When they are left orphans and turned out of their tied
cottage, fourteen year old Sarah Jane is forced to take her
young brother to the dreaded workhouse, but she vows it will
only be a temporary refuge. ‘One day I’ll be a lady,’ she
tells herself. ‘One day I’ll wear silks and satins an’ ride
in a carriage and people will look up to me and obey me the
minute I open me mouth like they do Lady Chevington. Cookin’
an’ sewin’ an’ launderin’ jus’ won’t come into it.’
But Sarah Jane has a long journey to make before she comes
anywhere near to realising her ambition. She grows up to be
a real beauty who unwittingly attracts men like a magnet.
There is Thomas Wistonby, a lawyer with an unhappy past who
teaches her to read and write; Timothy Myson, the
illegitimate son of Lord Chevington who seduces her when she
is working as a skivvy at his lordship’s country mansion;
there is Duncan McBryde, the gentle giant of a navvy who
befriends her when, pregnant and afraid, she is turned off
from her job and whose death in an explosion at the railway
workings devastates her; there is Henry Carter, whom she
tricks into backing her venture into setting up a string of
pie shops. And there is Lord Chevington himself, who is
called the ‘Railway Lord’ because he is heavily involved in
building railways. She leaves her mark on the lives of all them.
Oh Mary, your books sound most interesting. Reading about The Summer House really peaked my interest. I will certainly have to look into that book and your others. Thank you for sharing. (Melanie Backus 11:22am September 27, 2013)
You seem to find inspiration everywhere. I do like hearing war stories and what became of the people who suffered loss, hardship and their moments of joy and happiness. (Alyson Widen 7:29pm September 27, 2013)
I enjoyed reading your post and how you came by the ideas for each of your books. I'm adding you to my list of authors to check on to read a book or more, they do sound good and interesting. Wishing You All The Best. (Esther Somorai 8:51pm September 27, 2013)
My Father was in the Army in WWII, and earned a Silver Star, along with other citations. He came close to being captured by the Nazis, during an operation he was on, but he has never told us anything about what he did in the war to this day. I suppose that's why I've always had this fascination with books about the war. All of the books that you've written have struck a chord with me. I had a freak fall a little over 3 years ago, and struck my head in the process. To make a long story short, I've also lost part of my memory, and it's affected me when I'm trying to think of words, and they don't come to me, as well as people's names, and my knitting suffers because I've forgotten how to do certain stitches that I used to do. I found out that I will never regain all of my memory, but will be taking steps to work on jump-starting my brain to regain whatever memory I can get. It's been a slow process to get to where I am now, and has been full of frustration and tears, so I can relate to your one book. Anyway, I plan on reading the books you've written that I can get in print, since I don't own an e-reader. Thank you for opening up a new world for me through your stories. I'm looking forward to them!! (Peggy Roberson 10:05am September 28, 2013)
Very touching story. I'd love to read your book (Rina Darmayanti 9:32am September 29, 2013)
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