The Secret Rooms is a true story of an English castle, a scheming and interfering dutchess, and the secrets of a wealthy and titled English family. Catherine Bailey, the author, orginally planned on writing a book about English life in the East Midlands of England, during World War 1. However, during her research of the area, she stumbled upon Belvoir Castle and the war diary of the owner, John Henry Montagu Manners, who was the 9th Duke of Rutland. In 1939, at the duke’s suggestion, the castle had been chosen as a safe storage location for Britain’s Public Records. They were stored in several “secret” rooms within the castle, one of which being the location where John Manners had died a year later.
The author discovers missing entries in John’s war diary during three specific dates, along with family letters that had disappeared. After vast amounts of research, the author pieces together a very intriguing account of the Duke’s life before, during and after the war. This was a good read, especially for fans of English life during the Downton Abbey years.