''The kind of novelist who inspires an intense sense of ownership in her fans ... her sympathies tended naturally to the marginal, the vulnerable, the exploited, the obscure'' Sarah WatersSukey Bond, a sixteen-year-old orphan, is sent to work as a servant at a farm on the remote Essex Marshes. There she falls in love with gentle, unworldly Eric, the son of the rector''s wife, only for them to be separated when their relationship is discovered. But nothing will deter Sukey in her quest to be reunited with her true love, even if it means seeking the help of Queen Victoria herself.''One of our most idiosyncratic, courageous and versatile writers'' Hermione Lee ''One can''t be too thankful that Miss Townsend Warner has lived to discover the alchemist''s secret of transmuting the past into pure gold'' Hilary Spurling