The entire edition of the chronicle is dedicated to the story about the latest development in the Bantry family, which has shocked most villagers in St. Mary Mead. The photo above is taken before the war, when the Bantrys still lived happily at Gossington Hall with their four children.
There were visitors and parties, like here at young John fourteenth birthday party, attended by the whole family, including the butler Fred.
His two years older sister Abigail, was a promising concert pianist, and expected to make a successful career in the music business. However...
After a nervous breakdown last April, probably caused by the high number of performances, and a seven months stay at the Redstone clinic for the mentally ill, Abigail is now slowly getting back at her feet again. She has a work placement at the reception in Mrs Jamieson’s hair salon, but her full recovery will take time.
She did want to live by herself, but Mrs. Bantry thought it would be best if Abigail lived at Gossington Hall for the time being. Occasionally she attended the dinner parties held for family and friends, and the Bantries looked almost like one happy family again. However...
Another tragedy of a more social kind was caused by the oldest son Philip, now a young man of twenty-four. He has definitely grown up, and to his parents dislike, he has started a relationship with the much older...
... Prudence Weatherby!!
The Colonel tried to talk them out of it, without much luck. “I can’t really see the problem”, Miss Weatherby defended herself. “He is an adult an actually two years older than you were when you married Dolly!” - That might be so, Dolly thought to herself, but I was definitely not twelve years older than my husband....
As this wasn’t enough, the oldest daughter also caused a scandal in the bourgeois families, when she took on a job as a female police officer. A very unusual situation to say the least, but her parents were said to get to terms with that, and the Colonel supposedly tried to arrange for an internship at Scotland Yard for her. However...
Deborah was, due to her job, getting in touch with the darker side of society, and made acquaintances not suitable for a girl with her background. It became the talk of the town.
Shockingly the young couple did nothing to hide their relationship.
They were even caught dancing and romanticizing at Gossington Hall, when Mrs Bantry came home early from her meeting in the St. Mary Mead Women's Association. It caused quite a stir.
The usually so calm and restrained Colonel literally through Mr Smith out the door, and told him never to put his foot in Gossington Hall again.
Rumour has it that Mrs Bantry herself had to go between the two men, to stop a regular fight.
The latest family problems was probably the last drop for the already week heart of the Colonel, and just a few days later he was hospitalized with a major heart attack. He did not survive.
After the devastating news, Mrs Bantry was met outside the hospital by her youngest son John, the only one who came to support her. “You are the only one who hasn’t abandoned me” she said, “the only one in our family without any ugly secrets in the cupboard.”
After sending his mother home, young John felt sick to his stomach. “Oh how wrong you are, dear mother”, he said to himself. “If you only new...”
To be continued...
The characters and buildings from this story are from the AnnoSims Group project St. Mary Mead, loosly based on the novels of Agatha Christie. (
Anno Sims is now closed, but you can find my own creations for the project here at KSW.)
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