Editing Adele Astaire (section)

==Retirement and first marriage (1932–1944)==
After the two had been courting for some time, Adele proposed marriage to Charles Cavendish at a [[speakeasy]] named [[21 Club|21]], and he accepted.{{sfn|Levinson|2009|p=55}} She was tired of the relentless travel and rehearsals required of a performer, and had been considering retirement.{{sfn|Levinson|2009|p=55}} For her, theatrical life had always been "an acquired taste... like olives".{{sfn|Barnett|1951b|p=26}}

In Chicago on March 5, 1932, after one final performance with Fred in ''The Band Wagon'', Adele officially retired from the stage.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=146}} She had been performing with her brother for 27 years.{{sfn|Levinson|2009|p=56}} American drama critic [[Ashton Stevens]] declared her departure from theater a sad occasion, commenting that "Heaven doesn't send every generation an Adele Astaire".{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=147}} Following a farewell party, Adele and her mother boarded the {{RMS|Majestic|1914|6}} and sailed for London, while Fred remained in the United States to continue his career. Adele renewed a friendship with fellow passenger [[Winston Churchill]], whom she had earlier met while performing in England, and the pair enjoyed games of backgammon together during the voyage.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=147}} Upon the ship's docking in Plymouth, reporters attempted to ambush Adele and were deterred only by Churchill, who distracted them until Adele and her mother could disembark without harassment.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=151}}

[[File:Adele Astaire, Lady Cavendish.jpg|thumb|right|Adele and Lord Charles Cavendish (c. 1932)]]
[[File:Lismore Castle (Lismore, Co. Waterford).jpg|thumb|right|[[Lismore Castle]]]]
In April of that year, after rejoining Charles, Adele met the rest of the Cavendish family for the first time. Her future sister-in-law, [[Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Lady Mary Gascoyne-Cecil]], later gleefully recollected Adele's colorful entrance: Adele was formally announced, quietly entered the room where the Cavendish family was waiting, and then launched herself into a series of cartwheels across the floor until she had reached her new relatives. Despite the initial reservations of Charles's mother, the Duchess of Devonshire, Adele was welcomed by the family. The wedding was briefly postponed when Charles was hospitalized for appendicitis, his ill health exacerbated by heavy drinking, but on May 9, 1932, Adele Astaire married Lord Charles Cavendish in the family's private chapel at [[Chatsworth, Derbyshire|Chatsworth]],{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=152}} receiving the courtesy title of "Lady Charles".{{sfn|Barnett|1951a|pp=35–36}} The couple moved to [[County Waterford]] in [[Ireland]], where they lived at the family estate of [[Lismore Castle]]. Adele paid for the installation of several new, modern bathrooms to replace the castle's antiquated facilities, joking that this was her gift to the family in place of the more traditional dowries brought by rich, aristocratic heiresses.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=153}} Back in the United States, Fred initially struggled to adjust to his new dancing partners; Adele sent Fred a teasing telegram right before the first performance of his new show, ''[[The Gay Divorce]]'': "Now Minnie, don't forget to moan".{{sfn|Levinson|2009|p=62}}

In 1933, Adele gave birth prematurely to a daughter, who did not survive. Two years later, she gave birth to stillborn twin sons. She struggled with periods of depression and an increasingly difficult home life. Charles grappled with severe alcoholism, spending periods of time in hospitals, nursing homes and German spas as he tried unsuccessfully to conquer his addiction. In 1936, American film producer [[David O. Selznick|David Selznick]] offered Adele a supporting role in his film ''[[Dark Victory]]'', but she was unsatisfied with the screen tests and preoccupied with caring for her husband, ultimately declining the job offer. She turned down another film role from Selznick a year later.{{sfn|Riley|2012|pp=169 & 179–180}} In 1939, Adele, aged forty-two, suffered a miscarriage in her third and final pregnancy.{{sfn|Riley|2012|pp=182–183}}

In 1942, as Adele searched for ways to contribute to the wartime effort, she met Colonel [[Kingman Douglass]], the American chief of U.S. Air Force Intelligence who was stationed in London. Douglass suggested that Adele work at the American Red Cross's 'Rainbow Corner' canteen, located near Piccadilly Circus. Adele agreed to his suggestion. Her mother, who had remained in Ireland to be near her daughter, now stayed home at Lismore to care for the often bed-ridden Charles, sending Adele regular updates.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=183}} In London, Adele wrote letters home for soldiers, writing and posting up to 130 letters in a single week. She took shifts at the information desk, danced with soldiers, and helped the men shop for necessities while in London. After the [[The Blitz|London Blitz]] began, she increased her work hours and served at the Rainbow Corner seven days per week.{{sfn|Barnett|1951a|pp=36–37}} Adele's wartime work gave her a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment, helping her cope with recent personal difficulties.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=183}}

In March 1944, Charles died as a result of long-term alcohol poisoning, aged 38. Adele received compassionate leave to attend his funeral at St. Carthage's, where Charles was buried near his children.{{sfn|Riley|2012|pp=183–184}} Following his death, Adele turned down an offer from [[Irving Berlin]] to return to the stage in ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]''.{{sfn|Riley|2012|p=185}}