An 18th century rural backdrop with an inspiring middle-class family bent on acquiring wealth by the marriage of a beautiful daughter results in sibling jealousy, not unusual in an historical novel. But then the tale turns into a very dark love story until it turns again into a twisted tale of mistaken identity. The reader is repeatedly surprised by the many twists throughout this exceptional novel. As soon as you realise where it is all going, it veers off somewhere else. As a novel it doesn’t obey patterns and as an historical novel, it is amazing. Very highly recommended.
Isaac and Harriet Curtis are in trouble. Their Hampshire coaching inn, Green Gallows, is threatened by the rumours of a new turnpike stretching from London to Portsmouth. The new road will leech all the important trade away from the inn and ruin Isaac’s plans for expansion. All will not be lost if they can still succeed in landing a titled - and wealthy - husband for their eldest daughter, Lucy. No expense is spared in grooming her for a better life; while their youngest daughter, Rachel, is little more than a servant. Rachel cannot help but envy her sister her pretty dresses and the easy admiration she wins from stable hands and gentlemen alike. But while Rachel’s world seldom stretches beyond the stable yard or taproom, she little dreams that Lucy would give anything to trade places with her. For when their father's business plans crumble he does not hesitate in trading Lucy's virtue to pay his debts. But neither sister will submit to her fate without protest, even if it will be left to Rachel to pay the price for her sister's final act of defiance. And it will be Rachel too who seeks the ultimate revenge...
Having discovered the joys of reading at a very early age, Melanie Gifford always knew that when she was grown up she would be a writer. However, unable to wait that long, she completed her first novel in her early teens, Careers in journalism and publishing, as well as travels through Europe, Africa and America, only fuelled her passion for fiction and she continued to write copiously in her spare time. The award of a writer’s bursary allowed her to concentrate on becoming a full-time author. After spending much of her life in the south of England, she currently lives in Scotland with her partner and two cats.
