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BATH, 1940

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H [79] Brigadier-General Arthur Lionel Tarquin Blackstock (Emily Amy)
W [dec at 58] Venezia Romilly Hero Burdet (Wraith)

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S1 [49] Captain Arthur Hannibal Wulfhard Blackstock (cher529s)
- exW [50] Thekla Miranda Heywood (JuliaF)
-- S [25] Constantine Horatio Arthur Blackstock (JuliaF)
- Fiancée [24]
-- D [19] Rosalie Venezia Philomena Blackstock (RowenaRavenclaw)
- W [40] Millicent Ava Greenwood (JuliaF)
-- S [8] Edgar Hannibal Theobald Blackstock (RowenaRavenclaw)

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D1 [47] Guinevere Charis Letizia Blackstock (JuliaF)
- exH [52] Sigmund Franz-Joseph Cavendish (BlueOcean123)
-- D [17] Elfrida Tullia Cavendish (Wordsmith)
- H [45] Vincent Ashley Vaughan (Emily Amy)
-- S [7] Taliesin Sigmund Vaughn (Uilos)

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S2 [45] Samson Jericho Marcus Blackstock (Guest)
- BF [46] Hamish Peredur MacConnell (Uilos)

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• Dog [2]

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D2 [43] Evangeline Camilla Aktaie Blackstock (JuliaF)
- H [47] Valentine Francis St. Anne (Darkbone)
-- S [21] Peregrine Michael Francis St. Anne (JuliaF)
-- D [15] Evanthe Mary Constance St. Anne (JuliaF)

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S3 [41] Second Lieutenant Leonidas Enoch Tarquin Blackstock (.)
- W [39] Alice Helena Goldsmith (Guest)
-- S [17] Atticus Tarquin Blackstock (Uilos)
- GF [31] Agnes Victoria Coventry (cher529s)

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D3 [39] Lavinia Constance Hero Blackstock (Uilos)
- H [58] Ignatz Ferdinand-Gottlieb Cavendish (Wordsmith)
-- D [11] Hero Godeliva Konstanza Cavendish (Cinnabar)
-- S [8] Silas Ignatius Banquo Cavendish (Emily Amy)

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S4 [36] Hector Osric Maximilian Blackstock (RowenaRavenclaw)
- W [40] Emilie Arabella Van Bergen (Guest)
-- S [11] Rex Osric Blackstock (Laura B.)
-- D [8] Opal Venezia Blackstock (Cinnabar)
-- D [4]

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It is the autumn of 1940, and Europe is once more at war.

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Upon hearing that Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Arthur suffered another stroke. This one left him bed bound - a condition Arthur finds humiliating. He cannot stand the lack of independence, and often snaps at the servants. The only person safe from his wrath is his granddaughter Elfrida, now 17, who has taken on the role of his caretaker.

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Arthur is grateful for her companionship. Despite the two strokes, his mind remains razor-sharp. His eyesight has deteriorated so much as to make reading nearly impossible, so he makes Elfrida read him newspapers for hours every day. Recent news of Operation Dynamo has lifted his spirits - "the boys still have it in them", he tells Elfrida.

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Art's marriage with Millicent - who allows him, and him alone, to call her Millie - has weathered the years well. Their son, Edgar, is now 8, and far more energetic than his straight-laced parents: he reminds Art very much of himself as a young boy. His relationship with Rosalie, however, remains strained.

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Much to his chagrin, his daughter has stood by her teenage ambitions and became an actress, performing in London theatres and paying no heed to the bombs flying overhead. Constantine has finished his law degree and joined the legal department of the War Office, where he works diligently on matters of national security. He has become engaged to a student at one of the women's colleges at Oxford, and they plan to marry in the spring of 1941.

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Gwen and Vincent's marriage has remained steady, though it is based on compassion more so than passion. Their son, Taliesin, is now 7. She remains in contact with Sigmund, who has thrown himself head-first into the anti-fascist movement. Gwen worries about him and about their daughter, Elfrida, who remains isolated and bitter, rejecting her stepfather and half-brother entirely. She fears that Elfrida, who has devoted so much of her life to her grandfather, will be inconsolable after his passing - which seems like it will come to pass sooner rather than later.

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In 1938, Sam and Hamish became exiles once more. Neither of them wanted to leave Paris but the situation was becoming untenable. It was with sorrow that they left the smoke-filled cafés, the botanic gardens, and their charming flat in the Latin Quarter for Zürich. They have shed their Bohemian lifestyle like a frayed coat - they are too old to remain Bohemians anyway, they console themselves.

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Hamish has abandoned his mediaeval manuscripts, and instead writes for anti-fascist newspapers. Sam, too, continues to write Marxist literature. They have exchanged the companionship of their many bright, sparkling friends (who knows what fates those friends might meet in Nazi-occupied Paris?) for that of an exceptionally shaggy stray dog of murky origins.

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Valentine's breakdown still weighs heavily on his family. He remains institutionalised with few signs of improvement. Evie visits him as often as she can. She feels guilty for not having done something, anything, to prevent his descent into madness, and tries to be a dedicated mother to her children, neglecting her art in favour of doting upon them.

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Peregrine has grown into a fiercely independent young man, and works as a war journalist, cycling through Europe with a camera and capturing the devastating effects of the war. Even as he remains far from Kensington, he remains protective of Evanthe, and writes to her as often as he can. Her artistic talents have continued to blossom - and. Cats used to feature prominently in her paintings, but they have given way to bicycles.

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Alice eventually discovered Leo's affair with Agnes. She did not wish to cause a scene, and thus, did not ask her husband for a divorce, but she has made it clear that their marriage is over. Along with Atticus, now 17, she moved back to her native Ireland, to live with her father, the retired General. Leo's relationship with Agnes soon crumbled too, and she emigrated to Canada in '39. Unsure what to do with himself, Leo rejoined the army - in part to quell his boredom, in part to redeem himself. There is, after all, a war to be fought.

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Ignatz has become one of the most reviled men in England, as his support of the British Union of Fascists and unabashed loyalty to Oswald Mosley progressed into a full-chested defence of Adolf Hitler. He tried to convince Lavinia to defect to Nazi Germany - but before he could do so, he was arrested alongside Mosley. Lavinia, too, who had been involved in the BUF - albeit through her loyalty to Ignatz rather than any deep ideological commitment - faced a harsh reckoning. She has become a pariah - most of her family had stopped speaking to her years prior, but the ostracism she and her children faced was new. She left London quietly with Hero and Silas, and settled in an obscure part of the countryside.

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Hector's feelings for Alice, his sister-in-law, have only strengthened following her separation from Leo. He does his best to suppress them out of loyalty to his wife and brother. His marriage to Emilie remains superficially happy - they have welcomed a third child, a lively and charming girl adored by her elder siblings. While they look a picture-perfect family, Hector is plagued by guilt, knowing that any further entanglement with Alice could destroy what remains of his relationship with his brother. The strain is beginning to show, and Hector's once steady demeanour is fraying.

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Constantine's fiancée

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First name: the name of a plant, but NOT a flower.

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Middle name: light and airy.

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Surname: a rare occupational surname.

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Sam and Hamish's dog

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Named after a modernist or surrealist writer.

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Hector and Emilie's daughter

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First name: like her mother's first name, it is an unusual spelling of an English name.

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Middle name: honours Alice's first, middle name, or maiden name.

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masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080

This message was edited 8/23/2024, 1:46 AM