A desperate childhood. An uncertain past. One chance at happiness ...Born into poverty and living under the roof of her violent and abusive brother-in-law, young Kitty Cox dreams of working in a women's dress shop in the West End - a million miles away from the reality of her life as a mud-lark, scavenging on the banks of the Thames. Fate soon intervenes and Kitty finds herself working as a skivvy for Sir Desmond and Lady Arabella Mableton in Mayfair. Bullied by the kitchen maids, Kitty is soon taken under Lady Arabella's wing and for the first time in her life Kitty dares to hope. But Lady 'Bella' has a secret and unable to live with her domineering husband she decides to leave, fighting for custody of their daughter, Leonie. Kitty will do anything for her mistress but her loyalty is severely tested as all their lives are thrown into turmoil and Kitty faces a life of poverty and hardship in the slums of the East End once more ...

Your heart will really go out to Kitty, as if life in the slums of London is not bad enough, she is also raped by her brother in law. Kitty is a determined, hard working young woman who has a dream. With a little bit of luck and plenty of determination, she too finds some happiness in her life. The book is filled with vivid descriptions of Victorian London, you can feel how hard it must have been for the people living there at the time.
Another great book from Dilly Court, if anyone fancies a read please let me know and I'll pass it on

A Mother's Courage - Dilly Court

When Eloise Cribb receives the news that her husband's ship has been lost at sea she wonders how she is ever going to manage. With two young children, the rent overdue and left with almost nothing to live on, she has no alternative but to turn to his estranged family for help.
She sets off on the long and arduous journey to Yorkshire, but is met with hostility and soon realises she has little choice but to return to London. Virtually destitute and desperate, Eloise is faced with her worst nightmare: she must either go to the workhouse, or abandon her children at the Foundling Hospital. But she is determined to keep them under her protective wing at all costs...


this was the 1st book I've read of Dilly Court's, and I really enjoyed it. It's a heart warming story showing the courage of a young widowed mother, who will go to any lengths to protect her children, even though it breaks her heart. She falls on some really hard times, but keeps on fighting for the sake of her babies. A beautiful story, with believable characters.