Other than being Dumbledore's name in the Harry Potter books, I am not sure what the term meant in this book, as it wasn't used as a name, but I laughed when I figured this out. She lived in the rat infested stables with the smell of horses clinging to her hair and clothes, while Josephine Damerell, the spoilt, petted and over-indulged daughter of the house, dwelt in luxury. One was of Romany heritage and one from higher social standing but circumstances swapped their upbringing. Normally a protagonist of hers falls on hard times, and is destitute in London for most of the novel.

One of the men, despite being smitten, leads another girl on for almost the entire book and although there are suggestions that it's to protect her honour, this is suspect and doesn't quite ring true given the circumstances. Bottom line, the story is nicely resonant of its historical setting, shedding light on the biases and foul behaviors as much as the strength of bonds even when society would frown on them. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. This novel set in the 19th century about two babies born to very different circumstances is compelling. Although the reader can see the way the book will go the reader stays interested and needs to find out how things unwind.It begins in the night on a hill where a Romany woman awaits the birth of her daughter’s illegitimate child for whom she has arranged a home.

One of those feel good books that's quite predictable with its twists and turns but a fun read either way. This is the second historical novel I have read by Dilly Court, and once again, she sunk me into the period with all the prejudice and classism endemic in the 1800s.This was a good "guilty pleasure" historical romance, as tasty and insubstantial as a box of chocolates. Dilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Two desperate young mothers give up their babies on the same day, and while Kate grows up in poverty, Josie lives a privileged life. She is often repentant after the fact and occasionally shows flashes of maturity even at her worst though they don’t last.

In this novel, they just seem to happen upon each other, in the wrong part of the country and for no apparent reason other than that it needs to happen to continue the story.Some parts of the book seemed a bit contrived to fit the story and didn't really represent natural occurrences. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Until a chance meeting forces Kate and Josie to confront the truth of that night nearly twenty years before - a truth that turns both worlds upside down and threatens to destroy their friendship forever. From the start, the story regarding two babies born on the same day and delivered by the same woman seemed a bit unlikely.

Kate hurried homeward as fast as the iron-clad pattens would allow, wrapping her thin shawl a little tighter around her head and shoulders. The child of a noblewoman born out of wedlock is also in her care after she found the mother already in labor by the river. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.I especially appreciated the clear presentation of the way different strata of society lived, demonstrated both in description and simple comments about how only the wealthy have the luxury of not knowing how much coin they possess.