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Show - 2k - suppose it must have been?" The questions poured from Penny In a torrant. "There have been so many conflicting stories told throughout the years that I sometimes wonder how they build up. It has come to the point where it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. As you know, the Gavens came from France about the year 1912 or thereabouts. They were a very proud and aristocratic family. Why they came here in the beginning, I don't know. Perhaps they could see that World War I was coming on. They had one small daughter, Claudine, who was about ten years old at that time. That was when Maddie and I came to work for them. I was the chauffer, gardner and general handy man, and Maddie personal maid to Mrs. Gaven. We were both quite a bit younger in those days. "Gaven House was the show place of the entire county. Quite isolated, but that did not stop the Gavens from entertaining lavishly. They became known for their sumptuous parties. In those days an invitation to a Gaven gala was very sought after. Many a night Maddie and I would watch the guests at the lighted windows. The house was ablaze, and the garden, which was strung with Japanese lanterns, looked like a fairyland. "Claudine was always there. She was the pride and joy of her parents. No matter that she was Just a little girl at the time. There was only one belle of the ball and that was the daughter of the house. How Mr. and Mrs. Gaven cherished her. Until she was about eleven or twelve years old, this home was indeed a happy place. As she grew older her beauty became more pronounced, if that's possible." "What happened then? said both girls simultaneously. "Dirk Valone came into her life," said Tom. "It seemed like he appeared from nowhere one day, outside the iron gate. He wasn't much older than Claudine, but just the opposite in every way. Where she was blonde, he was dark. Her temperment was always sunny, while he was always brooding. |