Babylon House Is it safe, this mansion? Can it provide a refuge for a young girl torn from everything she knew, delivered from a night of horror? Mrs Tumbler, the mistress, is kind, and little Leafy finds friendship among the staff, taking her place alongside them. But not everyone offers a smile. The butler, Mr Black, looks at her darkly. As for Isaac, the master’s solitary, taciturn valet – he watches with increasing interest with the passing years. What’s on his mind? The master’s children hold themselves aloof. Dorothy, the elder girl, mocks Leafy, envying her friendship with Christopher, the young groom. As for the two boys, Edwin and Rufus, there’s lifelong rivalry between them, the younger jealous of the older. Supposing one of them were to take an interest in the kitchen girl – how might the other respond? The arrival of the master’s new, cruel Spanish bride sets a match to the powder. Hatreds can flourish, desires can come to fruition – and little maids can be humiliated and tortured. It’s good sport. Crush the girl, hurt her; degradations piled high. How exquisite it is to watch the sufferings of someone who cannot fight back. How tight is the trap? Can it be broken? And how devastating might be the revenge of a lover?