When the family fortune suddenly dissolved, the Brandons wrapped the threads of their former prestige about them and went into solitary confinement. Middle-aged, outwardly courteous but inwardly bitter and hateful, the three of them lived in a state of suspended animosity, pretending to ignore the fear that hung over them. This was the family that greeted Elizabeth when, in her youth and naivete, she married Thayer Brandon. She tried sincerely...