Barrington House

Barrington House is the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Wessex and one of the primary settings of A Very Scandalous Proposal as well as a secondary setting of The Unexpected Heiress.

History and Location
The Montjoys were elevated from barons/baronesses to dukes/duchesses in 1850, as a result of a private favor to Prince Albert. In the Montjoy family, the estate is traditionally passed on to the next heir on his or her thirtieth birthday, which is celebrated with a formal debut. It is this debut that serves as the important deadline for much of the plot in A Very Scandalous Proposal, as Simon/Ava tries to convince his/her grandmother and grandfather that they should leave the estate to him/her rather than his/her third cousin, Hugo Lawson.

By the time you arrive at Barrington, the estate is facing severe financial difficulties. In spite of their attempts to create income for the house, Gerald and Mitzi are far enough in the red that they believe they need to sell Barrington to save the family from financial ruin. In a premium scene, you have the opportunity to help Juliet and Cecile develop better products for the gift shop, generating one source of revenue. However, this is not enough to save Barrington on its own. Instead, you and Simon/Ava take your relationship as public as possible, appearing on the talk show circuit and sharing interesting details to create interest in the Montjoy family and Barrington House. The resulting uptick in tour ticket sales is enough to keep the house afloat, though depending on the success of your book, some concerns about the financial viability of the house may remain.

Barrington House has been home to a variety of colorful noblemen and women throughout history. Your Character (A Very Scandalous Proposal)'s interest in the Montjoy family started when you found a memoir from Gemma Montjoy that said she 'bought my freedom from [my husband], and comfort for life, in exchange for silence.' In The Unexpected Heiress set in the 1910s, Gemma Montjoy throws a grouse hunt event for her peerage at Barrington House in an effort to help Your Character (The Unexpected Heiress) find clues to her sister's murder.

A particular favorite of Simon/Ava is "Randy Miranda," a duchess who was rumored to have a lover from each of the great houses (coupled with a total lack of interest in her husband). S/he also recounts the story of Gerald, who was a 'rabid' animal lover who was known for seating all seventeen of his pet spaniels with him every night at dinner and maintained that you could read the future in their droppings, refusing to allow them to be cleaned up until his psychic had read the leavings for him.

Barrington House

 * Drawing room
 * Gallery room
 * Ballroom
 * Margaret's sitting room/office
 * Blythe Suite
 * Pevensie Suite
 * Simon/Ava's suite
 * Library
 * Dining room
 * Kitchen
 * Gift shop
 * Hidden passages

Barrington House Grounds

 * Greenhouse
 * Gardens
 * Stables
 * Sheep folds
 * Plum orchards
 * Apple orchards
 * Cherry orchards
 * Meadows
 * Pond
 * Dowager house

Barrington Village

 * Pub
 * Hotel
 * Book store
 * Tube station

Trivia

 * In the initial tour, Juliet Clarke mentions a number of historical trivia about the house.
 * The staircase is inlaid with Blue John because the seventh duke was partial to it.
 * The drawing room was part of a suite original designed to lure George III and Queen Charlotte to visit the house. Unfortunately for the then-duchess, something referred to only as 'the infamous quail-duck-oose incident' permanently soured the relationship between the two women. However, it also went down in history as one of the first 'food in a food in food achievements.'
 * Previous sources of income for the estate include orchards and selling horse hair and wool for wigmaking.
 * According to Simon/Ava, the last time a Montjoy family member had someone drawn and quartered was the 17th century. However, s/he does note that there was a 'ceremonial' tarring and feathering in the 18th century. Apparently, honey was used as an adhesive.
 * When you look through the bookshelf in your bedroom, you find books including Birds of England, The Canterbury Tales, and a collection of the works of Charlotte Brontë.
 * Barrington House has a large set of hidden passageways, initially intended to let the servants move around the house unseen. Simon/Ava and Tommy used to play in these passageways when they were children.
 * The Montjoy paintings were done by a variety of artists throughout history. Juliet specifically mentions Peter Lely, John Carpenter, John Constable , and Joshua Reynolds.
 * During your book reading, you mention that the Barrington cabaret closed in 1945, but that Simon/Ava may reopen it. It is unclear if the cabaret was located in Barrington House itself or the village.