Both families were from the social stratum that Americans call ‘good families’; in Britain they would be referred to as ‘the right sort’. Flavia could trace her family’s arrival in America back to the Mayflower and her ancestors had distinguished themselves in the American Revolutionary War. Her parents still maintained a small estate in Meriden, Connecticut. If Flavia’s people were long established, Hadden’s were newer, but no less successful. His father, Silas Clark, had been the Republican mayor of White Plains, New York, and Silas and his wife now lived in a mansion in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. Hadden himself had a Master’s degree in business administration and a Doctoral degree in chemistry. Not only was he bright, he was also ambitious. Over the years he would be instrumental in developing plastic food wrap and the process by which carpeting could be made fire resistant. He was a young man who was going places. As a family, the Clarks made all the right moves. They were liked by their neighbours and included in all the proper social circles.
