The measure of days - Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

1916. England is at war, and the Morland family is in the thick of it, with two men already in France and three more soon to go.

Tragedy strikes Morland Place when Jessie's husband Ned is reported missing on the Western Front. His father launches a desperate bid to find him, but the rest of the family fears the worst. In London, Violet is cocooned from the war by her love affair with the brilliant artist, Octavian Laidislaw. But when his portrait of her goes on show, scandal erupts. The lovers are forced to flee London; but there is more to fear than loss of position, for her irate husband, Lord Holkam, will stop at nothing to separate them . . .

The Measure of Days paints a portrait of a family, and a nation, at war, at a pivotal point in history. With the introduction of conscription, no-one is left unaffected. Now every man must hold himself in readiness; and every woman knows that when she says goodbye, it might be for the last time.