Penny for a Song (Paperback)

It is the turn of the century in the Clydeside town of Sandyford and the beginning of the golden age of the paddle-steamer.

Sandyford is ‘home’ to Rose Gibb. Her return here is destined even during a short-lived career as a volunteer nurse during the Boer War. One of the forces that shapes her destiny is Blair Crawford, the local laird, who escorts her home from South Africa and who remains part of her life.

Rose’s own spirit of independence fires her to make a success of her homecoming on her own terms. She finds a natural ally and business partner in Magnus MacBride, who holds grand ambitions to exploit the Clyde’s booming passenger trade with the dilapidated paddle-steamer he has inherited. Rose finds she has to confront the decision of whether to face the future as part of the Old Order by joining Blair and his forebears at Crawford House, or to commit herself to sailing the Firth of Clyde alongside Magnus MacBride.

Following the success of their joint venture, this compelling story highlights the rivalry among the steam owners and creates a vivid portrait of the heyday of Edwardian life. Ever present, too, are the darker images of Britain’s long and bitter struggle in the Boer War and – at home – of Atholl Row, the town’s poorest street, which houses a devastating measles epidemic that calls on Rose’s nursing skills and brings her face to face with her past.