Set
in Sydney, New South Wales, beginning in 1790, this is the story of Georgiana who
is being transported to the penal colony with other prisoners. She accepted
guilt for a theft she didn’t commit to protect her mother.
Aboard the transport ship, the Lady Amelia, she meets Lieutenant Francis Brooks, the government agent who was asked by her uncle to protect her. As Francis has a past he wants to overcome, he is eager to accommodate his “sea-wife”, which gains her better quarters and the disdain of the other women. But her kindness earns her the nickname “Duchess”.
Despite their mutual distrust, the attraction between Georgiana and Francis grows. When they decide they are in love (which I confess came rather suddenly), they discover they are related and cannot marry.
The writing is very good and the story moves along at a good clip. The author does a great job of presenting the hardships the convicts faced in the new land. Many, like Georgiana, went on to make good citizens and build meaningful lives. In the end, the author gives us hope.
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