Ashenden - a Georgian mansion - old, crumbling now. But still beautiful, and haunted by those who've lived and loved in it, worked in it and been unable to escape it. As Charlie and Ros, its new owners, must decide whether to keep or sell it, so we uncover the stories of those who built up Ashenden and later tried to hold back the march of time. There are the spendthrift Mores; its Victorian saviours, the Hendersons; the prisoner of war trapped in its grounds; and Reggie and Hugo, who bring Ashenden through a troubled century to its latest owners . . . 'I adored this book; I saw it as a sort of love letter to a vanished way of life, and a slice of English history at the same time. Very touching and very compelling.' Penny Vincenzi 'An affecting, intelligent debut.' Guardian 'Wilhide has skilfully held together a complex tale with numerous characters and has also imbued each vignette with faultless historical detail.' Country Life 'A compelling saga.' Woman's Own 'Absorbing social history . . . sharpened by Wilhide's fine ear for dialogue and her wry sense of humour.' Financial Times