The Water Gypsy
Tilly Thompson leaves her life on the canal boats and starts work at The Imperial Hotel. She catches the eye of the owner, Captain Charles Thackery and they become lovers, although she continues to work as a chambermaid at the hotel. Freddie, son of Mrs H the housekeeper, wants Tilly for himself and after a few years watching and waiting, kills the Captain in a fight. The blame is put on Tilly, and she is sent to London by Mrs H before she can tell the truth.
Tilly sets herself up as a seamstress and is patronised and befriended by Miss de Vine. She in turn introduces Tilly to the Captain’s father and son without knowing Tilly’s past. The Captain’s son is entrance with Tilly and they end up spending the night together before he leaves for the Boer War. He dies of cholera on the way out and Tilly has to bring up their child by herself.
Throughout, Tilly has been desperately trying to prove her innocence, but fate deals another bitter blow and she is to be tried for murder – will the truth ever be told? Or must she face the gallows?
This is not a historical fiction novel, rather a simple and somewhat predictable romantic drama set in the late nineteenth century. The plot reads like a cross between a Catherine Cookson and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance, but perhaps without the experienced skill of these two well-loved novelists. The ease with which the heroine sets up a successful business is not very convincing and the introduction of the dead Captain’s father and son can be foreseen, but to its credit, the pace of the book is not slow; something is always happening and for readers who like a light, uncomplicated read this could be an entertaining read.
While not detrimental to the story, the final layout of the book requires attention, as there are a few ‘widows & orphans’ (single lines or words hanging separately on a page) – too many paragraphs have their first line at the bottom of one page and continue onto the next. This can be easily put right by a skilful re-edit to give the book a professional look and feel.
