Book Title: Millie’s Escape
Series: The Hartford Manor Series
Author: Marcia Clayton
Publication Date: 2 November 2023
Publisher: Sunhillow Publishing
Page Length: 348
Genre: Historical Fiction/Family Saga/Women’s Literary
Fiction
1885 North Devon, England
It is
winter in the small Devon village of Brampford Speke, and a typhoid epidemic
has claimed many victims. Millie, aged fifteen, is doing her best to nurse her
mother and grandmother as well as look after Jonathan, her five-year-old
brother. One morning, Millie is horrified to find that her mother, Rosemary,
has passed away during the night and is terrified the same fate may befall her
granny, Emily.
When Emily’s neighbours inform her that Sir Edgar
Grantley has also perished from the deadly disease, the old woman is
distraught, for the kindly gentleman has been their benefactor for many years,
much to the disgust of his wife, Lilliana. Emily is well aware that Sir Edgar’s
generosity has long been a bone of contention between him and his spouse, and
she is certain Lady Grantley will evict them from their cottage at the first
opportunity.
As she racks her brain for a solution, Emily remembers
her father came from Hartford, a seaside village in North Devon and had
relatives there. Desperate and too weak to travel, she insists Millie and
Jonathan leave home and make their way to Hartford before the embittered woman
can cause trouble for them. There, she tells them, they must throw themselves
on the mercy of their family and hope they will offer them a home.
With Emily promising to follow as soon as possible, the
two youngsters reluctantly set off on their fifty-mile journey on foot and in
the harshest of weather conditions. Emily warns them to be cautious, for she
suspects Lady Grantley may well pursue them to seek revenge for a situation
that has existed between the two families for many years.
This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.
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SHARING A SNIPPET....
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“Granny,
Granny, guess what. I’ve been serving customers all on my own, and I even took
the money because I can count the pennies now.”
Betsey
studied her grandson fondly. At four years old, he was the spitting image of
his father, William, and a constant reminder of the son she had lost, but she
loved him dearly, and though she would never admit it to anyone, even herself,
he was something of a favourite. She pulled him towards her and sat him on her
knee, pushing his mop of curly red hair out of his eyes.
“Aren’t
you a clever young man, then? Whom did you serve?”
“Mum
said I could serve all the children with a square of sugary pastry and charge
them a ha’penny each.”
“That’s
very smart of you. What did you do if a customer gave you a penny?”
“Oh,
that’s easy; I gave them a ha’penny change. I know there are two ha’pennies in
one penny.”
“That’s
right. You’ll be running the place before we know it.”
“Do
you know, though, Granny, there were three who didn’t have any money, and Mum
told me to give them a pastry square each anyway.”
Bentley
seemed puzzled by this.
“I
see. Did you want to give them some food?”
“Yes;
they were thin and dirty and looked cold and hungry, so I think they needed
something to eat.”
“You
did the right thing then, and I hope you’ll always be kind to folk less
fortunate than yourself. Do you know, when I was a little girl, I was like
those three children because I never had enough to eat, and I was always cold?
But for the kindness of some folk, I probably wouldn’t be here at all.”
Bentley
was astounded at the thought of his granny being cold and hungry.
“Oh,
I’m so glad someone was nice to you, Granny. I’ll always remember that.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marcia Clayton is the author of five books in The Hartford Manor Series, a heart-warming family saga stretching from the Regency period to Victorian times. A sixth book is to be released in 2024.
Marcia was born in North Devon, a rural and picturesque area in the far South West of England. When she left school, Marcia worked in a bank for several years until she married her husband, Bryan, and then stayed at home for a few years to care for her three sons, Stuart, Paul and David. As the children grew older, Marcia worked as a Marie Curie nurse caring for the terminally ill and later for the local authority managing school transport.
Now a grandmother, Marcia enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She’s a keen researcher of family history, and this hobby inspired some of the characters in her books. A keen gardener, Marcia grows many of her own vegetables. She is also an avid reader and enjoys historical fiction, romance, and crime books.
Website:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/
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