Hogarth House
An excerpt from Maynard's War, the first novel in The Bloomsbury Trilogy, soon to be serialised here.
Leonard and Victoria Woolf have made the trip to Richmond to view a property that Leonard is interested in.
“Oh do hurry up Leonard, it’s freezing out here.”
“Sorry darling. The agent gave me this enormous bunch of keys and I’m damned if I can find one that will actually open the front door.”
“If you ask me, the entire exercise is a waste of time. Who wants to live in Richmond anyway?”
“Virginia, you agreed, it’s a new start. It’ll be good for both of us. And I’ve a feeling this house will suit our purposes exactly.”
“Our purposes? Sometimes, Leonard, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“There,” he said, pushing open the door and stepping aside so she could enter first.
“Not going to carry me over the threshold then?”
He was more tempted to push his wife into the road. “Perhaps you should see if you like it first?” he suggested, calmly.
He had high hopes for this new house. It was Virginia’s doctor who had urged Leonard to find them a home outside London. He was concerned that life in the city was too much for her and thought a move to somewhere quieter might reduce the frequency of her episodes. Leonard had agreed with the cure, though not entirely with the diagnosis. It wasn’t London that undermined his wife’s wellbeing, rather the company she kept when she was there. It was so important to Virginia to be near her friends, and especially her sister, but it had become clear to Leonard the moment he returned from Ceylon and begun courting her, that it was unresolved issues in her relationships with her sister Vanessa and Vanessa’s husband, Clive, as well as several of their mutual friends, that most often tipped her over the edge. He hoped that by placing themselves just far enough way in Richmond, the frequency of contacts would be reduced to a level at which Virginia could remain well. He knew he was taking a risk, but he could see no other way forward, especially with the added pressure of the war bearing down on them.
He could hear Virginia on the uncovered floor boards upstairs. He decided to let her make her own inspection. Downstairs there was plenty of room and the place had a homely feel. The decor was not to his taste, but Vanessa would have some ideas for sprucing the place up. Downstairs there was a large, partially converted cellar, which had seemingly been used as a workshop. This would do perfectly, he thought, as he heard his wife clomping back down the stairs.
“I must say, it’s not all that bad. An interesting layout. Quite different to what I’m used to at Clifford’s Inn of course, but then I’ve already resigned myself to coming down in the world, as you move up.” She smiled at him, before snatching his hat and skimming it across the bare boards to the other side of the room.
“Oh really Virginia, must you do things like that?”
“I’m in a good mood. I like the house you’ve found for us. Even if it is the middle of nowhere.”
“Come downstairs for a moment,” he said, retrieving his hat.
“What am I looking at?” she asked as they emerged into the basement.
“This space. It’s ideal. Look: shelves up that wall, a desk over there, and the printing machine can go in the middle and leave plenty of room to work.”
“You’re quite serious about this printing business aren’t you?”
“It’s not a printing business, it’s a publishing house. And yes, I am serious. As you constantly remind me, I don’t have an income and we are not going to be able to survive on your allowance.”
“Yes, I know all that, but working for a living. Is that really the future of civilization?”
“It’s the future of our civilization unless you can think of an alternative.”
“Well, I might make some money from my writing.”
“You very well might, but I still need an occupation, and when you’re not writing this will give us something we can do together. You know how well we get on when we’re doing something we both enjoy.”
“Oh, I suppose so. Alright, you can tell them we’ll take it.”
This is the first in a series of short excerpts from Maynard’s War. I plan to serialise this, and two further novels in the trilogy, here in due course. Just how quickly I get round to launching the full serialisation rather depends on whether enough of you make it worth my while. While I’ve no plans to take paid subscriptions for the time being, it would be good to know I’m not wasting my time, so if you’re interested in reading the whole book, please sign up here.
The choice of this first excerpt was inspired by this wonderful article by Victoria K. Walker, whose substack, Beyond Bloomsbury, is a must-subscribe for anyone with an interest in the Bloomsbury Group, or indeed the history and art of the first half of the 20th century. If you’ve not come across it yet, click below and sign up.