Davenport Dunn, a Man of Our Day. Volume 1 (of 2)

In Short

Set against the backdrop of mid-nineteenth-century Europe, this social satire traces the meteoric rise of Davenport Dunn, an enigmatic financier whose empire rests on the debts, pride, and secrets of the British and Irish elite. As traditional landed families face ruin following the Great Famine, Dunn steps forward as both savior and manipulator, managing estates, brokering marriages, and quietly acquiring power. Meanwhile, ruined aristocrats, scheming gamblers, and desperate heiresses navigate a changing social order where money supersedes bloodlines. Through a wide cast ranging from continental resorts to dusty Dublin offices, the novel delivers a biting, articulate critique of high-society hypocrisy and the hollow promises of unbridled capitalism.

The Story

The narrative opens along the sunlit shores of Lake Como, where the impoverished British nobility disport themselves in exile. Among them are Lady Lackington and her languid companion Lady Grace, who pass their days in delicate negotiations with social parasites, Italian servants, and visiting clergy. Beneath this polished surface lies deep financial distress: Lord Lackington’s fortunes are dwindling, forcing his reckless younger brother, Annesley Beecher, into hiding to escape a mountain of debt. Beecher falls into the clutches of "Grog" Davis, a ruthless turf-man and bookmaker who views the foolish aristocrat as his ticket to financial rehabilitation. Davis mentors Beecher in every form of horse-racing fraud and underhanded speculation, keeping him under strict control while plotting to marry him off to his own haughtily educated daughter, Lizzy.

Back in Ireland, the shift in wealth is even more drastic. The Encumbered Estates Court is auctioning off ancient properties, dismantling centuries of gentry rule. Among those destroyed by this transformation is Paul Kellett, an old country gentleman whose ancestral estate, Kellett’s Court, is sold out from under him. Kellett is left broken-hearted and physically shattered by a stroke, leaving his high-minded daughter, Sybella, to navigate their downfall. Forced into the humiliating life of a daily governess, Sybella seeks the assistance of Davenport Dunn—a man who once worked as a lowly clerk for her father, but who has since transformed himself into the undisputed dictator of Irish finance.

Dunn is the absolute center of this speculative world. To the public, he is an indispensable genius: a man who manages railway companies, directs banks, and advises the government on statecraft. To his clients, he is a secular confessor who knows every debt, forgery, and secret scandal hiding behind noble titles. Yet Dunn’s success is fueled by a quiet, lifelong hunger for vengeance against the proud class that once humiliated him and his father. As he maneuvers behind the scenes—buying up land, rigging elections, and manipulating the stock market through his ruthless lieutenant, Mr. Hankes—he systematically subjugates the very gentry who once looked down on him.

Seeking to solidify his social standing, Dunn visits the Hermitage, the estate of the impoverished Earl of Glengariff. There, he pays court to the Earl's proud daughter, Lady Augusta. Sybella Kellett, now employed as a companion to Lady Augusta, watches with quiet insight as the financial titan awkwardly courts the high-born lady. Dunn believes he is on the verge of his ultimate triumph: securing an aristocratic marriage and a title of his own. But even as his power appears absolute, his vast financial empire is built on a web of fraudulent dividends and precarious ventures, setting the stage for a dramatic collapse.

How It Unfolds

Scenes of foreign luxury In a grand villa overlooking Lake Como, high-born English ladies spend their days in delicate social maneuvering, totally blind to the economic ruin creeping over their families at home.

A pact with a rogue In a shabby cottage on the Dublin strand, the desperate Annesley Beecher binds his fortunes to Grog Davis, a cunning racing menial who intends to use Beecher's aristocratic blood for his own gain.

The hammer falls The ancestral home of the Kellett family is sold off at auction, signaling the total extinction of the old landed gentry and the rise of a new class of capitalist speculators.

The confessional of wealth In his private Dublin office, Davenport Dunn receives ruined lords and desperate merchants, holding their financial secrets and land titles in his hands like a secular priest.

An uneasy exile Beecher travels through Belgium with Davis and Davis's proud daughter Lizzy, torn between his terror of the police, his growing affection for the girl, and his dependency on her father.

A proposal at the Hermitage Surrounded by the coastal beauty of Glengariff, Dunn attempts to cross the final barrier separating him from the aristocracy by dropping hints of marriage to the icy Lady Augusta.

The People

• Davenport Dunn: An omnipotent financial speculator and land agent. Raised in humble obscurity, he uses his sharp intellect to master the debts and vices of the nobility, driven by a quiet desire to avenge his father's early humiliations.
• Annesley Beecher: The weak-willed, gambling-addicted brother of Lord Lackington. Incapable of managing his own affairs, he lives in constant terror of bailiffs while worshipping the cunning rogues who dupe him.
• Christopher "Grog" Davis: A coarse, formidable turf-man and swindler. He treats human nature as a raceboard to be fixed, fiercely guarding his refined daughter while ruthlessly exploiting Beecher's high social rank.
• Sybella Kellett: A noble-minded, resilient young woman who retains her dignity despite her family's complete ruin. She works as a governess and companion, observing the corruption of high society with clear-eyed moral composure.
• Lady Augusta: The proud, cold daughter of the Earl of Glengariff. Though acutely aware of her family's poverty, she struggles to balance her aristocratic disdain with the practical need to secure Davenport Dunn's fortune.
• Paul Kellett: Sybella's broken father, an old-fashioned Irish gentleman whose pride and poor management lead to the loss of his ancestral estate and a fatal decline in health.

In Its Own Voice

"To the world of human passion and desire... Men came to him with the same unreserve; they stripped before him and laid bare the foul spots of their heart's disease, as though it were but repeating the story to themselves."

— Davenport Dunn's role as the secret confessor of financial ruin.

"He venerated them all. From the man that invented a bubble company, to him who could turn the king at écarté--from the gifted individual who could puff up shares to an exorbitant value, to the no less fine intelligence that could 'make everything safe on the Derby,' he venerated them all."

— Annesley Beecher's twisted admiration for clever scoundrels.

"There is something of unreality in the brilliant colouring and variety of the scene suggesting the notion, that at any moment the tenor may emerge, velvet mantle and all, from the copse before you..."

— The theatrical, artificial atmosphere of Lake Como.

What It's Really About

Beneath its intricate plot of horse races, land sales, and continental travel, the novel is a searing examination of how financial capital dismantles traditional social structures. Lever explores the hypocrisy of an aristocracy that affects moral superiority while secretly relying on shady financiers and betting men to preserve its lifestyle. The book questions whether class identity is defined by birth or merely bought with money, illustrating how old names are readily traded away in times of hardship. Furthermore, it probes the psychology of revenge: Davenport Dunn’s rise is not driven by simple greed, but by a cold desire to hold power over the very men who once looked down on him. Ultimately, the story asks whether a society built entirely on credit, deception, and speculatory bubbles can sustain itself without destroying its own moral foundation.

Why Read It Today

Davenport Dunn will appeal to readers who enjoy broad Victorian social panoramas like William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair or Anthony Trollope's political novels, as well as anyone fascinated by stories of financial crime and high-stakes ambition. Charles Lever writes with a distinctive blend of dry wit, sharp social observation, and deep atmospheric detail, shifting effortlessly from the glittering, shallow world of European resorts to the tense, high-pressure offices of Dublin's financial district.

The novel requires some patience. Modern readers must navigate nineteenth-century slang, detailed descriptions of horse-racing odds, and extended philosophical musings on class and politics. Lever takes his time establishing his vast cast of characters, allowing subplots to develop across multiple countries. Yet what stays with you is the remarkably modern portrayal of financial speculation—a world where perception is everything, paper fortunes are built out of thin air, and the line between a respected financier and a swindler is dangerously thin.