A Group of Noble Dames is an 1891 collection of short stories by great English novelist Thomas Hardy. The ten stories focus on "store of ladies, whose bright eyes rain influence." Hardy delves into the hidden depths of country families to reveal what went on behind the scenes. Part I - Before Dinner The First Countess of Wessex Barbara of the House of Grebe The Marchioness of Stonehenge Lady Mottisfont Part II - After Dinner The Lady Icenway Squire Petrick's Lady Anna, Lady Baxby The Lady Penelope The Duchess Of Hamptonshire The Honourable Laura Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928) was an English novelist and poet of the naturalist movement.