From the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Lizzie Flowers series comes a spellbinding historical saga about the trials and tribulations of a young orphan.
Christmas Day, 1880, East London.
Snow fell in silent showers, settling peacefully on the cobbles of the lane as Colleen O’Reilly dragged herself over the carpet of white. Behind her, drops of blood, as red as summer cherries, melted into the snow.
It’s Christmas Day and Colleen O’Reilly is dying. But not before she drags herself to the sanctuary of an East End orphanage to deliver her new-born baby girl to the Sisters of Clemency.
Not one to ignore the cries of a baby, the nuns take in little Ettie O’Reilly and raise her as their own.
When Ettie turns thirteen, her world begins to crumble. The church can no longer fund the orphanage and the nuns announce its closure.
Separated from her friends and family, Ettie must navigate the dark streets of London alone and finds herself being pushed from pillar to post.
Struggling to find her place in the world without the Sisters to guide her, Ettie leans on Michael, a boy who promises his undying love and loyalty to her.
But Michael is young and fickle and soon betrays Ettie. Now she must finally accept the hard-hitting truth: happiness comes at a cost.
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