1840s Colchester

A tragic loss, a new path?

When her family is struck by a terrible tragedy, Sarah Nightingale is forced to go into service at Grey Friars House as an under nursery-maid. Although the situation wasn’t of her making Sarah thrives there, but life for her younger brother Alfie is not as easy.

Desperate to avoid being sent to the workhouse, Alfie runs away to London to seek his fortune. But young and inexperienced with the dangerous streets of London, Alfie is tricked and sold to work as a slave on a coal barge.

Sarah misses her brother terribly but knows she must find a way to survive if she ever wants them to be reunited. But just as she is becoming established in the household her past returns to shatter her happy life and ruin the chances of her ever finding Alfie again.

A gripping and authentic tale of courage during bleak times, perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Patricia McBride and Rosie Clarke.

Please note: This book was previously published as For Want of a Penny.

'Yet again, Fenella Miller has thrilled me with another of her historical stories. She brings alive a variety of emotions and weaves in facts relating to the era, all of which keep me reading into the small hours' Glynis Peters

'Curl up in a chair with Fenella J Miller's characters and lose yourself in another time and another place' Lizzie Lane

'Engaging characters and setting which whisks you back to the home front of wartime Britain. A fabulous series!' Jean Fullerton