King of the Castle

This novel begins with a light-hearted conversation between Claude, a young woman, and her father, who we gather is the owner of some sort of quarry. Claude has a sister, Mary, with whom she is about to go out for a walk. From the introduction, we learn that Claude is a favorite of her father, and also that she has an interest in a young wealthy man called Glyddyr, for she blushes when her father mentions his name.