The Folly by Irina Shapiro Page B

but Flynn is an Irish surname, which is another thing Father would like to forget.  This estate used to belong to a family named Baxter back in the sixteenth c entury.  They weren’t titled, but they were wealthy and well - respected in these parts .  Mr. Baxter was a widower with a lovely daughter.  It seems that he truly loved his wife , and after her passing , took to spending time drinking and dicing at the local tavern.  Now, this is not an u nu sual thing for men to do, but apparently Mr. Baxter couldn’t stop.  He just couldn’t walk away when the losses got too great. 
    One day he got so inebriated that he lost the estate , and his daughter , to an Irish captain named Liam Flynn, who’d heard about Baxter’s compulsive gambling and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take him for everything he had.  The next day when Baxter sobered up, he begged Flynn to allow him to repay him in other ways, but Flynn would not be reasoned with.  He thought it was fair payback for all the Irish land taken by the English.  Flynn married Marion Baxter and took up residence at the manor, which he renamed Flynn Manor, in honor of himself.  Being Irish, he was a Roman Catholic and had a secret chapel behind the wine cellar.  It’s still there.”
    Elizabeth gave Jeremy a doubting look.  “Is that really true?  That’s quite a tall tale.”
    “That’s what Mrs. Reynolds told me and I ’ ve seen the family Bible.  The marriage between Liam Flynn and Marion Baxter is duly recorded.  They had four children, three of whom survived.”
    “How did he get the title?”  Elizabeth could see how Henry, who was so proud of his standing, neglected to tell her any of this.
    “Flynn won the estate from Baxter during the reign of Elizabeth I, but it wasn’t until after the death of Elizabeth that the Flynns got the title.  By that time , it was Liam’s grandson who owned the house , and he saw his opportunity when James I began to sell baronetcies to raise money for his war against the Irish.  Flynn bought the title, becoming the first Sir Robert Flynn, Baronet.
    According to Mrs. Reynolds, he was a very uptight gentleman , who supported the Roundheads during the Civil War.  He was a devout Puritan and an intimate of Oliver Cromwell.  Sir Robert’s son, however, was a completely different story.  He was my grandfather, Jules. 
    Robert forced his religious views on the family, but as soon as he died, all pretense at puritanism was abandoned.  Jules was frequently at C ourt once Charles II was restored to the throne and only left London after the Great Plague broke out in 1665.  Jules returned to the country and lived in this house until he died.  On the surface , he was a very respectable gentleman, but he did have a hobby.  It seems that Jules did a bit of smuggling on the side to supplement the family finances.  There was a tunnel from the cellar to a cave on the beach where the smugglers used to hide caskets of brandy and French wine.  Jules turned a blind eye to them storing contraband on his estate , in exchange for a share of the loot and a cut of the profits, so you see; I come from a very disreputable family.” 
    “Hmm.  I should seriously reconsider my association with you.  Lord only knows what you ’ re capable of.  Luckily for you, I am not easily shocked,” said Elizabeth, thinking about what Jeremy had just told her.  “Can you show me the chapel and the tunnel?”
    “Part of the tunnel collapsed some years before I was even born, but the chapel is still there.  It hasn’t been used since the seventeenth c entury when the family officially became Puritan.”
    “Can I see it?”  Elizabeth wasn’t particularly interested in Popish practices, but the idea of a secret chapel beneath her feet really intrigued her.  She had no idea Flynn Manor had such a history.  No wonder Henry n ever told her anything of his ancestors.  He was far too pompous to find any humor in his family