Suddenly risen to power & influence Samuel Fairbrother manufacturer & retailer of boots shoes & clogs decided that his new station in life deserved a more imposing residence. Accordingly he bought himself a thirty-four-roomed mansion situated on the outskirts of Fellburn. With the house came the butler Maitland who at once made plain his belief that Samuel far from the gentleman his predecessor had been was no more than an upstart. So began a clash of wills between master & man at which Samuel Fairbrother discovered he was at a distinct disadvantage for Maitland was well skilled in the art of maintaining his indispensability. Fairbrother for his part was only too aware that he dare not dispense with Maitlands services. & so an uneasy truce was declared between them. As the years went by & the century turned Samuel Fairbrother saw his children one by one leave the big house to make lives of their own
- all except his eldest daughter Janet who by means of a legacy was enabled to shape the destiny of her fathers scattered family & effect the reconciliation that he thought was impossible.