Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 16: Giles Edward Bennett
Word of the impending birth of Barry Bennett had reached the old country, all the way to to the old family home of Edinborough, Scotland. One young man in particular took note of the blessed event.
When the news reached him, he was just preparing to take the Grand Tour. Traditionally this would have involved a year of gadding about the capital cities of Europe. During such a tour, he would learn the languages and cultures, absorb considerable business knowledge, and develop the strength and independence of a boy becoming a man.
His name was Giles Edward Bennett.
Giles Edward Bennett, Esq.
Now, Giles had already seen the great capitals of Europe with his parents, the Right Honorable James Edward Bennett and Amelia Francine Giles Bennett. He already spoke Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian and considered learning French to be a complete waste of time.
Nevertheless, James and Amelia pushed him to take his Grand Tour, to go out into the world on his own and make his own discoveries, to find his own path to maturity and prepare to define his own place among men.
When Giles heard of the impending birth of a distant cousin in Happy Valley, he resolved to make it a tour of his family scattered around the world, and in particular, to time the climax of his tour with a stay in Happy Valley.