Captain James B. Harris, a retired British Army officer, purchased the already-built Benares estate in 1837 and settled there with his wife, Elizabeth Molony.
He did not build it. The house was raised around 1835 by Edgar Neave, who gave it the name of the holy city on the Ganges. Harris came into an existing structure — and, in this campaign, into everything that came with it.
The Captain
Harris is written as a fundamentally good man — a respected military officer who valued the local community and, through some prior connection to India, brought a genuine reverence with him rather than imposing something foreign on the place. His willingness to keep the estate’s name was not carelessness.
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The layout of the estate and its grounds, Elizabeth Molony’s role and personality, the household staff, and exactly how and when you meet the Captain.