Some parts of the book seemed a bit contrived to fit the story and didn't really represent natural occurrences. Still, rather than being bitter toward her childhood friend, Kate does her best to help Josie come safely through whatever wild plan she’s dragged Kate into.

Another flaw is that several times when the principle characters are at rock bottom, rescuers suddenly appear out of nowhere.

If you like historical fiction with strong personalities, tangles built out of society’s expectations, a love story, and a touch of mystery, this is one not to miss. I never truly liked Josie, raised as a lady, because she is unthinking, hypercritical, and selfish, but I came to appreciate her flawed but contrite nature. The Romany grandmother finds a safe home for this girl as well, both children growing up believing themselves legitimate.

She is often repentant after the fact and occasionally shows flashes of maturity even at her worst though they don’t last. A lot of drama and twists of fate before the happy ending coupled with an unexpected turn-around in circumstances. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Kate, on the other hand, takes charge of every circumstance with her practical hard working personality, overcoming every obstacle except her sense of place. Two female babies denied their birth mothers and brought up in very different, yet side by side circumstances.Normally a protagonist of hers falls on hard times, and is destitute in London for most of the novel. Dilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. While some might protest the love story for Kate and Harry (a man whose wealth comes from trade), including Kate, there are enough historical accounts to show that love did defeat the class and wealth barriers, especially among those who earned their wealth. 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.

This was a good "guilty pleasure" historical romance, as tasty and insubstantial as a box of chocolates. 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. 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 was of Romany heritage and one from higher social standing but circumstances swapped their upbringing. Although the reader can see the way the book will go the reader stays interested and needs to find out how things unwind.Kate hurried homeward as fast as the iron-clad pattens would allow, wrapping her thin shawl a little tighter around her head and shoulders. Another enjoyable read from Dilly Court set in the mid 19th century, however, I found it full of unbelievable occurrences.

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. 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. 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. The first portrayal was enough to make me worry the author shared the views of that period, but then as the story unfolds, a much more nuanced view comes into play.

One major plot flaw is that it is never really clear why either of the men fall in love with their respective women. I also feel these books should have a glossary to show the meaning of some words as I always have to refer to a dictionary for a number of words. until a chance meeting forces them to face the truth of that night nearly twenty years before a truth turning both their worlds upside down and maybe breaking up their friendship for ever. 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.