Blanche Fury

Blanche Fuller grows up as an orphan and takes a succession of domestic positions in search of stability. She endures failed assignments while hoping for a safer, better future.

Blanche receives an invitation from her rich uncle Simon to become governess to his granddaughter Lavinia. She accepts the chance for security and prepares to leave her current employment.

On arriving at Clare Hall, Blanche meets Philip Thorn, whom she mistakes for her cousin Laurence because of his resemblance to a mantelpiece portrait. Thorn is revealed to be the illegitimate son of the former owner and serves as the estate's steward. He warns Blanche about the Fury legend and the ape on the family shield.

Uncle Simon explains the family name shift and asks Blanche to adopt the Fury name as well, tying her identity to the estate's legacy.

Desiring position and security, Blanche marries her cousin Laurence. The arrangement is practical, setting the stage for hidden tensions to surface later.

Blanche and Thorn begin a clandestine love affair, despite Blanche's marriage to Laurence. Thorn's resentment grows as he grapples with an unsettled claim to Clare and the Fury legacy.

The lawyer finds no proof of a Fury marriage, and Laurence retaliates by dismissing Thorn after Thorn kills one of Laurence's favourite mares. The tension among them intensifies as ambition and jealousy take hold.

That night Thorn murders Laurence and Simon and then plants evidence to incriminate a group of Gypsies, whom Simon had previously antagonised. The act marks his bid to seize control of Clare.

Following the inquest, Thorn becomes obsessed with absolute possession of Clare, asserting that their children will inherit 'our house.' Blanche senses the danger but feels trapped by the estate's trajectory.

Blanche warns Thorn not to harm Lavinia, then intervenes when he tries to push her toward a dangerous jump. She goes to the police to implicate Thorn and later confesses their affair in court, revealing that she is pregnant.

On the day Thorn is executed, Lavinia defies him and attempts the dangerous jump she had been forbidden, dying at the moment Thorn is hanged. The estate is left in turmoil as the consequences of their actions unfold.

Months later Blanche gives birth to a son, Philip Fury, who becomes the sole heir to Clare. The child represents a new chapter born from the tragedy surrounding the estate.

Blanche dies shortly after giving birth, leaving her infant son as the sole heir to the Clare estate. Her death marks the final turn in the Fury family saga on the estate.