouldn’t,andshedidhave topay the taxon them herself. It was a small adjustment to the new reality of life

withoutherbelovedbenefactor.Adjustingtothenewrealitywasthenation’sworkforJanuary1919.

Elsie, theDowagerCountessofCarnarvon,was sixty-threeyearsold in1919but,withtypicallyunflaggingenergy,determinedtodoherbittoalleviatetheaftershocksincombatants’lives.Shebecamevice-chairmanof the Vocal Therapy Society, which was instrumental in developingmodern speech therapy. The aim was to restore normal speech tothousands of ex-soldierswhowere struggling to copewith disabilities.Many of them had severe shell shock, as well as amnesia and panicattacks;theystammeredorsimplycouldn’tspeak.Elsieraisedfundsandawareness, but her big ideawas the use ofmusic and singing to helppatientsbreathemoreeffectively,relaxandhavefun.ShefoundedKing’sServices Choirs, which were hugely successful at improving patients’speech so that they could reclaim their social lives and look forwork.Somemendiscoveredapassion forsingingandhad individual lessons;some took up Spanish classes. Onemanwith a stammer recovered sowellthatElsiewasabletofindaplaceforhimasagardeneronanestatenotfarfromHighclere.AtaconcertinLancashire,amillhandwasaskedaboutbeingwounded.Hereplied, ‘I lost t’legand t’voicebut t’voice isbackagain,sot’legdoesn’tmatter!’Alminawaswindingupthehospital,butbeforeitwasformallyclosed

on15February1919, she,her teamofmedicsandnursesand the lastfew residents received another visit from Prince Arthur, Duke ofConnaught.Hehadbeensoimpressedandmovedbywhathe’dseenonhisprevioustourthathecametopersonallythankthestafffortheworktheyhaddone.Thehospital’sclosurewasreasontobethankful,ofcourse,butitwas

poignantaswell,toleavetheplacethathadbondedsomanypeoplesoclosely.AsKennethWithamWignall, oneof the last inmatesput it, ‘Itwassimplypatheticleaving48.Iamquitesurethatifithadnotbeenforall themagnificent care and skill… I should certainly bewithoutmyoneremainingleg.’Letterscontinuedtopourinfrompatientsandtheirrelatives. Lizzie Hooper wrote in an uneven hand to thank LadyCarnarvon forall shehaddone forher twoboys. ‘Iamutterly inyourdebtforallthecareandskilltheyreceived.’Alminawrote to thank all the surgeonswithwhom shehadworked

over the previous four and a half years. She sentmany of them gifts,

silver tea caddies with their names and dates of service engraved,mementoes of their time at Highclere and Bryanston Square. HectorMackenziewrotebyreturntothankherforallhersupportandfortheenormous amount of energy she had spent instilling the sense in hercolleaguesthattheyweredoingeverythingtheypossiblycould. ‘Ihaveseen you as an angel, rejoicingwhen your efforts have been crownedwithsuccess,hopingagainsthopeandfightingforsomedesperatecaseandnowsorrowingwhenallyoureffortshavebeeninvain.’A great many people worked, as Almina did, throughout the FirstWorldWar,toprovideadesperatelyneededmedicalservice.Sheknewonly toowell that shecouldnothavedone itwithoutherdoctorsandnurses.Itwasofcoursepleasanttoberecognisedfortheseefforts,anddoubtlessAlminaappreciatedit,buttheendlesssmallactsofkindness:the funerals attended personally, the exquisite attention to detail thatmadeeverypatientfeellikeahouseguest,thewillingnesstogetdownanddress aman’s gangrenous stumpherselfwere carriedout for theirownsakeandwithoutexpectationofanythinginreturn.Almina’s generosity and energy combined, in her hospital work, toproduceasignificantachievement,onethatwasnoticedbythehighestauthorities.SirRobertJones, the InspectorofMilitaryHospitals,wrotetoheron28Januarytoexpresshispersonalthanks.

Ihavealways lookeduponyouasoneof thediscoveriesof thewar.Youhavedevotedyourselfwithsuchextraordinaryvitality tohelpingourwoundedsoldiersandIamsurethe nation should be very grateful to you for it all. I shall always have the pleasantestmemoriesofHighclere,thewonderfultimestheofficershadthere,andparticularlyoftheself-sacrificingwayinwhichyouministeredtotheirmentalandphysicalwell-being.

Havingdevotedherselftothehealthofothersforyears,Alminawasindesperateneedofarest.InFebruary,oncethelastpatienthadbeensentofftoatrustedconvalescenthome,andthelastnursehadfoundanotherposition, the family left for Egypt for the first time since 1915. LordCarnarvon was beside himself with excitement and desperate to joinHoward Carter to resume their work. London was bitterly cold thatwinter,withsnowandicywinds,whichgavehimanaddedincentivetoleave.TheycrossedtoBoulogne,andfromtheretheycaughtatraintoParis.

Francewas in thegripofagiantclean-upoperation.AtVersailles, thepolitical fallout was being picked over in painstaking detail bydelegations from every combatant nation. Across northern France andBelgium,thetaskofburyingthedeadinwarcemeterieswasunderway.TheCarnarvonsmadeastopinParistovisitAubrey,whohadrushed

therewhenheheardnewsthathisgreatfriend,ColonelSirMarkSykes,whowas part of the British delegation to the peace negotiations, wasdyingof flu. SirMark,whohadcalledonAlminaback in theopeningdaysofthewartogivehertheinformationthatAubreyhadbeenshot,diedon16February, aged thirty-nine.Hewas the creatorof theArabBureau,whichexistedto‘harmoniseBritishpoliticalactivityintheNearEast’.AubreyandT.E.Lawrencebothservedinthebureauandallthreemen spent weekends at Highclere and Pixton discussing the future ofpolitics in the Middle East over port and cigars. Sir Mark had beendiligentlypushingthecausesofbothArabnationalismandZionismuptheVersailles agendawhenhewas struckdown.Aubreywashorrifiedthat his friendswere still dying, even after the cessation of hostilities.Whenhetoosuccumbedtotheflu,heandhiswifeMarydecidedtogotoItalyforthewintersothatAubreycouldconvalesce.They spent threemonths at the house that Aubrey’s father, the 4th

Earl, had acquired in 1882 and dubbed ‘Alta Chiara’, Highclere inItalian.ItperchedonthecliffsoverlookingtheharbourofPortofinoandcommanded spectacular views over the Mediterranean. It must havebeenthemostromanticandpeacefulplacetocalmthespiritandregainstrength.The Carnarvons pushed on to Marseilles and from there sailed via

BizerteinTunisiatoAlexandria.Thewarhadbeenoverforbarelyfourmonthsandtravelwasstillverymuchaffected,withpotentiallydeadlyconsequences.TheCarnarvons’shiphadbeenusedtotransportsickandwounded men and had not been disinfected properly before it wasreturned to civilian use. Under pressure from people’s desire to seethings return to normal, corners were inevitably cut. In this case,conditionsweresounsanitarythatseveralpassengersdiedofinfectionstheypickeduponboard.Alminahadonly just recovered fromfluandthe Earl was never in good health, but they made it ashore withoutproblems.Forthefirsttimeinfouryears,LordCarnarvonwasagaininthedryairand,astheydisembarkedinAlexandria,heandAlminawere

surrounded by a familiar cacophony of sounds and confusion. Thingsweredifferentheretoo,though.TheendofthewarhadfomentedanewvisionofnationalismandindependenceamongsttheEgyptianpeople.They travelled to Cairo before catching the train down to Luxor,

where they were met by Howard Carter. Carter and Carnarvon weredesperate to resume theirwork in theValleyof theKings. Ithadbeenfive long, frustrating years since they secured the concession forexcavatinginthevalleyjustbeforetheoutbreakofthewar.Theywerein two minds about whether it was, as they were repeatedly told,exhausted, but they weren’t going to give up on the long-cherisheddreamofdiggingtherewithoutatleastoneexcavation.Almina and Eve stayed at theWinter PalaceHotel,which had been

virtuallyshutupduringthewaryearsbutwasresurrectingitselfasfastaspossibletomeettheneedsofthereturningtravellers.LordCarnarvonstayedwithCarteroutathishouse,whichwasmuchmoreconvenientfor the site of the dig. ‘Castle Carter’, as it was nicknamed, had beenconstructed nine years ago from bricks shipped out from England byLordCarnarvon. Itwasmodelled on a traditional Egyptian design andhadadome in thecentral courtyard thatkept it cool, aswell asmoremoderncomforts.Thetwomenwerebrimmingoverwithenthusiasmatbeingreunited

and working again. They were both convinced that there were moretreasures to be found in the Valley of the Kings; the site they hadidentified to test their hunchwas in front of the tomb of Thutmose I.Every morning, as dawn was breaking, they set off, astride theirdonkeys, to overseeprogress.Mostdays,AlminaandEvewent to jointhem.Alminawasrelievedtohaveaprojecttodistractherselfwith,evenif

itwasn’therown.Shewasn’tusedtorelativeidlenessand,althoughitwasrestorativetobeinthefamiliarluxuryoftheWinterPalace,shefeltmore ambivalent about life’s return to old routines than either herhusbandorherdaughter.UnlikeCarnarvonandEve,Alminahadspentthe last fiveyearsworkingonanexhaustingbuthugelyrewardingandimportant task. Now that task was concluded, and Alminamissed thesenseitbroughtherofdoingsomegoodintheworld.Inthebackofhermindshewasponderingplansforhernexthospital.Havinglearnedthatshehadagiftfornursingandhospitaladministration,andgiventhatthe

needforgood,dedicatedcarewashardlyabouttovanish,shewantedtocontinuewithhermission insomeform. Itwouldbeacontinuationofher father’s philanthropic legacy. For now, though, she was gatheringher strength, andwas an enthusiastic participant on site. As it turnedout, Almina’s life would be irrevocably altered by the events thatovertook the Carnarvon family, and it would be another eight yearsbeforeshecouldrealiseherplans.On26February,theydiscoveredacacheofthirteenalabastervesselsattheentrancetothetombofKingMerenptah,thesonofRamessesII.Lady Carnarvon knelt in the sand to help dig them outwith her ownhands.Thiswas exciting, but itwasn’t thebreakthroughdiscovery themenwere longing for.Theywouldhave towaitanother twoyears forthat.TheunsettledpoliticalsituationinEgyptwasgettingworse,andLordCarnarvon began toworry about hiswife and daughter’s safety. On 9March 1919 there was an uprising, led by Egyptian nationalist SaadZaghloul.Hehadservedasagovernmentminister foryears,steeringacareful course between extreme nationalists and the British rulingpowers. But everything changed with President Wilson’s famous‘Fourteen Points’ speech in January 1918. During thewar Britain haddeclared Egypt a British Protectorate, with scant regard for nascentEgyptian nationalism. The Egyptians, however, were inspired byPresidentWoodrowWilson’sdeclarationthat‘everypeace-lovingnationwhich, likeourown,wishes to live itsown lifeanddetermine itsowninstitutions,[should]beassuredofjustice.’TheendofhostilitiesandthepeaceconferenceinFrancegavethemtheirbestshot.Zaghloul began a campaign to send a delegation to negotiate forEgyptianautonomyatVersailles,buthisactivitiesdidnotendearhimtotheBritishruling forces,whopromptlyarrestedhimandsenthimintoexile.This servedonly to exacerbate the situation.Therewere studentdemonstrations,generalstrikesandrioting.AfewEuropeanswerekilledand several hundred Egyptians died over the course of the next fewmonths.In the midst of the chaos that followed Zaghloul’s arrest, LordCarnarvon resolved to sendAlminaandEvehome.Hemanaged togetthempassageonaship fromPortSaidandwasveryrelievedwhenhereceivedatelegramfromAlminatosaytheywereonboardandbound

forEngland.He stayed on inCairo.Hewas deeply involved in local politics andknewmanyofthekeyplayersfromboththeEgyptianandBritishsides.Hehad,afterall,beenentertainingthematHighclere,oftenatthesamehouse parties, for years. When General Lord Allenby was dispatchedfrom London on 25 March and told to restore order in Cairo, LordCarnarvonlenthisservicesasamediator.HedinedwithministersandSultan Fuad of Egypt, who upset Carnarvon’s constitution terribly byservingalunchoftwelvecourseswithinhalfanhour.Thediplomacyseemedtoeasethesituation.ZaghloulwasfreedbytheBritishon7Aprilandon11April1919heachievedhisgoalwhenheled a delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference, demandingautonomy forEgypt.Theday they arrivedwas, ironically, theday theUS issued a statement recognising Britain’s Protectorate over Egypt.Nobody in Paris cared about Zaghloul’s cause: extracting reparationsfromGermanywas themain event and everything elsewas sidelined.That would prove fatal for long-term stability in Germany and theMiddleEastalike.

18

AnotherGlitteringSeason

OnabeautifulsunnydayinJune1919,PorchyrangthebellatSeamorePlace.Hehad finallymade it home fromMesopotamia.An astonishedRoberts,whohadprogressed frombeingthegroomof thebedchamberatHighcleretothepositionofbutleratSeamorePlace,openedthedoortohim.RobertshadbeenanallysincePorchywasalittleboybeingsenttobedwithouthisdinner,andwasdelightedtoseehim.Porchyaskedwhetherhismotherwas inand,collectinghimself sufficiently toshakeHis Lordship heartily by the hand, Roberts told him she was. Porchymight have been forgiven for expecting a hero’s welcome, but whenAlminasawhimshecriedout,‘Ohdarling,whatasurprise!’Alminawasplainlystill innursemodebecausesheproceeded toask

himwhetherhisuniformhadbeenfumigatedandhehadbeendeloused.Delousing,whichwassupposedtotakeplaceonboardtheshipsbringingthemenbackfromwar,wasnotatrivialmatter,sinceconditionssuchassand-fly infestationcouldbeveryunpleasant.Nevertheless,Porchywassomewhattakenaback.Theyhadn’tseeneachotherformorethantwoandahalfyearsandagreatdealhadhappenedinbetween.Porchyhad

grownupandAlminahadgrown intoher roleasa respectednurse; itwas no wonder that it took a moment to adjust before there was aproperwelcome.Hersonhadcomehomeinonepiecewhen,asAlminaknewonlytoowell,somanyyoungmenhadnot.The whole family was overjoyed to have him back. There was amoment of brief anxietywhen he developed appendicitis shortly afterhis return, but Almina leapt into action, just as she had with herhusband’s case the previous year. She ensured that Sir BerkeleyMoynihan operated on her darling son and then supervised hisconvalescenceherselfathomeatSeamorePlace.The summer of 1919 saw an uneasy mixture of the return to whatused tobenormalityanda sense thatnothing couldeverbe the sameagain. Almina was looking for new outlets for her energy but for themomentwashappynursingPorchy;LordCarnarvonwasoverjoyedtobeabletoexcavate.ElsiehadhernewspeechtherapyprojectandEvewasanexcitedeighteen-year-oldinthemiddleofherdebutanteseason,butforsomeinthefamily,asinthecountryatlarge,therewasadeepsenseofdespair.Aubreywasabitterman.Hewasutterlydisillusionedbyeverythinghe sawat thepeaceconferenceatVersailles.He felt thatEnglandwasbeing ‘tied to the tail of all this continental hate’. Aubrey dinedmosteveningsduring theVersaillesmeetingswithT.E. Lawrence,whowastryingtomaketheBritishgovernmenthonourthevariouspromisestheyhad made during the war. Their colleague, the writer and expert onMiddle Eastern politics, Gertrude Bell, wrote that it was all anightmarishmuddle. ‘Youforeseeall thehorrible things thataregoingtohappenandcan’tstretchoutyourhandtopreventthem.’The peace treaty was concluded on 28 June 1919 in the Hall ofMirrors at Versailles. It had takenmonths ofwrangling, duringwhichthehopes ofmanynations and aspiring nations dwindled. TheMiddleEast was divided into spheres of influence among the Allies, withdisastrous fallout that lingers to this day. The Germans lost variousterritories, which provoked huge resentment, and above all theywerefined billions and billions of gold marks. France was determined tototallydominate itsneighbourandBritainwanted to repay itsmassivewar debt. The scale of the reparations demanded by the Allies wasconsidered bymany to be excessive, not just inGermany but by such

figuresas JohnMaynardKeynes, theTreasury’smain representativeatthenegotiations.Itwasreducedin1924andagainin1929,butbythattimeGermanywasfeelingpersecuted,andHitler’selectionwasonlyfouryearsaway.AsVersailles drew to a close,many of the Carnarvons’ friends fromEgypt came down to Highclere for a weekend of racing. The summerseasonofpartieswascrankingupagainand,forthefirsttimeinyears,Highclerereadieditselftoreceivedozensofguests.Streatfield,whowasstill the house steward, was in charge of seeing that standards hadn’tslipped. He had only threemore years of service left in him. He wassixty-threeyearsoldandwasstartingtotire.Buthewasasmeticulousaseverandtheteamoffootmendidn’tdisappointhim.Itwasnotexactlythesameasitusedtobe,though.Howcoulditbewhen the pre-warworld, a political and social landscape that the 4thEarl would have recognised, had gone for ever? Millions of men haddied in the service of the old regimes and the public resentment andgrief were enflamed by an austerity drive combined with a recession.Carnarvon noted in the guestbook entry for the party, ‘Races’ and‘Strike’.Therewerelotsofthosein1919.Nearlyhalfamillionworkersin thecottonmillswalkedout inJune, thepolicewereout inAugust,and inSeptember itwas the turnof the railwayworkers.Paywas lowandjobswerescarce:disillusionedveteranswentbegginginthestreets.Even theEarlofCarnarvonwasconcernedaboutmoney,albeitonavastlydifferentscale.Hisincomefromagriculturehadbeenfallingsincebeforethewarandhistaxbillin1919,afterLloydGeorge’slegislation,wasasizeable£7,500.HehadsoldsomeofthefurniturefromhishouseatBretbyinMay1918,andnowhesoldthecreamoftheBretbylibraryat Sotheby’s. He was well aware that there was no more income forAlminaandthatbudgetingwasnotexactlyherstrongsuit.Almina, however, felt totally insulated by the enormous legacy shehadbeenleftbyAlfreddeRothschildandsawnoreasonnottocarryonspending.While the Earl fretted about his tenants’ ability to pay theirrent, Almina planned a ball for Eve, who was making her debut inSocietythatsummer.Noexpensewastobespared.HundredsofguestswereinvitedfordancinguntildawnandTheTimesreportedthat itwascrammedwithpeople.EntertainingatSeamorePlacewasconstant.Thechef was required to make sure the food matched the opulent

surroundings,which,giventhat thehousewasamonument toAlfred’sloveof treasures,meanthehadhiswork cut out.Hismusthavebeenoneof themost covetedcook’s jobs inLondon.Hehada freehand toindulgehisimaginationandthebudgettobackitup.There could not have been a more resolute statement of Almina’s

intention to escalate, not to scale back, the Carnarvons’ pre-eminentposition in post-war society than her passion for throwing the biggestandbestparties.ItwastypifiedbyanoccasionthefollowingyearintheSeasonof1920.AlminaandEvehadbeentoaballgivenbySirErnestCassel, one of the wealthiest financiers of the era, for his daughterEdwina.Alminasoenjoyeditthatshesaidtoherdaughter,‘Let’sgiveaballofourowntomorrownight.’Evewashorrifiedandwonderedhowon earth they could manage it. (Eve was always considerably moregroundedthanAlmina;perhapsshecouldimaginethechef’sreactioninthekitchenatbeingaskedtoprepareSeamoreHouse-worthypartyfoodwith less than 24 hours’ notice.) Almina informed Eve that she had‘already invited everyone here so I’m sure we will have a wonderfultime.’It seems Almina hadn’t informed her husband, though. Not that he

likedbigparties,anyway.ThenextdaywasaFridayandCarnarvonleftonthe6.00p.m.traineveryFridayforHighclere.Evecouldtellheknewsomethingwasintheairfromthewayhehoveredaround.Alminawasdesperate to get on with preparations and asked Roberts repeatedlywhetherHisLordshiphadyetleft.Eventuallyhedid,butRobertshadtoreporttoAlminathatCarnarvonhadwalkedpastthebackstairsjustastendozenlobsterswerebeingbroughtinbythefootmen.Theballwasatotalsuccessand,whenAlminaarrivedatHighclerethefollowingday,Carnarvon’sonlyreactionwastoaskherwithasmilewhethershewasnotverytired.Awisemanknowshowtopickhisbattles.Lord Carnarvon was expert at dealing with the whims of his more

capricious family members. Aubrey was diverting himself from hisanguishbyspendingmoreandmoretimeinhisbelovedAlbania.Inthelate summer of 1920 he was on his way to Constantinople when hediscovered that the Prime Minister of Bulgaria was on the train.StamboliskiintroducedhimselftoAubrey,wholaterwrotetohisbrotherthat ‘the fellow looked like a brigand moving through a blackberrybush.’ This was clearly not as damning as it sounds, because he also

requestedthatCarnarvonaskStamboliskitoHighclere,whichCarnarvonduly did. The Bulgarian premier signed the guestbook on 17October.Bulgaria had sided with the Central Powers in the Great War andCarnarvonhadgotnervousabouthisguest,despiteAubrey’sassurancesthat he was totally pro-British. He decided to invite some of hisOrientalistacquaintancesalongtokeeptheconversationtickingover;SirWilliamGarstinandT.E.Lawrencewerealsostaying.Intheend,agoodtime was had by all. Carnarvon showed Stamboliski the stud and thefarmanddiscoveredthat,unsurprisinglygivenhisguesthadbeenborntopeasantfarmers,theycouldtalkatlengthaboutlivestock.AllthefamilywereinLondonfortheArmisticeDaymemorialon11November 1920. Itwas a day of nationalmourning and thanksgiving.Hundredsofthousandsofpeoplelinedthestreetstopaytheirrespectsastheguncarriage,drawnbysixblackhorsesandbearingthecoffinoftheUnknown British Warrior, began its journey through London. KingGeorge V unveiled the Cenotaph and, after two minutes’ silence, thebody of the Unknown Warrior, which had been transported from anunmarkedgraveinFrance,wascarriedtowardsitsfinalrestingplace.Itwasaccompaniedby100recipientsoftheVictoriaCrossandburiedwithgreat solemnity in the central nave of Westminster Abbey. George Vthrew a handful of the soil from a Flanders battlefield into the grave.Families of those men whose place of burial was unknown, such asFrederickFifieldandTommyHill,couldderivecomfortfromtherespectpaid to this oneunknowncomrade.Themomentmarkeda line in thenation’s grieving. Peopleup anddown the land remained traumatised,butatleastnowthecountryhadhonoureditsdead.ThefollowingAprilAubreyandMaryhadason,AuberonMarkHenryYvoMolyneux,whowasnamedforthecousinandfriendwhomAubreystillmourned.Aubreyhadalwaysbeentypicallyeccentricinhisattitudeto children. Hewrote to his brotherMervyn on the subject ofMary’spregnancy, ‘It’s very provoking. I have never looked on children asanythingbutamisfortune–likepublicspeakingadutyandabore–butthere it is’. But he and the family needed some positive news. It wasgood to have a new baby when for years life had felt like one longsuccessionoffunerals.TheCarnarvonswentasusualtoEgyptinJanuary1921.Theyfounditalmostasunstableasever.ItwasbecomingclearthattheBritishwould

havetorelinquishtheirProtectorate.TheyhadexiledSaadZaghloulforasecondtimeafterhehadorganiseddemonstrations toprotestagainstSultan Fuad’s appointment of a rival as Prime Minister. The reactionfrom the public was, as the previous time, to riot. Lord Allenby wasleavingCairoastheCarnarvonsarrived,headingbacktoLondontotrytopersuadetheCabinettodeclareEgypt’sindependence.Therewasasenseofwearyingfamiliaritytotheexcavationsaswell.

Despite attaining the longed-for concession in theValley of the Kings,CarterandCarnarvonhadstillnot foundanythingof realnote.Moneyworries were now becoming acute for the Earl, whose expenditure inEgypt was enormous. In July 1921 he sold the furniture from BretbyHall.HehadalreadysoldlandtoDulvertonRuralCouncilat£5anacreforhousebuilding.Lord Carnarvon might sell his land but he would never sell his

Egyptianart.HehadbuiltupthefinestcollectioninprivatehandsintheworldandhadturnedtheSmokingRoomatHighclereintothe‘Antiques’roominordertoexhibitit.Thewallswerehungwithpaintingsthathadbeeninthefamilyforgenerations.Overthefireplacewasthestilllifebysixteenth-centuryDutchpainterJanWeenixthatstillhangstheretoday.But along two sides of the room there were dark wooden cases theheightofatallman,onwhichwererangedtheEarl’sexquisitepieces:afaiencechalice,jewelleryfromQueenTye’stomb,abronzemirrorfromthe12thdynastywhichwasthereforeabout4,000yearsold,abeautifulelectrum statue, several vases, charming pieces with delicately carvedanimalsandagoldstatueofthegodAmunasthePharaohTuthmosisIII.Howard Carter was at Highclere for the summer with other friends

fromEgyptsuchasLeonardWoolleyandPercyNewberry.AnewguestthatyearwasayoungmancalledBrograveBeauchamp,averytallandstriking gentleman who went on to be Conservative MP forWalthamstowEast for fourteen years.He hadmetAubrey through hisfather,whowasalsoapolitician,andAubreyhad–inhistypicallyopen-handedway–invitedhimdowntoHighclere.Onepersonwasparticularlyglad tomakehisacquaintance.Evehad

been out in Society for three Seasons now and had met Brograve atvarious balls; she adored dancing with him. Eve was beautiful andcharmingandofcourseshewasrich,sowasnevergoingtobeshortofadmirers.Butshewasnotimorousmousedesperateto findahusband.

Shehadhelpedhermothertonursewoundedsoldierswhenthehospitalwas at Highclere and had been going for years to Egypt to share herfather’s passion for ancient art. She had a bookish mind as well as alovelydisposition,andshewasperfectlyconsciousofherownworth.Sowere her parents. Eve had been told she should take her time inchoosingahusband,andshedid.BrogravecaughthereyeatHighclerethatsummer.Howcouldhenot,

whenatmorethansixfoottallhetoweredoverher?Hewasthesonofthe Liberal politician and former Chairman of Lloyd’s of London SirEdward Beauchamp, and was handsome, thoughtful and excellentcompany.ThetwoyoungpeopleflirtedgentlyintheDrawingRoomandEvefoundshehadadecidedpreference,butsheresolvedtowaitandseewhat the coming months would do to Brograve’s interest. They weresuretoseeeachotherinLondonbeforetoolong.Thatsummer,LordCarnarvonspentafewdaysinPariswithhisson.

Itwasacitytheybothloved.Porchy’sArmycareerwasprosperingandhehadbeeninGibraltarformostoftheyear.Itwastherethathemetagirl called Catherine Wendell, an American with no great financialbacking but considerable charm and sweetness. Porchy always figuredprominentlyonthesocialscenewhereverhewas–hewasagreatladies’man; but hewas quite clear that Catherinewas ‘the only one I couldeven begin to see as a future Lady Porchester.’ He, like Eve, was notmindedtomakesuddenmoves,andalthoughhehadhispreference,hebidedhistime.At the end of 1921, Howard Carter was helping Lord Carnarvon to

organise thecatalogue foranexhibitionmountedby theCommitteeofthe Egyptian Exploration Society, of which the Earl was a prominentmember. Carnarvon lent the society the bulk of his collection for theshow,whichwasheldattheBurlingtonFineArtsClubandwasaroaringsuccess.Then,inJanuary,thetwomensetoffontheannualtrip.Theyspentmostofthefirstthreemonthsof1922outinEgypt.Aubrey was also back in one of his favourite stamping grounds –

Constantinople;aswasPorchy,whohad justbeen senton secondmentfromhisregimenttotheBritishEmbassythere.Aubrey’svocalcriticismoftheBritishpositionintheMiddleEasthadearnedhimthesuspicionofHisMajesty’sgovernment,soajuniormemberofembassystaffwastobe dispatched to keep an eye onwhat hewas up to.Whoeverwas in

chargeof thatmissionhadn’tdonehishomeworkproperly,becausehechose to send Lord Porchester, Aubrey’s nephew. The two men weredelighted to seeeachother,andoverdinneron the firstnight,Porchytoldhisunclewhathewasupto.TheyagreedtocookupafewstoriestokeepPorchy’ssuperiorsentertained.Porchywashavinga fine time,aswashisway.Heran intoGeneralBaratoff, the White Russian commander to whom he had delivered ashipmentofgoldontheshoreoftheCaspianSeawhentheBritishwerestilltryingtopropuptheRussianArmybackin1917.Porchywassentbecause he spoke French, the common language, and had been underorders toascertainhowmuchfight theRussiansstillhad in them.Theanswerwasnot agreatdeal:Baratoffwasgenerallydepressed, thoughplainlyrelievedtoreceivethegold.SincethentheGeneralhadlostalegandbeenforcedtofleetheBolshevikrevolution.Hewaspennilessandeven gloomier than ever. Porchy also bumped into Miss CatherineWendellagain.Shewasaccompanyinghermotheronhertravelsandthethreeof themdined together several times. Itwas enough tomakeupPorchy’smind.He askedCatherine tomarry himand, being accepted,invitedhertomeethisparentswhenshewasinLondonlaterintheyear.Whenthetimecame,Porchywasverynervous.Heknewfullwellthathisfatherwasworriedaboutmoneyandwouldhavehopedforhissontomarryanheiress,ashehaddone.PorchywrotetoEvebeggingforhersupportinthematter.Hissistersteppedintoplaymediatoronceagain.The family assembled in Seamore Place to receive Catherine and hermother.DespitetheEarl’sdisappointmenthecouldseethatPorchywasinloveandthatthegirlwasdelightful,soheallowedhimselftobewonround.Alminawasenthusiastic,asonemightexpect,unconcernedaboutanythingexceptthatPorchybehappyandCatherinebewelcomedintothefamilyinstyle.Shethrewherselfintoarrangingthewedding.Almina decided to give a little dance for Catherine on 14 July, atSeamorePlace:TheTimesreportedthat1,000peoplewereinvited.Theweddingwas held three days later, in StMargaret’s,Westminster, thesame church at which, twenty-seven years before, Almina Wombwellhadmarried the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Catherinewore a simple satingown and a floor-length veil over her fashionablewavedbob cut. Shehad eight attendants who wore large white hats dressed with ostrichplumes and, in the photo of her and Porchy with their pageboy, the

couplelookrelaxedandhappy.Naturally, given that Almina was the driving force, it was a hugeevent.Thechurchwaspacked,andamongtherelationsandfriendswerePrince George the Duke of Kent, the Marquess of Milford Haven, theAmerican Ambassador, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, MissEdwinaAshleyandLordLouisMountbatten,whoweretobemarriedthefollowingdayand,ofcourse,Elsie,theredoubtableDowagerCountessofCarnarvon.Theguest listmusthavebeenoverwhelming for thebride,with a host of titled dowagers and aristocrats. Her own friends fromAmericawereofnecessityamuchsmallercrowd.Watching Catherine marry her son, Almina couldn’t help butremember standing in the same spot and pledging her life to theCarnarvon cause. The difference was considerable, though. When shemarried into the Herbert family she might have been a relativeunknown,butat least shehada fortunebackingherup.Catherinedidnot,anditwasuptoAlminatochampionher.SheassistedMrsWendellinfindingahouseinwhichtoholdtheweddingreception,justasElsiehad helped her andMarie all those years ago. Twenty-one GrosvenorSquare was lent for the occasion and the couple were given atremendoussend-off.HenryandCatherinePorchesterlefttospendafewdays’honeymoonatHighclerebeforesailingforIndiatorejoinPorchy’sregiment.Almina revelled in extendingherhabitual largesse,but itwasabadmomentforPorchytobemarryingwithoutmoney.TheEarlhadspentmonths steeling himself to have a conversation hewas dreading,withHowardCarter.He had decided to ‘draw stumps’ on his concession toexcavate in the Valley of the Kings. He simply couldn’t afford tocontinue.Itisestimatedthatby1922theEarlhadspentsome£50,000(£10 million in today’s money) over the course of fourteen years onexcavating inEgypt. Itwasa seriousoutlay,even foramanofmeans.Hehadsoldthreeofthefourestateshehadinheritedandwasoneofthelast private excavators left. Britain had given up its Protectorate anddeclaredEgyptasovereignstateearlierintheyear,andtheeraofBritisharistocratic archaeologistswas fading. Excavationwas increasingly theprovinceofmuseumsorgovernmentbodies.And,tocapitall,althoughhe had amassed a great collection of art and was renowned for thediligenceandscientificmethodofhisexpeditions,hehadfailedtofind

the great treasure, the tomb thathe andCarterhadbelieved in for solong.He told Carter of his decision at a Highclere house party during

Newburyraces.Carterwasdesperateand,havingbeenunabletomoveLordCarnarvonbypersuasion,saidsimplythathewouldfundonelastseasonhimself.Carnarvonknewthiswouldbankrupthisoldfriend.Heconsidered.TouchedbyCarter’swillingnesstoriskeverythingheowned,theEarl agreed topay for a last season.Hewas, after all, a gamblingman, and it was true that there remained an unexplored area in thevicinityofthetombofRamessesVI.ThetwomenmetagaininLondoninOctober.LordCarnarvoncame

straightfromtheMemorialServiceforthewardeadatNewbury,wheretheBishopofOxfordhadpresidedoveraceremonyattendedby8,000people.The mood was sombre all round. This was the last chance for

CarnarvonandCarter’sjointdreamofglory.Theyhaddecidedthattheywould begin the excavation work earlier than usual this year. ByJanuarytherewerealwayssomanyvisitorstothetombofRamessesVIthat it would be quite impossible to investigate what lay under theremainsoftheworkmen’shutsinfrontofit.Carter arrived in Luxor on Friday 27 October. He began work the

followingWednesday.OnMonday6November, less thanaweeklater,hesentLordCarnarvonthecablethatwouldchangetheirlives:

At last have made wonderful discovery in the Valley. A magnificent tomb with seals intact.Recoveredsameforyourarrival.Congratulations.

Agroupphotographofthe5thEarl’sson,whilehewasLordPorchester,toCatherineWendellin1922.Thiswastaken

fourmonthsbeforethe5thEarl’sdiscoveryoftheTombofTutankhamuninNovemberofthatyear.

TheEarlofCarnarvonwithhisdaughterLadyEvelynatDeauvilleRaces,August7,1922.(photocrediti4.2)

AphotooftheEarlofCarnarvontakenshortlybeforehistriptoEgyptin1922.(photocrediti4.3)

AportraitoftheEarlofCarnarvon,currentlydisplayedinthesaloonatHighclere.

TheEarlofCarnarvonrelaxinginEgypt,1923.(photocrediti4.5)

TheEarlofCarnarvonwithLadyAlminaatAscot,1923.(photocrediti4.6)

TheEarlofCarnarvon,hisdaughterEvelyn,andHowardCarter,meetingwithH.E.MudirtJehirBey,inLuxor,shortly

beforetheopeningofthetomb.

GeneralEdmundAllenby,HighCommissionerinEgypt,withhiswife,LadyAdelaide,andthe5thEarlofCarnarvon.

(photocrediti4.8)

HowardCarterandtheEarlofCarnarvonattheopeningofKingTutankhamun’stomb,1922.

StandingonthestepsleadingtothedoorwayofTutankhamun’stomb,December1922.LadyEvelynisstandingwithher

father,alongwithHowardCarterandhisassistant.EvelynaccompaniedherfathertoEgyptoftenandwastherewhenthe

tombwasfirstopened.(photocrediti4.10)

LordCarnarvonphotographedworkingonthesummitofBeaconHill,shortlybeforehedied.Coincidentally,thiswas

wherehewasburied.(photocrediti4.11)

Thewidowed5thCountessofCarnarvonkeepingvigilonBeaconHillafterthefuneralofthe5thEarl,onthe30thApril,

1923.Sheremainedthereuntilevening.

The5thEarlofCarnarvon’sfaithfuldog,Susie.Sheisfamouslysaidtohavehowledanddroppeddowndeadat2amon

themorningthathermasterdied.

ThePallMallGazette’sfrontpagefromthe5thApril1923,announcingLordCarnarvon’sdeath.

The5thEarl’sdeathcertificate.Itmistakenlylistshisdateofbirthasthe22ndJune1865.Hewasactuallybornonthe

26thJune1866.(photocrediti4.15)

AportraitofLadyEvelyntakenshortlyafterherfather’sdeathin1923.(photocrediti4.16)

TheChristeningofPorchy’sdaughter,atHighclerecastlein1925.Lefttoright:SirBrograveBeauchamp,MrJacWendell,

the6thCountessofCarnarvonandbaby,the6thEarlofCarnarvon,LadyEvelynBeauchamp,MrandMrsPortmanwith

littleLordPorchesterandMrsWendell.(photocrediti4.17)

Almina’ssonPorchy,the6thEarlofCarnarvon,withhiswifeanddaughter,inthe1930s.(photocrediti4.18)

LadyEvelynwithhermotherAlmina,attheExhibitionofFrenchArtattheRoyalAcademyofArts,1932.(photocredit

i4.19)

19

‘WonderfulThings’

HowardCarterdispatchedthetelegramandthenreturnedtotheValleyoftheKingstorefillthestairwaydowntotheentrancetothetomb.HeandCarnarvonhadbeencolleaguesandfriendsforfifteenyears,andhewasnotabouttopressonwithwhathewasconvincedwasthefindofalifetimewithouthispatron.Butwhatanenormousamountof restraintthatmusthavetaken.CarnarvonandCarter’shunchor,betterput,theirinformed guess, closely cherished for years, had paid off. And nowHowardCarterwasgoingtohavetowaitthetwoorthreeweeksittookforLordCarnarvontoarrive.Thetombhadtobekeptsafefromgraverobbers in the meantime, so Carter was all discretion, telling as fewpeopleaspossibleaboutwhathebelievedhehad found.Hehunkereddowntowait.HeleftLuxorforCairoon18November,onlytodiscoverwhenhegot

there that Carnarvon’s ship was delayed. Carter made use of thisenforced pause to begin to assemble a teamof experts to assist at theopening of the tomb. Arthur Callender was a noted chemist andlongstanding friend. He had to ask Carter to repeat himself when he

heardthenews.Itsoundedtoogoodtobetrue:thesealed,unplunderedtomb of a pharaoh? If Carter was right, then this was a totallyunprecedented moment in archaeology. Callender agreed at once tocomealongandhelpout.LordCarnarvonpacedthedeckoftheshipfromMarseilles,willingitto travel faster. Evewaswith him but Alminawas not. She had gonewith her husband on every trip he had made to Egypt since theirmarriage, but now she was unwell with terrible pain in her jaw andhead.OnDrJohnnie’sadviceshehadreluctantlyelectedtostayathomeincase she shouldneeddental treatment.Shewavedherhusbandanddaughteroff,demandingthattheycallonherifshecouldbeofanyuse.Thewholefamilyknewwhatwasatstake.Theyhadbeendiscussing‘theundiscoveredtomb’foryears.Carter’sinformedguesswasbasedinpart onAmericanEgyptologistHerbertWinlock’s suggestion that someof the interesting fragments turned up by Theodore Davis, CarnarvonandCarter’spredecessorintheValleyoftheKings,mightbeitemsusedduring Tutankhamun’s funeral rites. Davis wasn’t interested in suchminutiaeat thetime,butWinlock,whohadbeenaguestatHighclere,was.AndsowereCarnarvonandCarter.OnFriday24November,LordCarnarvonandLadyEvelynarrivedatLuxor. Themoodwas of tense excitement; everyonewas on edge. EvewasveryfondofHowardCarterbutshealsofoundhimabitdifficulttodeal with because of his absolutely single-minded obsession andtendencytosarcasm;nowshebracedherselffortheincreaseinpressure.CarterandCallenderlostnotimeinclearingtherubbleawayfromthestaircase once more. It wasn’t until the afternoon of Sunday 26November that thepartyof four found themselves standing in frontofthe doorway. Lord Carnarvon wrote, ‘We wondered if we should findanother staircase, probably blocked, behind this wall or whether weshouldget intoa chamber. I askedMrCarter to takeouta few stonesandhavealookin.’Cartermadeasmallholethroughwhichhecouldinsertacandleintothe spacebeyond.Hewoulddescribe themomentofdiscovery for thenewspapers over and over. ‘Presently, asmy eyes grew accustomed tothe light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist,strangeanimals,statues,andgold–everywheretheglintofgold.Forthemoment–aneternity…Iwasstruckdumbwithamazement,andwhen

LordCarnarvon… inquiredanxiously, “Canyou seeanything?” itwasallIcoulddotogetoutthewords,“Yes,wonderfulthings.”’Carter’s three companions exploded into relieved delight. His heartpounding,CarterwidenedtheholeandmadewayforEve,whotookherturn to peer through into the chamber. ‘On getting a little moreaccustomedtothelight,itbecameapparentthattherewerecolossalgiltcouches with extraordinary heads, boxes here, boxes there …’ Cartercould contain himself no longer. He pulled at the wall, scrabbling toenlarge the hole sufficiently to let himself down to the chamber. Hescrambled in and started to tread, softly, reverently, as he held thecandleabovehisheadtocastitslightasfaraspossibleintothecornersofthespace.Theothersfollowedandstoodstill inamazementatwhatthey sawby flickering candlelight. ‘Weknewwehad found somethingabsolutelyuniqueandunprecedented.’Carnarvonwrotethattherewasathrone of ‘surpassing beauty … the delicacy and graceindescribable … from a period when Egyptian art reached one of itsculminatingpoints.’Here, finally,after fifteenyearsof searching,werethe treasures of the Pharaohs. And, as their eyes adjusted and theirmindsracedtocatchupwithwhattheywereseeing,thegrouprealisedthatjustassignificant,ifnotmoreso,waswhatwasn’tthere.Therewasno sarcophagus. Which meant that there had to be more chambers,perhapsawholeseriesofthem.Then they spied something, ‘between two life-size statues, a wallcovered in seals and low down… traces of a break large enough toadmita smallman.’Perhaps thievesofearlymillenniahad robbed theinner chamber. Overwhelmed, Carnarvon called a halt. Carter agreed:therewereproceduresthatneededtobefollowed.Thegroupclamberedbackoutandstoodstaringatoneanotherinthefading daylight. Everyone was elated. Carnarvon and Carter clappedeachotheronthebackinmutualcongratulation.Carterlookedasifhemightburstwith excitement.ArthurCallenderhad the expressionof amanwhocouldn’tbelievehis luck,andEve,overjoyedforherbelovedfather, thoughtwistfully of howmuchAlminawould long to be therewhentheytoldher.ThereweredrinksontheterraceoftheWinterPalaceHotelandthenLordCarnarvonplaced a call tohiswife, duringwhichhe, likeCarterwithCallender,hadtorepeathimselfseveraltimesbeforeAlminacould

takeinwhathewassaying.Whocouldsleepafterwhattheyhadseen?A small party secretly returned later that night to explore the other,partly closed room. Itwas not difficult to knock out thewall throughwhich the robbers had gained access 3,000 years earlier. Carter, LadyEvelynandCarnarvonsimplyhadtoenlargeitagainandslipthrough.The littleparty leftunable to speakaboutwhat theyhadseen.They

carefullyplacedsomeoldrushbasketsagainstthelowerpartofthefalsedoor.Attentionfromvisitorswouldbetakenbythepairoflife-sizegold-kiltedstatues.Theyhadfoundit:theburialchamberofTutankhamun.The following morning, Carter sent a note to Engelbach, the local

Chief Inspector of the Antiquities Department, informing him of thedevelopments.Engelbachhadbeen toldaboutCarter’s initialdiscoveryofthestepsandwaspresentwhenCallenderandCarterbegantoclearthedebrisawayagain.Buthe, likealmosteveryoneelse,believed thatthe Valley of the Kings was exhausted, and didn’t consider Carter’sstaircaseworthhangingaroundforonaFridayafternoon.Now he sent a representative of the Department to accompany

Carnarvon’sgroupas theyreturned to the tomb.Theyhadarranged toconnect to themains electricity in the valley, so this time,when theystepped into the chamber, they could see everything in crisp detail.Carter later wrote in his book, The Tomb of Tutankhamun, ‘Threethousand, four thousand years maybe, have passed and gone sincehuman feet last trod the floor on which you stand, and yet … theblackened lamp, the finger-mark upon the freshly painted surface, thefarewell garland dropped upon the threshold – you feel itmight havebeenbutyesterday…Timeisannihilatedbylittleintimatedetailssuchasthese…’CarnarvonandCarterstoodinwonder,beginningtoassessthescaleof

the glorious task that lay ahead of them.Theywere going to need anarmy of expert help to remove, catalogue and preserve every singleobject,eachoneatleast3,200yearsold.Theywerealsogoingtohavetomakethetombsecure,immediately.Anyfindthatincludedgoldwasamagnetforeverytombrobberinthearea.Thatnightanarmedguardwasplacedatthetopofthestepsleadingdowntothefirstchamberandthefollowingday,CarnarvonhiredmilitarypolicemanRichardAdamsonto oversee security. Carnarvon built him a police hut to provide someshelterfromtheblisteringsun,andAdamsonvirtuallytookupresidence

there.ThefirstviewingforvisitorstookplaceonWednesday29November.TherewastobeatourwithHowardCarterfollowedbylunch.Itwasalow-keyaffair.LadyAllenbydeputisedforherhusbandtheBritishHighCommissioner;alsoinvitedwereMonsieurLacau,theChiefInspectorofAntiquities;thelocalchiefofpoliceand,cruciallyforsubsequentevents,thecorrespondentofTheTimes,ArthurMerton.There had been a series of murders of British citizens since thedeclarationofindependenceandtheimpositionofmartiallaw,sotherewere anxieties over drawing too much attention to what was takingplace.Butevenmorethanthat,nobodyinofficialdomhadyetwokenuptotheenormityofwhathadjustbeenfoundontheirdoorstep.M.Lacauand his assistant missed the official unveiling entirely: they were toobusytoturnupuntilthefollowingday.Bythetimetheydid,TheTimeshadpublishedthefirstarticleinwhatbecamethelongest-runningnewsitemever.Therehasstillneverbeenastory that took more column inches than Carnarvon, Carter andTutankhamun. Merton, like a good newspaperman, had immediatelyseenthesignificanceofwhathewasbeingshown.Instantlytheworld’spressdescendeduponLuxorinforce,campinginhotelgardenswhentheroomsranout.TheTimesapproachedAlminaandaskedhertowriteanexclusive article about accompanying her husband on his trips toexcavateinEgypt,whichshedulydid.There was a siege around the site, and it immediately createdproblems for the men who were simply trying to carry out theirpainstakingwork.CarnarvonandCarter tookthedecisiontoreseal thetombwhile theydealtwith thepublicityandassembleda full teamofexperthelp.Still, alongside thedesire togetonwith the jobwasahugeurge tocelebrate. Carnarvon threw a party that was open to everyone at theWinter Palace Hotel. Telegrams of congratulation poured in from allover theworld.Oneof the firstwas fromKingFuad,whothankedthetwomenwarmlyfortheirwork.M.Lacau,whohadevidentlyputrighthispreviousindifference,wrotetocommendthemfortheirdisinterestedattitudeandscholarlyinvestigations.Thescaleof the interest fromtheworld’spublic,not tomention theunprecedented historical and cultural significance of the find, had

knocked its discoverers sideways. Carnarvon decided to return homewithEvetoplanhowtheyshouldproceed.Heleftwithagrowingsenseof unease about the vested interests, tension and rivalries they hadunleashed.CarnarvonandhisdaughterarrivedbackinBritainascelebrities.On

22 December he visited Buckingham Palace at the King’s request toregale Their Majesties with the story of the discovery. The King andQueen requested more and more details, and Carnarvon listed thepriceless objects and exquisite workmanship on display in the firstchamber. He assured the King that further searches would yield theactualtombofthePharaoh.ThefamilyspentChristmasatHighclereinastateofmildshock.They

all wrote to Carter on Christmas Eve. Carnarvon’s letter was a longsummaryofthecurrentissues,tobedispatchedwiththeiroldfriendDrGardiner,whowassailingforEgyptinearlyJanuaryandwhomhehadaskedtojointheteam.CarnarvontoldCarterhehadarrangedforthemtohave theuse of a Fordmotor car,whichwouldmake life easier.Aplumpuddingwasenclosedinthepackage.Eve wrote to say how thrilled she was for Howard, and that he

thoroughly deserved his success after all the years of hard work. ‘Ofcourseoneispesteredmorningnoonandnight…there[is]nohourorplacethatone[is]notmetbyareporter.’Sheremarkedthatherfatherwasreallytiredbyalltheattention,butthatifsheneededtoperkhimupshesimplyreferredtotheimminentdiscoveryofthesarcophagusandthis reference to ‘the Holy of Holies always acts like a magnum ofchampagne.’ Eve is sweetly swept awayby the splendour of being thefirstwomantostep inside theburialchambers. ‘Icannever thankyousufficientlyforallowingmetoenteritsprecincts,itwasthebestmomentofmylife.’Almina sent her love, blessings and congratulations for his success

afterallhislong-sufferingperseverance.Shehadbeendiscussinghowtomanage the newspapers with her husband and had various typicallypracticalthoughtsonthesubject.ShealsotoldCarterthatshewasstilltoounwelltocomeouttojointhem.It lookedasifshewouldhavetohaveanoperationonherjaw.After Christmas, Carter resumed work. He had been busy sifting

through thenumerousoffersofhelpanddecidingwhich toaccept.Mr

Lythgoe of the Metropolitan Museum in New York cabled hiscongratulationsandwasdulytakenuponhisoffer.FourmoreAmericanEgyptologistsjoinedhim,includingthedistinguishedChicagoUniversityprofessor,JamesBreasted.HarryBurtonjoinedasofficialphotographerandMrLucas,achemicalspecialistwiththeEgyptiangovernment,alsosignedup.The teamheaded toCairo topurchase suppliesofwadding,rope, packing materials and a steel gate, which was placed at theentrancetothetomb.Carterwasirascibleatthebestoftimes,andheloathedtheconstant

interruptions from the press. All he wanted was to get on with thecomplex job inhand.On27December the teamhadbegun to removethefirstobjectsandtransferthemtotheTombofSetiII,wherefurtherworkcouldbedonebefore theywere transported toCairo.Carterwascompletely focused on clearing the antechamber in amethodicalway,and it drove him mad to have to deal with the endless stream ofjournalistsandsupposedVIPvisitorswhowereinvariablyinpossessionofa‘specialpass’.Theworkwashardandstressful:spacewascrampedand hot and the objects were extremely delicate. Each one presenteddifficulties:howtostopitdisintegrating,howtorestringbeadsorstopwood fromshrinkingas itwasexposed to thedryair.As farasCarterwas concerned, all of thatwas farmore important than talking to themediaortotourists.Meanwhile,backinLondon,Carnarvonwasconcentratingonprecisely

that.HehadbeentalkingtoPathé-Cinémaaboutfilming,tothedirectorsoftheBritishMuseumandtheMetropolitaninNewYork–andatlengthtoTheTimes.Hediscoveredthatthenewspaperhadjustpaid£1,000forfifteenexclusivecablesfromtheMountEverestExpedition.AfteralotofdiscussionwithHoward Carter (he sent him the summary of terms incypher),LordCarnarvondecidedtosignanagreementgivingthepapersolerightstointerviewsandblack-and-whitephotographs.Hewastobepaid £5,000, and he retained all rights to any book, lecture or film.Carnarvon stipulated that The Times had to pass on articles, withoutcharge, to the Egyptian press and theNewburyWeeklyNews but couldchargeafeetoothernewspapers.Itwasamoney-making scheme,ofcourse,adesperatelyneededone

given the expense of the operation, but it was also intended tomakeworkingconditionsonsitemoremanageable.Thetheorywentthatthis

waytheywouldonlyhavetodealwithonesetofjournalists.Theplanbackfiredspectacularlywhen the restof thepress, furiousatbeingcutoutofthebiggeststoryinhistory,steppeduptheirhoundingandbeganto spread all sorts of scurrilous reports about Carnarvon and Carter’splans.TheywerepaintedasarrogantadventurerswhointendedtoclosetheValleyoftheKingstotourists.CarnarvonsummonedhisresolveashepreparedtoreturntoEgypt.Inhis mind the issue of the press was settled, whatever the ludicrousheadlines in thepapers.He saidgoodbye to ‘poorAlmina’,who,ashewrotetoCarter,hadbeen ‘doingvariousthings,allof themverywell’,butwasstilltoopoorlytotravel.HeencouragedhertogofortreatmentinParis,whereshewouldbelessvisibletothepress,andtojointhemwhenevershecould.Thenhetookhisleaveofhissonanddaughter-in-law.Hewas relieved to catch them before they sailed for India againwith Porchy’s regiment. They left him Susie, the little three-leggedterrier that had belonged to Porchywhen hewas a boy but had beenadopted by Lord Carnarvon and slept on his bed when he was atHighclere.SusiestayedattheCastlewhenLordCarnarvonandEvesetoffonceagainfromHighclere,evenmoreburdenedwithhopesandexpectationsthan the last time theyhadmade this trip, justweeks previously. The5thEarl’sattentionwasall focusedonhisdestination,nothispointofdeparture.Hepaidnoparticularmindtothelastviewofthehouseasheandhisdaughterweredriventhroughtheparktothewaitingtrainthatwould take them to Southampton. Why should he? He assumed hewould be back soon enough, and with plenty of new pieces for his‘Antiques’Room.Infacthewouldneverseehislifelonghomeagain.

20

LightsOut

TherewasanenthusiasticwelcomingcommitteetomeetLordCarnarvonandLadyEvelynastheysteppedontotheredcarpetthathadbeenlaidontheplatformofthelittletrainstationinLuxoron25January1923.Inhisexcitement,theEarl,whowasalwaysabsentminded,hadlefthistwofalseteethintherailwaycarriage;theywerereturnedtohimonacrimsoncushion.Evewaspresentedwithabouquetandthecamerasoftheworld’spress flashedasshe,her fatherandCarteredgedtheirwaythroughthecrowds.Carterwentstraighttothesite;EvegotherfathersettledcomfortablyattheWinterPalaceandspoketothechefaboutthemenus forvarious lunchesanddinners that shewashelpingher fatherwith. Therewas going to be a great deal of entertaining and Evewasdelighted to act as her father’s hostess.TheTimes had assignedArthurMerton to cover the story round the clock. He wrote that it was‘impossible not to be impressed with the extremely friendly, evenaffectionateattitudeoftheEgyptianstowardsLordCarnarvon.HelikesthemandhelikesEgypt.’Thesamepositivitycouldnotbesaidtocharacteriserelationswiththe

restof thepress.TheValleywas fullofpeople, journalistsandtouristsalike,hangingaroundtocatchaglimpseofthelatestpreciousartworkas itwasremovedto the field laboratory.Whentheygot frustrated,astheyinvariablydid,tempersfrayed.Thecriticisminthenewspaperswasgettingmore vitriolic and looked likely to affect crucial relationswiththe Egyptian Department of Antiquities. Carnarvon decided to leaveCarter and the team to their work and go to Cairo to settle mattersdiplomatically and make preparations for the grand opening of theburialchamber.The day chosen to break through was Friday 16 February. Theantechambers had been completely emptied by then and only the twoblack and gold-kilted guardian statueswere left, staring at each otheracrossthesealedentrancetoTutankhamun’sburialchamber.Therewereabout twenty people assembled at the entrance to the tomb: LordCarnarvon, Lady Evelyn, the Hon. Mervyn Herbert (Carnarvon’s half-brother), the Hon. Richard Bethell, (Carnarvon’s private secretary,recentlyhiredtoassisthimwithhisnowvastcorrespondence),HowardCarter,ArthurMace,ArthurCallender,ProfessorBreasted,HarryBurtonwithhiscamera,DrAlanGardiner,MrLythgoeandMrWinlockfromtheMetropolitanMuseum,SirWilliamGarstin,SirCharlesCust,equerrytoKing George V andM. Lacau from the Department of Antiquities, MrEngelbach with three local inspectors, and H. E. Abd el Halim PashaSuleman,representingKingFuad’sgovernment.Carterbegantoremovethestonesfromtheblockedentrance,workingfrom the top down. He had built a little platform to cover the gapthroughwhich the three of themhad entered the previous time.Afterhalfanhourhisaudiencecouldseewhatappearedtobeasheetofsolidgold appearing, just a few feet beyond the entrance. Carter dropped amattress through to protect the object and laboured on, assisted byLacau andCallender, for another two hours of infinitely carefulwork.Whenitwasdonetheyhadrevealedalargegoldenshrine,asbigastheantechambertheywerestandinginbutsomefourfeetlower.Carter, Carnarvon and Lacau lowered themselves into the narrowpassage,payingouttheelectriccabletogivethemselvessomelight.ThewallsofthechamberwerebrightlypaintedwithscenesfromtheBookofthe Dead featuring larger-than-life-size figures. In one corner werepropped the seven oars needed by the dead Pharaoh to ferry himself

across the Underworld. The two golden shrine doors were covered incartouches and hieroglyphs and were held shut by a bar and ropes.Gentlyextricatingthebarand looseningtheropes, theydrewbacktheouterdoorstofindanothergoldenshrinenestledwithin,sealsintact.Therestofthepartywasfollowingthem.Evecamenext.Carterhadturned his attention to a further chamber, a treasury, containing acanopicshrineofcreamyalabasterthathelaterdescribedasoneofthemost awe-inspiring works of beauty he had ever seen. The burialchamber was now filled with people, all of them struck dumb by anenormoussenseofprivilegedamazement.Theywereinthepresenceofthe Holy of Holies, staring at the spectacular remains of a vanishedworld.Thatwasenoughforoneday.TogoanyfurthermeanthandlingthesarcophagusitselfandCarnarvonandCarterwerebothquiteclearthatitshouldbe treatedwith the strictest reverenceandultimately left in itsresting place in the Valley of the Kings. The group retreated, utterlystaggeredbywhattheyhadseen.Thetwomendirectingtheenterprisewereexhaustedandstressedalready,tornbetweenjubilationandworry.From19to25Februarythetombwasopenedtothepressandpublic.CarterandCarnarvonhopedinthiswaytotaketheedgeoffthepress’srancour. It didn’t work. The American journalists, furious that USexpertisewasbeingusedwhiletheywerebeingdeniedcompleteaccesstothestory,begantoreporttheentirelyerroneouslinethatCarnarvonwanted to remove Tutankhamun’s mummy to England. He was angryand hurt. Carter was at breaking point, ground down by the endlessinterruptions. His diary tersely records, ‘Visitors to tomb, Given up tovisitors’foreightconsecutivedays.Relations were strained between the two men. On 21 February,CarnarvonvisitedCastleCartertotrytosmooththingsover.TheyhadaheatedargumentandCarnarvon stompedback to thehotel.Evewasapractised mediator and she helped to soothe her father and placateCarter.Sheknewhowmuchthefriendshipmeanttobothmen.Withherencouragement,LordCarnarvonwrotealettertoCarteronthe23rd,tomakepeace,andfivedayslatertheytookthejointdecisiontoclosethetombandhaveaweekof rest.Carter stayedathomeand spenta fewquietdaysseeingnooneexceptold friendsGeneralSirJohnandLadyMaxwell. Carnarvon hired a dahabiyah (a sailing Nile houseboat) and

cruisedtoAswaninthecompanyofhisdaughterEve,CharlesMaceandSirCharlesCust.Hewascompletelyexhaustedbuttheriverbreezesandgentlepacewereveryrestorative.Theonlyirritationwasthemosquitoesat night. Annoyingly he was bitten on the left cheek. By the time hearrived back at Luxor he had nicked the bite while shaving with hisfavouriteoldivory-handledrazor.LordCarnarvonarrivedbackinLuxoron6March;tempershadcooled

and he and Carter were friends again. A few days later they werediscussingtheirplansforthenextphaseoftheworkinLordCarnarvon’shotel room. He was still feeling tired and slightly unwell, and hecomplainedtoCarterthathefeltratherpoorly.Doctorsadvisedmorerest,sohetooktohisbedasEvehurriedoffto

CairotoseehermaidMarcelle,acasualtyoftheEgyptianheatwhowasreturning to England, onto the ship to Marseilles. Carter visitedCarnarvoneverydayandheseemedtobestronger,sohefollowedLadyEvelyntoCairoon14MarchandsettledintotheContinentalHotel.Hestill wasn’t right, though, and had to leave one social engagementbecausehewasfeeling‘veryseedy’.Eve nursed him constantly and tried to suppress her rising anxiety.

Her fatherwasnever in thegreatestofhealth,butEgyptusuallymadehimbetter,notworse.ShewrotetoCartera fewdays later to tellhimthatPierreLacauwas laidupwith flubut added, ‘what ismuchmoreimportant is that the old man is very, very seedy himself … all theglands inhisneck started swelling…andhehadahigh temperature.’Giventhehoundingthat theyhadalreadyreceivedat thehandsof thepress, Evewas anxious to keep her father’sworsening illness a secret.Sheendedherletter,‘Iwish,Dear,youwerehere.’DrAlanGardinerwas also staying andwrote to hiswife, ‘our great

sorrow during the last few days has been Carnarvon’s seriousillness…Evelynhasbeensplendid,really,amagnificentlittlegirlfullofpluck and common sense and devoted to her father. I really amextremelyfondofher.’NewsreachedCarterfromMrLythgoethatCarnarvonhadgonedown

withbloodpoisoningandwasgravely ill.By the timeRichardBethell,LordCarnarvon’ssecretary,wrotetohimtosaythathewasmovingintothe hotel to be of assistance, Carter had already received a telegramfromEveaskinghim tocome toCairoandwasabout to setoff.Panic

was rising. Eve telegraphed Almina, and General Sir John MaxwellcabledPorchy’scommandingofficerinIndia.Hewastogranthimthreemonths’ compassionate leave and expedite his immediate passage toEgypt.Porchesterleftthatafternoon,leavinghiswifeCatherinetopackuptheirhouseandreturntoEngland.AlminawasatSeamorePlacewhenshereceivedEve’s telegram.Shehadbeenill forweeksnow,andseeingvirtuallynobodyapartfromDrJohnnie. She loved to talk on the telephone, though, and had been inregulartouchwithEveandherhusband,sosheknewthattensionshadbeengettingthebetterofhimandtheworkwasonholduntileveryonehadhadarest.Shewasstilltotallyunpreparedforthisescalationintheseriousness of Eve’s communication. Carnarvonwas grievously ill, twothousandmilesaway,andtheirdaughterwasclearlyterrified.ItwasthesortofsituationAlminapossessedalltherightqualitiestohandle. Immediately she phoned De Havilland and enquired aboutchartering aplane andapilot. Then she threw some clothes in abag,informedDrJohnniethattheywereleavingforEgyptimmediately,andsetoffforCroydonaerodrome.Theyflewinathree-seaterplanetoParis,tookthetraintoLyonsandpickedupasecondplanetotakethemallthewaytoCairo.Ajourneythatcouldstilltakeuptothreeweeksbyboatandtraintookthemthreedays.Alminarushedtoherhusband’sbedsideand,pausing longenoughonly toembraceEveandresumehernurse’sairofpatientcalm,setaboutnursinghimbacktohealth.Shehaddoneitmany times before andwouldnot countenance anything less than acompleterecovery.Herbelovedhusbandwasinthehourofhistriumph;hesimplymustgetbetter.On27MarchTheTimesreportedthatLordCarnarvonhadrallied.TheKing sent a message of encouragement. On the 28th it informed itsreaders that the Earl of Carnarvon had relapsed. There was a pressbulletin from Seamore Place on the 30th: ‘patient slightly better;temperature102;conditionstillveryserious.’By3AprilthepresswerereportingeveryfewhoursonLordCarnarvon’sprogress.Hisillnesswasnow the story:on the stateofhishealthdepended thenext chapter intheTutankhamunsagathathadgrippedtheentireworld.On1AprilAlanGardinerwentintoseeCarnarvon.‘Hehadaterriblecrisisjustbefore6o’clock…Iwasquitemiserableaboutit…whyamIsofondofhim…andthatpoorlittlegirl,itnearlybreaksmyheartwith

herdevotion,thereshesitsdayandnighttiredoutandwaits.YesterdayhewasgivenupforhopelessbutEvelynandLadyCarnarvoninsistedhewouldpull through.Thismorninghe insistedonbeingshavedandhasbeenmuchbetter.’By the time Lord Porchester arrived, Carnarvon had developed

pneumonia and was delirious. Almina was losing hope. Henry stareddownatthefeverishman;thefatherhehardlyknew,whohehadonlylatelybeguntorealiselovedhimdearly.Thewarhadseparatedthematthe timewhen theymight have become friends, andnow it seemed itwastoolatetocatchup.In the early hours of Thursday 5April, Carnarvon appeared to rally

briefly.‘Ihaveheardthecall,Iampreparing.’Hediedshortlyafter.Alminawaskneelingathisside,weepingsoftly.Gently,sheclosedhis

eyes.OneofthenursesrushedtofetchPorchesterandLadyEvelyn.Asthey made their way to their father’s rooms, the hotel corridor wasplunged into darkness. The lights went out all over Cairo. Back atHighclere,LordCarnarvon’sbelovedterrierSusiehowledonce,wakingthehousekeeperinwhoseroomshewassleeping,anddied.Eve was inconsolable and, having kissed her father’s hands, her

brotherhelpedheroutof the room.HowardCarter,AlanGardiner,DrJohnnie, theBethellsandtheMaxwellswereallgatheredinthesittingroom and, as Porchy comforted his sister, Dr Johnniewent in to helpAlmina.Nobodysleptmuchthatnight.Thefollowingmorning,thenewEarlof

Carnarvon found Carter, eyes dull from exhaustion, reading theobituaries of his dear friend and patron. All the Egyptian newspaperswereedgedinblackasamarkofrespect.Therewasasecondwaveofcables from all around the world, except this time they were ofcondolence,notcongratulation.Almina was distraught. Her children worried about her but she

reassured them: they should get on and leave Egypt, shewouldmakearrangements to bring Lord Carnarvon’s body home. So Evelyn andPorchestersetoffforPortSaid,wheretheymetCatherineenroutefromIndia and made their way back to England. Porchy, who had alwaysdislikedEgypt,couldn’twaittogetaway.Evehadadoredtheplace;sheneverwentback.AsAlminaarrangedforherhusband’sbodytobeembalmed,thepress

unleashed lavish speculation about the Curse of the Pharaohs. Thebiggest story in theworld just kept growing.The Times reportedmoresoberly, ‘Millions who do not ordinarily take much thought … ofantiquities have watched the progress of [Lord Carnarvon’s] greatadventure with deep and growing interest.’ The question was, whatwouldhappennext?HowardCarterremainedinCairowithAlminauntilshedepartedwith

Lord Carnarvon’s body for England on the P&O steamshipMalova, onSaturday14April.CarterreturnedtoLuxorthefollowingday,verylowinspirit.Therearenoentriesinhisdiaryforthenextweek.Hewasanintenselyprivatepersonwithfewclosefriendsandwaslostwithouttheonehehadworkedalongsideforfifteenyears,withwhomhehadmadethegreatestarchaeologicaldiscoveryofalltime.Theyshouldhavebeenplanning the opening of Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus together. ButCarnarvonwouldnot,afterall,everlayeyesontheinnermostsecretsofthe tomb. It was for Howard Carter to come face to face withTutankhamun’s extraordinary funeralmask,without themanwhohadmadethatpossiblebyhisside.Almina and Dr Johnnie made the long, slow voyage back. Lord

Carnarvon had stipulated in hiswill that hewished to be buried in asimplegraveatthetopofBeaconHill,alongsidetheremainsoftheIronAgefortandlookingoutovertheHighclereestate.TheywouldlandatPlymouth,tobemetbyLadyEvelyn,andtakeLordCarnarvon’sbodyona special train toHighclere.All the fighthadgoneoutofAlmina; thishomecoming was an agonising crawl compared to their hope-fuelleddashjustweeksago.Itwasalovelyfreshmorningon30Apriltwodaysaftertheirreturn

whenthemournersgatheredinthefamilychapel.Thetalldoorstothevaultedflintandbrickbuildingstoodwideopen.Thegreenandcreamtiled floor andbeautifully carvedpews could be glimpsed through theentranceasblack-coatedundertakerscarefullycarriedthecoffinoutandloadeditintoanArmyfieldambulance.Ayoungsoldierwatchedthemandthenclimbeduptoaccompanythecasket.Twoundertakersclimbedupafterhimandsecuredthecoffinforthefinallegofitsjourney.The family had asked to be left in peace at this event, but it didn’t

seemlikely,giventheenormousamountofcoveragetheyhadreceivedeversincethediscoveryofTutankhamun’stomb.

The ambulance pulled away up the hill, past the dairy yard, thegreenhousesandtenants’cottages.PassinginfrontoftheCastle,itwasjoined by three long black cars bearing Evelyn, Catherine, LordCarnarvon’sthreebelovedsisters:Winifred,MargaretandVera,andhisbrotherMervyn.LordBurghclerewastherebutAubreyhadbeenstayingathisvillainPortofinoandwastooilltomakethejourney,plaguedbymoreproblemswithhisfailingsight.DrJohnniewasthere,aswasMajorRutherford,theagent.Alminahadsetoffaloneinacarfifteenminutesearlier.TheprocessionwounditswaydownLimeAvenue,amagnificentparade of pale-leaved trees, with rolling parkland stretching away onboth sides,passedunder thearchatWinchesterLodgeand stoppedbythe golf course that Lord Carnarvon had laid out twenty years earlieralongthelowerstretchesofBeaconHill.ThenewEarlofCarnarvonclimbeddownfromtheambulance;MajorRutherfordandDrJohnniegotdownfromthecars.TheywerejoinedbyagroupofloyalservantsalreadywaitingatthefootofthehillincludingMr Streatfield, Mr Fearnside, Mr Blake, Mr Storie and Mr Maber.AccompaniedbytherectorsofHighclereandBurghclere,themenbeganthe climb to the grave, which had been dug and consecrated thepreviousday.Itwasasteepscramblebetweenancientjuniperandthornbushes.The ambulance and cars continued to the edge of the golf coursewheretheslopewasgentlestandtheycouldjustaboutstruggleuptheshoulder of the hill. The cars stood out against the skyline as theyarrived at the windswept summit, 900 feet above sea level, a greylookoutoverthelushwoodedlandscapebelow.Theambulancefollowedbehind,attachedtoatractorforthelastfewfeetofitsjourney.Alminastood,allinblack,atthegraveside,andgreetedthemournersastheyarrived.Theypausedtosurveythespectacularview.Thewholeof the lateEarl’s adoredHighclerewas laidout before them, from thestudtothefarm,thelakestothedrivesandwoods.Nestledattheheartof it all was the Victorian Castle, the parkland around it dotted withfolliesbuiltbyhisforebears.ItprovidedsuchacontrasttothedustanddesertsofEgypt.The5thEarlhadchosenamajestic,isolatedburialsite,awe-inspiring in a very different way to that of the barren sandmountainsandjaggedcliffsoftheEgyptianPharaohTutankhamun.Eightmenfromtheestateborethecoffinfromtheambulanceandlaid

itonthewoodenbearersoverthegrave.ThecaskethadbeenmadefromanoaktreeintheparkandwasdrapedinthelateEarl’spurple,ermine-trimmedcoronationrobe;hiscoronetlayontop.At11.00a.m.,Rev.MrJephson and Rev. Mr Best led the simple burial service that LordCarnarvonhadrequested.Onceitwasconcluded,therobeandcoronetwere handed to George Fearnside, the late Earl’s faithful valet. Theplaqueonthecoffinwasinscribed‘GeorgeEdwardStanhopeMolyneuxHerbert,5thEarlofCarnarvon,born26June1866,died5April1923’.As themournerspeeledaway, clutchinghandkerchiefs to their eyes,they leftAlmina kneeling byher husband’s grave.A bi-planehired bytheDailyExpressbuzzedoverhead;fromwithinaphotographersnappedshotsofthewidowthatappearedthefollowingday.Then,asnow,thepresscouldnotresistpursuingeverystorytoitslimit.The rumours continued to swirl around theEarl’s death. Itwas saidthatthegroundonBeaconHillwassodifficulttodigthatthecoffinhadto be laid vertically, and then that his faithful terrier was buriedalongsidehim.Overtheyearstherumoursandthefascinationwiththe‘CurseofthePharaohs’grewtosupportwildtheories.MuchwasmadeofsomecoincidencesthatlinkedtheEarltoTutankhamun:LordCarnarvonhad suffered from a troublesome knee and CT scans suggest one ofTutankhamun’swas fractured.Amosquitobiteprobablycontributed tothedeathofeachman:whenLordCarnarvonnickedthebiteonhisfaceit became infected, eventually killing him as the consequent bloodpoisoning overcame him. Experts later discovered that Tutankhamunhad probably contractedmalaria, which is transmitted bymosquitoes.Even the shape of Lord Carnarvon’s head proved of interest to thetheorists.Heoften joked thathenever losthishats toanyonebecausetheywouldonlyfithim:hisheadwasslightlydomed.Lateron,expertswould spend much time assessing the shape of Tutankhamun’s head,becausethereseemedtobeacongenitaldomedshapetohisskull.Theideathathehadbeenstruckontheheadhasnowbeendismissed–theindentationmarkswereprobablyduetocarelessnessincarryingoutthemummificationprocedureratherthananyskulduggery.But for the5thEarl’s family, thesignificanceofhisdeathwasmuchmore visceral, though it was not exactly simple. Aubrey wrote of hisbrother’s death, ‘One never knows how much one cares for a personuntilitistoolate.’Thetwomenhadalwaysbeenclose,butnonetheless

this truism haunted Aubrey. Evelyn was bereft without her adoredfather;Alminalikewisewasdevastated.AndthentherewasPorchy,whohadperhapstheheaviestburden.Hehadneverbeenclosetohisfatherand now he had to succeed him. As he walked down the hill andsurveyed the estate that was now his to uphold, he contemplated thegreatchangethatwascomingtohislife.Alminafeltittoo,butfornowsheconcentratedonensuringthather

husbandwasgiventhesend-offappropriatetoamanwhosediscoveryofthe Pharaoh’s tomb had turned him into a national hero. He hadreceived the intimate funeralhewanted,butnow itwas time tomarkthe passing of a celebrity. Almina arranged a memorial service atHighclerechurchforpersonalfriendsandestateemployeesandtenantrytwodayslater.AfurtherservicewasheldbytheMayorandCorporationofNewburyatStNicholas’sChurch.ThenshetravelledbacktoLondonand held a larger memorial service, open to all, at St Margaret’s,Westminster,where her son hadmarried the year before and she hadmarried the Earl in 1895. The service was attended by hundreds ofpeople, including Elsie, Lord Carnarvon’s loyal stepmother, and MrBrograve Beauchamp, who had become a friend of Lady Evelyn’s andwantedtolendhissupport.OnthesamedayafurtherserviceofcommemorationwasheldatAll

Saints’CathedralinCairo.TheEgyptianpapershadreportedeverydetailoftheEarl’sillnessandhisfuneralonBeaconHill.Nowthereweremanyfriends and colleagues who wanted to pay their respects to the big-hearted English gentleman who loved Egypt and whose discoverybroughtthecountryincalculablerecognitionandprestige.AbbasHilmyel-Masri, a distinguished Egyptian poet, paid a beautifully wordedtributetoLordCarnarvon,sayinghehadcontributedtoEgypt’sgloryina manner which ‘Sahban the greatest Arabic orator, could not haveequalled.’LordCarnarvonwasjustfifty-sevenwhenhedied,buttheoldwayof

doingthings,intheValleyoftheKingsandatHighclere,diedwithhim.From now on the Egyptian government would lay first claim to thePharaoh’slegacyand,backatHighclere,thefamilywasdealingwiththefirst succession to the title and estate of the twentieth century. Themodernworld,withitsdismantlingofprivilegeforsomeandextensionoffreedomforothers,hadovertakeneveryone.

21

Inheritance

EverythingchangedforAlminawhenherhusbanddiedinMay1923.Allher lifeshehadbeensupportedbymenwhohad lovedandspoilther.Firstly through her beloved father, Alfred deRothschild, and then herhusband,shehadeffortlessaccesstobeautifulhousesanddistinguishedpeople, the finest lifestyle that ImperialBritainhad tooffer.Shecouldthrow parties, create hospitals, shower everyone around her withpresents,andbegiftedasenseofcommunity,andherexaltedpositionwithinit,inreturn.Duringthewarshehadusedherpositionandherpersonalattributes

and gifts at Highclere and in Bryanston Square in an extraordinarilypositive way. Now she was on her own, widowed at forty-seven. Onsome days she felt exhausted and quite overwhelmed by grief andloneliness.Forthefirst timeinher life,shewasunsureofherself.Andtherewasagreatdealtothinkaboutandtoresolve.Almina startedwitha fewcrucialdetails.Whatwas shegoing tobe

callednowthatshewasnolongertheCountessofCarnarvon?TherewasalreadyaDowagerCountess,theindefatigableElsie,who–thoughnow

inhersixties–wasdefinitelynotslowingdown.ShelivedmostlyatherhouseinLondonsothatshecouldbebusywithherworkfortheVocalTherapy Association and numerous other societies and charities. Withthatoptionclosedtoher,AlminaannouncedinTheTimesthatshewouldliketobeknownasAlmina,CountessofCarnarvon.Then there was the matter of moving out of Highclere. Traditiondictated thatwhen a new incumbent succeeded, the former holders ofthetitleandinhabitantsoftheestateretiredgracefullyfromthescene.Naturally the older generationswere not exactly put out on the streetand,inanycase,AlminahadherownhouseatSeamorePlace,butevenso,shewasfacingthedefinitivemomentofdisplacement.HighclerewasnowthenewEarlandCountessofCarnarvon’shome,nothers.Porchywas utterly devoted to thewelfare of Highclere, but hewasalsojusttwenty-fouryearsoldandhadneverlivedthereinhisadultlife.Hehadhadnoopportunitytoobservehowit functionedindetail,andhis wife, who had grown up in a very different environment in theStates,wasgoingtohavetolearnalongsidehim.In addition to all the adjustments at home, there was also theinternationaldimensiontoconsider.ThemantowhomAlminahadbeendevotedhaddiedatthepinnacleofhiseffortsandfame.Therewasanenormous unfinished task currently stalled in Egypt that needed herinputtoresume,anditsrepercussionsintermsofnegotiationswiththeEgyptianState,variousmuseumsandthemediahadbarelybegun.Alminahadsomesignificantproblems.The5thEarlhaddiedwithoutmentioningtheValleyoftheKingsconcessioninhiswill.Alminaknewshe wanted to carry on the work in Tutankhamun’s tomb in herhusband’smemory.As faras shewasconcerned, thatmeantextendingfinancial help to Howard Carter so that he could press on with theproject.ShetoldCarterthatshewouldcontinuetofundtheexcavationandthatheshouldmakeplansfortheforthcomingseason.On12JulyshealsosignedanagreementwithMonsieurLacauoftheDepartmentofAntiquitiesthatgrantedhertherighttospendafurtheryearclearingthetomb, from November. The rest of the Valley of the Kings no longerformedpartoftheconcession.Howard Carter was in England for most of the summer and madeseveral visits toHighclere,where he helpedAlmina to pack the Earl’spricelesscollectionofantiquitiessafely.Itwasutterlyunique,withmany

itemsworthmorethan£20,000each.LordCarnarvonhadmadevariousbequests to theBritishMuseumand theMetropolitanMuseumofNewYork,butbothCarterandAlminahopedthat,ifthecollectionweretobeabsorbedintoamuseum,thebulkofitwouldremainasingleunit.Carter was of course hugely relieved that his work was not injeopardy, and very grateful to Almina, but he missed his old friend’scompanyandcollaborationterribly.Hewasincapableofidlenessandhespentmostofhistimepreparingabook.TheTombofTutankhamunwaspublishedlaterthatyear.Carterdedicated it tohis ‘belovedfriendandcolleagueLordCarnarvon,whodiedinthehourofhistriumph.Butforhisuntiringgenerosityandconstant encouragementour labourswouldneverhavebeencrownedwithsuccess.Hisjudgementinarthasrarelybeen equalled. His efforts, which have done so much to extend ourknowledge of Egyptology,will forever be honoured in history and, byme,hismemorywillalwaysbecherished.’PoorCarterwaspermanentlydowncastafterLordCarnarvon’sdeath.Hisdedicationneverwaveredandheeventuallycompletedhistask,butit was a struggle. He and Almina ended up in a dispute with theDepartmentofAntiquitiesthatranuntiltheendofthefollowingyear.ItbeganwhenCarterresumedworkintheNovemberof1923.Hecouldn’tcope with the constant interruptions and eventually closed the tombcompletely.TheEgyptiangovernmentpromptlybannedhim fromboththe site and his laboratory. For a nation exploring its new-foundindependence,itwasanidealopportunitytotrytobringtheexcavationback under an Egyptian aegis. Exhausting wrangles with Egyptianofficialdom,legalargumentsoverrightsandobligationsandmuchpettysquabblingcausedCartertosinkfurtherintodepression.The outcome of the legal case in the Egyptian courts wasdisappointingforAlminaandCarter.Mistakesweremade,allofwhichwould probably have been avoided if Lord Carnarvonwere still alive.Shedid,however,succeedinpersuadingtheEgyptianadministrationtoallowCartertocompletetheexcavationandrecordingofthetomb.Foramanwhohadonlyeverwantedtobeleftalonetodohiswork,thatwasenough.Meanwhile,therewasmorepaperworktocontendwithathome.The5thEarlhadleftHighclereentailedtohissonandhisheirs,butalmosteverythingelse, fromhorsestootherhouses,was left toAlmina.There

wasaknotty taxsituationthatwasabsorbinga lotof timeand lookedsettoabsorbagreatdealofmoneyaswell.ThiswasthescenariothatCarnarvon had been quietly dreading for years, ever since LloydGeorge’ssupertaxbecamelawin1910andhisannualtaxbillstartedtoclimbfromsomethingnegligibleto,by1919,morethan60percentofhis income.Thenationnaturallyneededtorebuild itselfafter thewar,pay for pensions for thewarwounded and thewidows, and build thethousandsofhomes‘fitforheroes’calledforbyLloydGeorge,butitwasa very sudden change in the amount of money that the old class oflandownershadtofind.Lord Carnarvon was permanently worried about the overdraft at

Lloyd’s and how to plan for the future. The Earl, like somany of thearistocracy,wasmuchricherinassetsthancash,andspentmoneyonalifestyle more as a matter of custom than on the basis of carefullycalculatednetincome.HehadwrittentoRutherfordonlymonthsbeforehe died to ask him to ensure all expenses were trimmed as much aspossible,butthatprovedtobetoolittletoolate:nowPorchy,hisheir,andAlmina,hiswidow,werefacingaverysubstantialdeath-dutiesbill.Theissueofdeathduties,payablewhenalargeestatepassedfromone

generation to another, was the other tax nightmare that haunted thelanded classes, especially after 1920 when they were massivelyincreased. Cash had to be raised fast to pay the tax owed on theseenormousassets,andoftenthatmeantthatthehousehadtobesold,oratleastemptiedofcontents.ThesituationwithHighclerewasalleviated,asalways,bytheRothschildmoney.Alminawasstoical–asfarasshewasconcerned,itwassimplyaquestionofdecidingwhichpaintingstopart with, but the bill was certain to be huge and the whole processcomplicated. It meant that none of the bequests to George Fearnside,Albert Streatfield and other longstanding friends and staff could becarried out until the matter was resolved. In the meantime, Alminawantedtostaybusy.Ithadalwaysbeenhertacticwhenunderpressure,andnowsheswirledout todinner fromSeamorePlace,visitedPorchyand Catherine at Highclere, was looked after by friends and went toParis to shop. She also began to spend more time with LieutenantColonel Ian Dennistoun, whom she hadmet through his ex-wife, whowasafriendofhers.AlminametDorothyDennistounwhentheirmutualfriend,GeneralSir

JohnCowans,wasdyingin1921;thewomenimmediatelybecameveryclose and Dorothy came constantly to Highclere. Sir John was thebrilliantquartermasterwhohadplayedacrucialroleintheGreatWar,buthis reputationwasovershadowedbyrevelations thathehadhadanumber of affairs. One of them was with Dorothy, who had beenseparated from her husband for some time. After the Dennistounsdivorced,Ianwasoftenalone.Heusedawheelchair,ashehadbrokenhishipverybadly,andhehad terriblemoneyworries too,buthewaskind,charmingandagoodfriendtoAlminaafterherhusband’sdeath.Almina had never in her life been alone, and now she found herselfdrawntoIan.She lookedafterhimandtheybegantospendmoreandmoretimetogether.TherewasagreatpieceofgoodnewsfortheCarnarvonfamilyinthemidst of all their difficulties: Eve was getting married. She and MrBeauchamp had been meeting for several Seasons now, and Eve’sfondnessandrespectforhimhadbeengrowingsteadily.Hewasalotoffun and they loved to dance together.When her father died, Evewascompletelybereft.BrograveofferedherhissupportandthatsummerhebecameaconstantvisitortoHighclere.He had spent the previous year attempting to follow in his father’sfootsteps as an MP, with no success. He was the National Liberals’candidateinLowestoftafterhisfatherresignedtheseat,butlostheavily.ThatgeneralelectionwasadrubbingforthedividedLiberalParty,butBrograve fought hard, despite the fact that his heart laymore with acareer in business. He decided not to follow his own inclinations,though, chiefly to please his mother, Lady Beauchamp. Brograve wasalwaysveryprotectiveofbothhisparentsafterhisolderbrotherEdwardwaskilledinFrancein1914.He was by nature cheerful and relaxed, and got on very well withAlmina aswell as Porchy andCatherine.He played golf badly, bridgewellandenjoyedracingonlybecauseEveloveditsomuch.Asidefromall his personal qualities, she appreciated the fact that her father hadlikedhim.Theysharedapassionforcarsandhadbeenknowntogooutfor a spin together in Lord Carnarvon’s Bugatti. Brograve had beenwonderfulatcheeringEveandmakingherlaughagain.Ifevershewasdown she used to ask him to sing ‘God Save the King’. He wascompletelyunmusicalanditwassoflatthateveryonewouldfallabout

laughing. In truth he was the only man Eve had ever seriouslycontemplatedmarrying,andtheweddingwasset forOctober,muchtoeveryone’sdelight.TheotherjoyousannouncementthatsummerwasthatCatherine,the

CountessofCarnarvon,waspregnantwithherfirstchild.ThebabywasduejustafterChristmas.Highclerewouldbeahometochildrenagain,andtherewasasenseofrenewalintheair,despitethefamily’ssadness.Thereliefatthegoodnewswasshortlived.Aubreyhadbeenfeeling

verylowinspiritduetohisworseninghealthformostofthespringandhadn’t been able to face battling back from Italy for his brother’smemorialserviceearlierintheyear.Butbysummerhewasfeelingabitbetter and he and Mary returned to England and went to stay atHighclere inJuly. Itwas tobehis lastvisit.HewentontoPixtonandconsulted various doctors. He had always been slim but now he waslookinggaunt;hewasnearlytotallyblindandwasrunningoutofenergytobattlehislifelonghealthproblemsandcopewiththelossofhissight.Oneof thedoctors, clearlya totalquack,gavehimanextraordinary

piece of advice: that having all his teeth removed would restore hissight.PoorAubreymusthavebeendesperatebecausehewentaheadandhaditdone.Itturnedoutthathehadaduodenalulcerandthepoisonspread throughouthisweakenedbody,developing into septicaemia, ashadhappenedtohisbrother.Elsierushedtoherson’sbedsideandsheandMaryworkedinshiftstobringhistemperaturedown,butinanagebeforethediscoveryofpenicillin,eventheirnursingcouldn’tsavehim.His finemind became increasingly lost in delirium and he died on 26September.Aubreywasjustforty-threeyearsold;heleftfouryoungchildren.His

obituaries paid tribute to his irrepressible spirit, and to the amount oflife he had managed to pack into such a short span. He was a greatlinguistandtraveller,hefoughtandnegotiatedintheGreatWar,wasamaverick MP, championed small nations, especially Albania, wrotepoetryandgathereddevotedfriendsfromallovertheworld,thankstohis remarkable charm.Hiswife,mother, younger brotherMervyn andhalf-sisters, Winifred, Margaret and Vera, buried him at BrushfordChurchonExmoor.ThememorialserviceinPiccadillyoverflowedwithfriends.Hismother, Elsie, had nowburied both her husband and her oldest

child,butshecarriedon,braveandstoical, throughout the1920s.Shehad lived her life with dignity and purpose and encouraged everyonearoundher to do likewise.After her beloved sondied, she establishedhospitals,schoolsandanti-malariaclinicsinAlbania,aswellasavillageforrefugeescalledHerbert,afterherson.Therehadbeentwodeathsinoneyearandnoweveryonewantedto

focus onEve’swedding.Mary,Aubrey’swidow, andAlmina combinedtheir forces to organise it.Mary’s helpwas invaluable, as Alminawasalsointheprocessofbuyinganewhouse.SheandIanwereplanningtomarryandmovetoScotland.On 8 October 1923, Lady Evelyn Herbert married Mr Brograve

Beauchamp in StMargaret’s,Westminster. Shewas followeddown theaislebytenlittlebridesmaidsandgivenawaybyherbrother,theEarlofCarnarvon.Thereisabeautifulphotoofthecoupleleavingthechurch,which almost overflows with happy energy. Brograve, almost a foottallerthanEve,smilesstraightatthecamera,supremelypleasedwithhisgoodfortuneinmarryingthewomanheloves.Eveiswearingahighlyembellished drop-waisted dress and a fashionable full-length lace veilthrownbackoverherhair,andislaughing,bendingtospeaktoawell-wisher.ShelooksuncannilylikeayoungerAlmina.The end of 1923 brought a small announcement in The Times: the

marriage of Almina, Lady Carnarvon and Lieutenant Colonel IanDennistoun had taken place at a register office in London. Eve andBrogravewere the only people present. Almina and her new husbandspent Christmas alone at the house they had just bought in Scotland,whileEveandBrogravetravelledtoHighcleretospendtheholidaywithCatherine and Porchy. Dr Johnnie was there, too. There was anatmosphereofexcitedanticipationaboutthebaby’sbirth,buttherewasto be a departure as well as a new arrival. It was Streatfield’s lastChristmas serving the family. He had decided to retire and GeorgeFearnsidewouldbesteppinguptohisplaceashousesteward.Streatfieldhadnearlyfortyyearsofserviceand,ashehadalwaysknownhemight,hehadoutlastedAlmina,whosearrivalhehadwitnessedbackin1895.CountessescomeandCountessesgo,butagoodhousestewardstaysforlife.ThenewLordCarnarvonhada smaller staff thanatany time in the

house’shistory.MajorRutherfordhadbeensucceededbyoneofhissons,

but he had insisted on the cuts in expenditure that the 5th Earl hadrequested just before his death. Theywere relatively straitened times.But even so, and despite the shudders that went through the socialsysteminthewakeofthewar,Highclerewasstillamutuallydependentcommunity of people who lived and worked together, mostly inharmony. Some commentators had predicted after thewar that itwastheendforthegreatEnglishcountryhouse. Infact, thatprovednottobeso.DespitetheeconomicandpoliticalupheavalsoftheTwentiesandThirties, Highclere continued to be the setting for glamorous houseparties.Standardsweremaintained,andindeed,EvelynWaughusedtosaythatsomethingwas ‘veryHighclere’tomean‘superblycarriedout’.The novelist was an occasional guest: he first married the 5th Earl’sniece, Evelyn, Winifred’s daughter, and secondly Laura, againCarnarvon’sniece,butAubreyHerbert’sdaughter.By1939the6thEarlemployedlesspeopleatHighclerethanhisfatherbut the Castle still functioned in much the same way (twenty-threeinside servants as well as all the estate workers). It was the SecondWorldWar,nottheFirst,thatalteredBritishsocietyirrevocably.Butfornow,Highclerecontinuedmuchasiteverhad.Almina became a grandmother on 17 January 1924. Catherine gavebirthtoahealthybabyboy,thenextheirtothetitleandtheestate,whowasnamedHenryGeorgeReginaldMolyneuxHerbert.Laidinthecradlethat Almina had used for both his father and his aunt, the new LordPorchesterbeganhislifeatHighclereadoredbyhisparentsandallthefamily.EveandBrograveweredownnearlyeveryweekendandEveandCatherine became very close. New friends began to fill the drawingroomsandstayinthebedrooms.Insteadoftheoldwaltzesandpolkas,jazz and the Charleston wafted out through the open windows on asummer’sevening.ThenewLordPorchesterwaschristenedinApril1924.Hewastakendown to Highclere Church in a smart pony phaeton that his lategrandfather had used to drive around the park. Local people fromHighclereNewtownandevenNewburyhadcongregatedtocheeronthechristening party and fill the church. The bonny babywould grow upmuch loved and come to adore his grandmother Almina as she grewolder.A year later Eve gave birth to a daughter, Patricia Evelyn, a cousin

nearly the sameage for the secondchildofLordandLadyCarnarvon,whowasnamedPenelope.Almina delighted in her expanding brood of grandchildren, and thegaietythatonceagainfilledherbelovedHighclere.Whenshevisitedshewas proud and nostalgic in equal measure, but her life lay elsewherenow. Her husband was often unwell and Almina devoted herself tonursinghim.Itwastheremindersheneededthatnursingwashergreatpurposeinlife.TherehadbeensomanythingstodivertherattentionsincetheendoftheGreatWar:her latehusband’sworseninghealth, thenhisdiscoveryofTutankhamun’stomb,whichcatapultedthefamilyintothelimelight;and, of course, his dramatic, devastating death. Almina and IanDennistounweretospendmuchofthenextyearcaughtupinalonganddamagingcourtcasebroughtbyIan’sex-wifeDorothy,butAlminaneverstopped thinking about her vision for another hospital. It took until1927, but when it was finally opened she named it Alfred House, inhonour of her beloved father, the man who had made her wholeextraordinarylifepossible.

Epilogue:Almina’sLegacy

Onehundredyearsafter thenineteen-year-oldgirlarrivedatHighclerewith trunks and travelling cases piled high with dresses, silks, hats,muffs,anddaintyshoes,HighclereCastleisstillhometotheCarnarvons.Built in a glorious flight of fancy by the 3rd Earl, Highclere Castlerepresentedanoutstandinglyconfidenttributetothetimes.Almina attended the funerals of both Queen Victoria and her son,

Edward VII, as well as two Coronations. She was a generous host,frequently entertaining her family and friends, amongst whom werepoliticians, adventurers, generals, surgeons, Egyptologists, racehorsetrainers,bankersandaviators.Shehadnoqualmsabout spendingprodigiousamountsofmoney to

get things done.Most of us come up against the frustration of havingideasandaimswithinsufficientresourcestofulfilthem.Byvirtueofherdoting and incredibly generous father, a lack of funds was never anobstacle so she ‘thought big’ in life and, whilst her first husbandwasalive,certainlysucceeded.DuringtheFirstWorldWar,Alminadevotedanextraordinaryamount

ofenergytohelpingothers,withnothoughtforthecostintermsoftimeormoney,justastraightforwardfocusondoingineverymomentwhat

was required for each person. She helped to save countless lives, andneither themenshenursednor their familiesever forgot it.Today theonlytracesofthehospitalatHighclerearethestories.Visitorsstillarrivehoping to share their memories or find out a little more about theirrelatives.Almina’ssupportandnursingofherhusbandsavedhislifeonseveraloccasions,andtheirlongandhappymarriagegavehimtheopportunityto continueworkingout inEgypt topursuehis passion andobsession.Carnarvon and Carter were a unique team, both mavericks but bothfocused and persistent. The tomb of Tutankhamun is still the onlyAncient Egyptian royal burial site ever found intact, a holy grailrevealinguntold treasure. Its discovery culminated, like somany goodstories,intragedyatthemomentoftriumph,butthehistoryoftheboy-king has fascinated people from schoolchildren to eminent academicsaroundtheworldeversince.Even today, Egyptologists are grateful to Almina for her unstintingsupport of Howard Carter after the 5th Earl died. She continued tomaintain him, his team and the laboratory until he had finished thedetailedexcavationandrecordingofeverysingleobject. Inrecognitionof her support, the Egyptian government repaid Almina £36,000 in1936,whichreimbursedherexpensesforthatperiod.ItalsotransferredsomeoftheinvestmentandtheownershipofthediscoveryintoEgyptianhands.TheRothschild influence isstillvisibleatHighclere in thegreensilkdamask wall hangings in the Drawing Room, which is also whereAlmina’sbeautifulpianosits.Stanhopebedroomhasretaineditsredsilkwall coverings, part of the redecoration in honour of the Prince ofWales’svisitin1895.Almina’s love of comfort based on the latest in practical technologyensured that Highclere was one of the first houses to enjoy a fullyplumbed hot-and cold-water system. The same structure is still usedtoday, even if pipes have been replaced. She also ensured that theinstallation of electricity and electric lightwas undertaken early. Thatmeantvastlyfewercandlesandoillampswereused,cuttingtheriskoffire–ahazardwhichclaimedotherlargehousessimilartoHighclere.Almina obviously loved a good party and was as energetic inorganisingthebigweekendsatHighclereasanyEdwardianhostess.Her

passionforthebestinrichFrenchcookingstillpermeatesthefoodeatenhere.Highclere’s chefoffers someofherdishes, suchas crabaugratinwith a generous amount of butter and cream, herb-crusted roast lambandveryrichcoldchocolatepots.TheenormousmarriagesettlementbestowedonAlminabyAlfreddeRothschild was a turning point in the Carnarvon family’s fortunes, asdebts were cleared and the estate put on a much sounder footing.Although many of her husband’s properties were sold to pay deathduties or debts, Almina’s cash and chattels from her father, and thesharp deal she eventually didwith theMetropolitanMuseum for LordCarnarvon’s collection of Egyptian antiquities, may well have savedHighclereforfuturegenerationsofherfamily.Perhaps itwas in the field ofmedicine thatAlmina left the greatestlegacy.Sherealisedthatpost-operativeandtraumacarewereasmuchapartofthehealingprocessasthebestsurgicaltechniquesandthelatestequipment.Almina’sunderstandingof theword ‘care’was sincere.Sherealised that the nursing and physical environment at her HighclerehospitalwasgoingtomakeallthedifferencetothelivesofthepatientsarrivingfromthehorrorsoftheWesternFront.Alminatreatedthemasiftheywere country-houseguests;nothingbut thebest foodwas served,with pastimes and recreation in the Castle State Rooms and park forthose that were fit enough. She was a stickler for hygiene: perfectcleanliness in terms of nurses’ uniforms and every household surfacewere the order of the day, with attention paid to the smallest detail.Almina knew that nurses had to deal with psychological as well asphysicalsufferingandherapproachwastoofferkindness,comfortandan ordered environment. She used all the wonders of Highclere tosucceed in this goal, and the many letters from patients and theirfamiliesareatributetoherdeterminationtogetthingsright.She championed the view that poorly trained or loosely managednursesmighttaketheireyesoffthe‘care’ball,resultinginpoorhygieneandpatientmoraleandaconsequentincreaseinthemortalityrate.Herpatientswerealwaysatthecentreofherthoughtsandactions.Agreatbeliever in new surgical techniques, Almina enjoyed the company ofsomeoftheleadingpractitionersofhertimebut,evenso,shebelievedthat their work should never take precedence over good nursingpractice.Severebacterialinfectionsmayhavebeenamajorproblemin

thetrenches,buttheywouldnotbetoleratedatHighclere.Alminafeltarealdutytohelpandcareforthewoundedandsickof

thewar.HergenerousspiritandChristianviewoftheworldinspiredhertospreadherwealthandshareitsbenefits.Smallinstature,sheglowedwithcharismaasapowerhouseofenergyandwillpower.Shelivedalonglife,asdidherson.ConsequentlytheCastlewasnot

subjecttofurtherroundsofdeathduties;itsurvivedintactintotheageof a different way of thinking about the old country houses. Thewelcomeandwell-timedestablishmentofEnglishHeritagewasacriticaldevelopmentinthepreservationofmanyoftheUK’shistorichousesandtheircontents.Highclere Castle, like its alter ego, Downton Abbey, remains an

ensemblecastofcharacterstoday,justasitwasinAlmina’stime.Ihavefelt somuchaffection for the ‘real’ characters suchasAubrey, andhismotherElsie,asIresearchedtheirstories.Meetingrelativesofthestafffrom those times has also thrown invaluable shards of light on to life‘downstairs’.Today,theCastleandestatestillhousefamilieswhohaveworkedand

lived here for generations. They pass down stories of predecessors.Retirement is possible but not mandatory. The new generation learnsfromtheold.‘Newcomers’haveworkedhereforfifteenortwentyyearsand ‘properCastlepeople’may stay forup to fiftyyears. Somepeoplethinktheyarecomingtoworkforashorttimeandfindithardtoleave.ThechallengeforHighclereistoensurethattheCastleanditsestate

businessesremainstrongenoughtopreservetheirrichheritage.ItisthesameneedtobalancebusinessandconservationthatconfrontedAlmina.Wehope that, if shewerehere today, shewould recognise things andfeel a senseof pride thatmuchofwhat she lovedhadbeenpreservedand that the spirit of her work was continuing through her great-grandsonandhisfamily.

Acknowledgements

ImustsaythanksandlovetomypatienthusbandGeordie,forhishelpwith research and editing. Thanks aswell for repeated encouragementfrom my sisters; Sarah in particular has consistently clarified mythoughtsandlanguage.IcannotthankPatriciaLeathamenoughforherhilariousstories.Hodder&Stoughtonhavebeenenthusiasticpartnersinthisenterprise

andalsoassignedHelenCoyletosupportmeasamorethanableeditorwhoretainedasenseofhumourduringthemidnighthours.ThankyoutoKevinMorganandMikeBlairfromITVwhointroduced

metoHodder&Stoughtonandtherebyhelpedmeundertakethebookinrecordtime.PartoftheresearchforthiswholeprojectwasalsofortheITV Country-wise programme who have sought to visually shareHighclereanditsEstatewithITVviewers–therealDowntonAbbey.ThestaffatHighclerehavebeenwonderful,supportingmeinsomany

differentways.DavidRymill,ourarchivist,hasbeenunfailinglydetailedand knowledgeable, Candice Bauval has organised me and aided myresearch and Duncan Macdougall has been invaluable and helped mefind imagesandfiles.PaulandRobthechefsmadesure Iate,andthehousehold staff such as Diana Moyse and Luis Coelho have quietlyworked around me trying to tidy and giving me endless cups of tea.Thankyoutosomanyotherswhohaveforgivenmeforforgettingtodothingsand toJohnGundillwhohasencouragedmyprogresswhilstheinterruptedme,whichwasalwaysmostwelcome.OutsidetheCastle,thestaffattheBodleianarchiveswereveryhelpful

andexpeditedmy research; thankyou toDrVerenaLepper (StaatlicheMuseenzuBerlin)whointroducedmefirstlytoDrMalek,KeeperoftheArchive,(OrientalInstitute,Oxford)whoallowedmetoperuseHowardCarter’sdiariesandsecondlytotheMetropolitanMuseumofNewYorkwho allowed me to spend time reading through their archives. PeterStarling at the Royal Army Medical Corp Museum was very helpful

suggestingbooks to readandaiding the research intoFirstWorldWarrecords.Iamalsograteful thatJulianFelloweswas inspiredtowriteaseriesDownton Abbey based around Highclere Castle which Carnival Filmsproduced and Peter Fincham (ITV Chief Executive) took the bolddecisiontoback.Ithasbeenanextraordinaryjourney.SomanypeoplehavecometoloveHighclereandbeenthralledbyitstelevisionalterego.

TranscriptofLetters

this page – Letter from Charles Clout to Lady Almina, written on thenight of his wedding in 1918, from the Lake House on the HighclereEstatewhereheandMaryWeekes,Almina’ssecretary,honeymooned).

TheLakeHouse

July2nd

MyDearLadyCarnarvon

MyDearFairyGodmotherIshouldliketocallyou,as it isassuchthatIshouldalwaysthinkofyou,Iamtryinginthislittlenotetoexpresssomeofmythankstoyouforallyouhavedone,andaredoing,forMaryandme.IcannotattempttoconveytoyouallIfeelinaletter,butIwillalwaystrytolivelifetothegreattrustyouhaveplacedinmeandwilldomybesttorepayyou,byeverymeansinmypower,forthegreathelpthatyouhavegivenmeinmystartinlife.

MayIthankyouagainforthesplendidpresentsyouhavegivenme.Iamdelightedwiththelinksandstudswhicharecharming,andwiththeplate,IthinkIshallneverwanttodineoutwithsuchbeautifulthingstouseathome,andalsoforthecareandtroubleyouhavegiveninarrangingthedetailsoftheweddingformeandforyourverykindloanofthishouse.

YouwillseefromthefewthingsIhavementionedforwhichIamindebtedtoyou,howimpossible itwouldbeformetoattempttothankyouforeverythinginthisnote,butIhopeyouwillbelievemewhenIrepeatthatmylifeshallbeanattempttoproveworthyofyourhelpandtrust.

WithverybestwishesandlovefromYoursSincerelyCharlesWClout.

thispage – Letter fromMaryWeekes to LadyAlmina,written the day

afterherweddingtoCharlesClout

July3rd

LakeHouseWednesday

(notetotopleftside–“youmustforgivethisoddpaperbutthewhitenotepaperhasnotarrived”)

MydearestLittleLady

ThankyousomuchforyoursweetletterwhichIwassopleasedtogetthismorning.

HowcanIeventry to thankyouforallyouhavedoneforme. I just longto tellyouwhat I feel about yourwonderful love andaffection, but alas!Nowordsofmine couldadequatelyexpresswhatIreallyfeel.HadIbeenEveyoucouldnothavedonemore.WhatawonderfulmemoryIhavetocarryintothefutureandifIcanonlybehalfasgoodandkindasyouareIshallbepleased.IhopeIshallalwaysbeacredittothekindestlittleladyIknow,whohasindeedbeenamothertomeforthelast7yearsandIknowwillgoonbeingsointhefuture.

I thinkCharleswroteyou lasteveningafter tea. Iwas rather tiredsohadabathandwentandlaydown.

It is gloriousdownhereand there isnothingonecouldwant for.The food, careandattentionareallperfect.

IamgoingtowritetoLordCarnarvon,hewassosweettomeonTuesdayandmadeonelongtoknowhimbetter.WhatawonderfulfatherandmotherEveandPorchyhavegotanditmademewonderonTuesdayiftheyrealizedit.

Wellmydarlinglittleladyathousandthanksforallyouhaveandaredoingforme.

Withlovefromusboth

YoursaffectionatelyMary(C)

PictureAcknowledgements

Mostofthephotographs:©HighclereCastleArchive.

Additionalsources:© Alamy: 1.7, 4.3. By kind permission of the Clout Family: 3.10. ©Corbis:4.5.©CountryLifePictureLibrary:2.8.Withspecial thanks toCountry Life Magazine who kindly donated these photographs to theHighclereCastleArchive: 2.12, 4.15, 4.18.© Getty Images: 1.15, 4.6,4.8. © Mary Evans Picture Library: 1.2, 1.10, 4.10, 4.11, 4.16. ©NationalPortraitGallery,London:1.9,1.16.©TopFoto.co.uk:1.11,4.2,4.2,4.3,4.17,4.19.©V&AImages:1.1/photoLaFayette.

Everyreasonableefforthasbeenmadetocontactthecopyrightholdersof material reproduced in this book. But if there are any errors oromissions,Hodder&Stoughtonwillbepleasedtoinserttheappropriateacknowledgementinanysubsequentprintingofthispublication.

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Every effort has been made to acknowledge the copyright holders ofextractsusedinthisbook,butfullacknowledgementwillgladlybemadeinallfutureeditions.