Derbyshire, England
Chatsworth Mansion - Home of the Duke of Devonshire
5:32 PM


"ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP!!!" Screamed an older gentleman as he pound his cane on the hardwood floor. The ballroom echoed with his shout. He closed his eyes and began conducting feeling the music in his fingers. Moving his arms to invite the Oboe in. Now the clarinet. Drumroll. Ahhh it was magnificent.
"Grandpa?" Asked a small voice from behind. Suddenly the room went dark. The music was gone. The white haired man grabbed tight around his cane as he turned around to face the boy. "I feel the music in these halls...." The grandfather spoke to the boy as he reached down to pat his head. "....history and money like ours will never stop...families like ours go on for a millennium...."

Families could go on for ages, but the people in them, however, could not. The Duke of Devonshire died only some hours following his "Symphony" in the East Hall. Now begun a period of deep mourning for the families of Britain's most esteemed Family besides the Crown Family themselves. Draped in all black the mother of the boy Mrs. Mary Barker-Finch Devonshire; heiress of an immense diamond fortune in South Africa dragged her feet around the mansion of Chatsworth.

Outwardly she was a wreck who had just lost the father-in-law. Inside however, she was squealing with joy! Mary Barker-Finch Devonshire's husband, now the Duke of Devonshire was away some 150 miles in London conducting affairs with Prime Minister Lord John Russell. What a relief! The Duchess would have some time to spend some of her newly acclaimed fortune.


The heir apparent, Thomas Mowry Barker-Finch Devonshire, the nine year old boy from the ballroom lay in his room staring outside at the grounds of Chatsworth. Death was such an immense endless terror and horror to face. But such end was to be faced by everyone, so it wasn't that he feared the death. In fact, he felt guilty for not even feeling bad that his Grandfather whom he had more of a regard and relationship to than anyone else in his life had just passed on. He hadn't even the slightest sadness. The only thing he could think of was what his grandfather had said, "...history and money like ours....will NEVER stop...." Never? What if one day it did? Surely money could go away? Titles too. Thomas Mowry couldn't help but think of the possibility of losing all thousands of acres, millions of dollars, and the large mansion he so loved to call his home. The gardens, the fountains, the waterfall that went through Chatsworth. What if like water, money could just dry up?

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London, England
Lyceum Theatre
8:05 PM


"But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking glass;
I, that am rudely stamped and want love’s majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable"

Shouts the actour in the opening of Richard III.

The now Duke of Devonshire leans over to the Prime Minister, ".....I have a proposal to purchase some 500,000 acres in Africa...."
Chancellor Lord John Russell nodded with a smile even kissing his lips together, "....I'll see that we can put together some sort of arrangement of the acquisition...of course some form of payment up front would be...."
The Duke stopped him, grabbed the Minister's hand and opened it and dropped a handful of priceless diamonds in his palm.
The two laughed a little and continued watching the Shakespeare production.