From the book cover:
In the second novel of Rebecca West's Cousin Rosamund trilogy, Rose Aubrey gives us an intimate, unforgettable picture of the Aubrey family, who now lead an idyllic, almost carefree, life in England in the years before World War I. The family has acquired some money. Rose and Mary, the twins, exist for their music. Their brother, Richard Quin, appears destined for literary greatness at Oxford. Brilliant conversation, their forte, is at a premium. The Aubreys do not perceive the dark foreshadowings contained in their father's rumored death, Cordelia's rejection of music for marriage, and their quiet cousin Rosamund's increasingly important role in the family. As the "Real Night" of World War I descends, painful changes await the Aubrey family and all of England.