Books by Margaret Dickinson

Set in the 1940s, Wartime Friends is a tale of unbreakable bonds in times of strife, by Margaret Dickinson, the 'Queen of Saga' (Daily Express)

A page-turning story full of heart by Margaret Dickinson, the 'Queen of Saga' (Daily Express)

Love and loss. Joy and tragedy. A family pulled apart under the storm clouds of war must come together to survive. The final instalment in Margaret Dickinson's Sunday Times bestselling Maitland trilogy.

The years have done nothing to dull Evan Smithson's cold fury against his father's family. Born the illegitimate son of Guy Trent, Evan has lived his life fuelled by the desire for vengeance, leaving little time for his daughter Carrie and her questions about their own family history.But Evan's grudge is old, and the new generation of Trents and Smithsons have their own agenda. Carrie turns to Jamie Trent, Guy Trent's grandson and heir, for answers and the pair fall in love.Evan stands between the lovers, convincing Carrie that Jamie has betrayed her. In desperation Carrie marries Lloyd Foster, only to discover that her father has deceived her.Carrie's new husband takes her to London, Paris and even India, but Carrie is unable to find true happiness while her thoughts keep turning towards Jamie Trent. How can she live in the present when her heart remains in the past?The final part in the sweeping Abbeyford Trilogy, Abbeyford Remembered is a tale of old grudges, new love and heart-warming drama, from the much-loved author Margaret Dickinson.

Lifeboat! is the tense and dramatic story of the dangers faced by a rescue crew from Margaret Dickinson.In a holiday resort on the Lincolnshire coast at a Bank Holiday weekend the last thing Iain Macready, coxswain of the lifeboat, wants is a spate of hoax calls. But he and his crew have to deal with these just as they have to answer the genuine calls that inevitably come at holiday time. When a storm breaks over Saltershaven, Macready's own daughter is missing at sea in a sailing dinghy, whilst duty obliges Macready to set course away from the area where she may be to answer a distress call from a coaster.

A powerful family saga set during World War I, from the bestselling author of The Buffer Girls

Red Sky in the Morning is an unputdownable historical story from Margaret Dickinson, richly evocative of the Lincolnshire landscape.A young girl stands alone in the cobbled marketplace of a small Lincolnshire town, bedraggled, soaked through and very afraid. Who is she? Where has she come from and from whom is she running away? No one knows or cares. Only kindly farmer Eddie Appleyard recognizes something in the girl that touches his heart. In a drunken haze and scarcely realizing what he is doing, Eddie takes her home, even though his wife is a tyrant, who will believe the worst. 'Is this your fancy piece?' Bertha accuses and turns Anna out into the cold, wet night.Eddie hides the girl in the hayloft and, later, in a tumbledown shepherd's cottage that becomes her new home. Anna's arrival will change their lives; Eddie's, Bertha's and even that of their young son, Tony, torn between his warring parents and the mysterious stranger. It will take years for the secrets of Anna's former life to be revealed, but Bertha bides her time and awaits her moment, little realizing the tragedy her vengeance will unleash.

The Buffer Girls is an inspiring tale of love, heartache and ambition from bestselling author Margaret Dickinson.It is 1920 in the Derbyshire dales. The Ryan family are adjusting to life now that the war is over. Walter has returned home a broken man and so it falls to his son and daughter, Josh and Emily, to keep the family candle-making business going.The Ryan children grew up with Amy Clark, daughter of the village blacksmith, and Thomas 'Trip' Trippett, whose father owns a cutlery business in Sheffield. Romance blossoms for Josh and Amy while Emily falls in love with Trip, but she is unsure if the feeling is mutual. Martha Ryan is fiercely ambitious for her son and so she uproots her family to Sheffield, but all Josh wants is to continue the family business and marry Amy. As the Ryans do their best to adapt to city life, their friendly neighbour, Lizzie, helps Emily find employment asa Buffer Girl polishing cutlery at a local factory.It turns out that it is Emily who is best equipped to forge a career but, as time goes on, problems and even dangers arise that the Ryan family could not possibly have foreseen.

Suffragette Girl is an heart-wrenching tale of love and liberty by the author of The Clippie Girls, Margaret Dickinson.When Florrie Maltby defies her father by refusing to marry Gervase Richards, she sets off a chain of events that will alter her life. Instead she goes to London and becomes involved with the suffragette movement. She's imprisoned for her militant actions, and goes on hunger strike. With her health deteriorating, there is one person who can save her - Gervase.After a brief stay in the countryside to recuperate, Florrie returns to London to continue her fight for women's rights. Only the outbreak of the Great War puts a halt to her activities. It is when James, her younger brother, is shamed by their father into volunteering, that Florrie enlists as a nurse and is sent to the Front. Amidst the fear and horror of the hospital close to the trenches, she finds love. But when her beloved brother is accused of desertion, help comes from a very unexpected source.

Following the disastrous floods of 1953, Ella Hilton is compelled to live at Brumbys' Farm with her grandmother, Esther, and is soon acutely aware of the mysterious surrounding her family's past.As Ella grows up and falls in love herself, the story of three generations of women - Esther, Kate and Ella - comes full circle and history seems destined to repeat itself in tragedy.In Reap the Harvest, Margaret Dickinson brings the 1950s vividly to life in a story of secrets and love, buried under years of pride and misunderstanding.

The second part of the Fleethaven Trilogy, Sow the Seed is a moving and evocative wartime saga from Margaret Dickinson.Lincolnshire, 1926. Kate Hilton is devastated when her mother tells her she is to be sent away to boarding school. For the more Esther tries to keep her from her childhood sweetheart, Danny, the more determined she is to marry him.It isn't until she is eighteen, and finally told the bitter truth about her family's past, that Kate is forced to see why she and Danny can never marry. Torn apart by these revelations, Kate finds unexpected release with the outbreak of war, when she leaves Fleethaven Point to become a driver in the WAAF.In the chaos and destruction of the war years, Kate will witness many things. For as well as all the pain, suffering and loss, she will experience her first taste of a love that finally allows her to leave the past behind . . .The Fleethaven Trilogy concludes with Reap the Harvest.

The first in her much-loved Fleethaven Trilogy, Margaret Dickinson's Plough the Furrow begins the story of Esther, and her determination and dedication to the Lincolnshire farm land.Lincolnshire, 1910. Shunned by her own family, desperate for work and a place to stay, Esther Everatt walks through the night to Sam Brumby's farm, seeking the chance to earn her keep. Reluctantly, the old man takes her on.Able to work alongside any man, Esther soon earns Sam's grudging respect and affection, and at last feels she has found a home she can call her own. But her peace and security are cruelly shattered when old Sam dies: as a woman, she has no right to inherit the lease on the farm.Believing that her passion lies solely with the land and a place of her own, Esther prepares to risk everything to secure her future - seeking marriage with a local farmhand. But as war arrives to dash the hopes of a generation, Esther begins to discover that it is only the truest of love that can survive the passing of the seasons . . .

Sing As We Go is a heart-rending wartime novel from the much-loved author of The Clippie Girls, Margaret Dickinson.Kathy Burton longs to escape the drudgery of her life as an unpaid labourer on her father's farm. With only the local church choir and the occasional dance at the village hall for amusement, she yearns for the bright lights. Spurning Morry Robinson's proposal of marriage, Kathy goes to work in the city and is captivated by the sophisticated and handsome floor manager, Tony Kendall.Kathy has fallen deeply and irrevocably in love and, even when the country is plunged into war, she can see no obstacle to their future. But she has reckoned without the devious mind of Tony's invalid mother, Beatrice Kendall.Determined that the possessive woman won't win, Kathy plans her wedding, but the day is ruined when Tony is called up. Feeling deserted, Kathy is forced to face yet further heartache alone. At last, she finds solace in joining a concert party entertaining service men and women. But behind the songs and the smiles, her heart is breaking . . .

For Eveleen Hardcastle life gets no better than growing up on Pear Tree Farm in the Lincolnshire countryside. Her family works hard for the Dunsmore estate and Eveleen finds it impossible to resist the charms of their employer's son, Stephen Dunsmore. But Jimmy, ever quick to antagonize, ensures that his sister's clandestine trysts do not remain so for long.Mary Hardcastle reacts to the news of her daughter's affair with a shocking ferocity, which seems to be borm more of bitterness than maternal protectiveness. But what is it that fuels Mary's resentment towards her daughter? Unable to ignore her own feelings, Eveleen continues to meet Stephen in secret. But deception has a cruel price to pay when her beloved father is found dead from a heart attack. And worse yet, Stephen, far from providing Eveleen with the comfort she craves, deserts her in her hour of need and callously evicts the Hardcastles from the farm.Suddenly homeless, Eveleen is left to take the family reins and she fights to make a new life for her family in Nottinghamshire. And then she makes a stunning discovery about her mother's past which changes all their lives for ever . . .Tangled Threads is a gripping romantic saga from Margaret Dickinson, followed by the sequel Twisted Strands.

There are some things which even the closest friendship cannot survive . . . Welcome Home is an enthralling and moving drama from bestselling author Margaret Dickinson, set during the Second World War.Neighbours Edie Kelsey and Lil Horton have been friends for over twenty years, sharing the joys and sorrows of a tough life as the wives of fishermen in Grimsby. So it was no surprise that their children were close and that Edie's son, Frank, and Lil's daughter, Irene, would fall in love and marry at a young age.But the declaration of war in 1939 changed everything. Frank went off to fight, and Irene and baby, Tommy, along with Edie's youngest son are sent to the countryside for safety. With Edie's husband, Archie, fishing the dangerous waters in the North Sea and daughter Beth in London doing 'important war work', Edie's family is torn apart.Friendship sustains Edie and Lil, but tragedy follows and there's also concern that Beth seems to have disappeared. But it is Irene's return, during the VE day celebrations, that sends shock waves through the family and threatens to tear Edie and Lil's friendship apart forever.

Wish Me Luck is a tale of love and heartache in the Second World War. Sequel to Without Sin, Wish Me Luck will delight Margaret Dickinson's legions of fans.Fleur Bosley didn't believe in love at first sight, at least not until she bumped into Robbie Rodwell on a railway station in the blackout of wartime Britain. Posted to a newly-built Lincolnshire airfield, Robbie as a wireless operator on bombers and Fleur as a R/T operator in the watch office, their only escape is to the little cottage in the nearby village where Fleur is billeted with another WAAF, Ruth. The two girls become good friends, but Ruth, already hurt by the loss of one of the pilots, does not approve of wartime romances. And Ruth is not the only one to disapprove. When Fleur's mother hears Robbie's name she becomes hysterical and bans him from her home. The young couple are determined to grab their happiness where they can, but is it a kind Fate or a cruel one that has brought them together when secrets from the past threaten their future? Away from their families, there is fun and laughter, the aircrews determined to make the most of every day, every minute, but whenever they fly off into the night on a bombing raid, Fleur must keep watch until the early hours praying that Robbie's plane comes back . . .

Margaret Dickinson's Pauper's Gold is the heartfelt story of triumph over adversity, in the cotton mills of Derbyshire.Hannah Francis has been forced to leave her beloved mother and the life she knows in the silk mill town of Macclesfield and is set to become an apprentice at a cotton mill in the Derbyshire dales. It is a cruel blow for such a young girl, but her three travelling companions are even younger than she is, and Hannah is determined to keep their spirits up and remain in good cheer. Once she is settled in the mill, Hannah discovers that the hours of work are long, and the daily routine is dangerous, arduous and harsh, but her bright singing and capacity for joy lighten the load for everyone. Hannah soon becomes a favourite with the other mill workers. Friendships are forged and an innocent love starts to blossom. But can such a fragile love survive cruel reality? It is not long before she attracts the eye of Edmund Critchlow, the man who owns them all, body and soul - the man from whom no pretty mill girl is safe. Times are hard in the cotton industry as civil war rages across America affecting even the mill owner and the lives of all his workers . . .

A compelling saga from Margaret Dickinson, Fairfield Hall charts the changing fortunes of Annabel Constantine, in the devastating lead up to the First World War.Ruthlessly ambitious Ambrose Constantine is determined that his daughter, Annabel, shall marry into the nobility. A fish merchant and self-made man, he has only his wealth to buy his way into society.When Annabel's secret meetings with Gilbert, a young man employed at her father's offices, stop suddenly, she learns that he has mysteriously disappeared. Heartbroken, she finds solace with her grandparents on their Lincolnshire farm, but her father will not allow her to hide herself in the countryside and enlists the help of a business connection to launch his daughter into society.During the London Season, Annabel is courted by James Lyndon, the Earl of Fairfield, whose country estate is only a few miles from her grandfather's farm. Believing herself truly loved at last, Annabel accepts his offer of marriage. It is only when she arrives at Fairfield Hall that she realizes the true reason behind James's proposal and the part her scheming father has played.Throughout the years that follow, Annabel experiences both heartache and joy, and the birth of her son should finally secure the future of the Fairfield Estate. But there are others who lay claim to the inheritance igniting a feud that will only reach its resolution in the trenches of the First World War.

The River Folk is a spellbinding story of Lincolnshire life in the inter-war years, by the author of The Fisher Lass, Margaret Dickinson.For twelve-year-old Mary Ann Clark life has always been tough. The pretty daughter of a wife-beating drunk, it is no surprise that she has grown up afraid of her own shadow. That is until 'Battling Bessie Ruddick' takes the young girl under her wing and into the heart of her bustling family. Growing into an attractive young woman, Mary Ann yearns to be loved and when her affection for Bessie's son, Dan, is finally returned she becomes a skipper's wife. But the arduous life aboard ship is clearly not for her and only the arrival of a daughter, Lizzie, seems to hold the marriage together. Yet, tragically, the family is torn apart when Mary Ann is seduced by the promise of a happier life. Although bewildered by her mother's disappearance, it is now up to Lizzie to help her father. For she, unlike Mary Ann, has inherited Dan's love of the river. But then, disturbingly, her life starts to follow the same pattern as her mother's . . .

Set in the epic years before and after the First World War, Chaff Upon The Wind is a moving novel of Lincolnshire life from Margaret DickinsonKitty Clegg has always accepted the hard work in her job as a kitchen maid at the Manor Farm. But now, at sixteen, she seizes the chance to go up in the world and to become a lady's maid. Handsome Jack Thorndyke has more than once held Kitty's adoring gaze. As he prepares his gleaming threshing machine for its winter work, he finally asks her to be his chosen Harvest Nell when the last of the golden Lincolnshire corn is cut. Carried away by her excitement, Kitty fails to heed the warnings whispered into her ear. Jack is far from the marrying kind. Worse still, his playful charm has attracted another - a young girl far above his station. Will Kitty's dreams be scattered like chaff upon the wind? Or can she hold on to a very special kind of love: a love which will bring both heartache and joy to the Manor in the turbulent decades to come?

Flame-haired Jeannie Buchanan has spent all her life in the shadow of the dark North Sea. Working with freezing fingers to gut the precious herring, she follows the fleet south, travelling far away from her Scottish home. When her beloved father's trawler goes missing, Jeannie must face up to life on her own. But her fiery temper and fierce independence attract powerful and devious enemies. By standing up to the Hayes-Gorton family, she could be threatening the future of those she cares for most. By denying a man prepared to sacrifice all his privileges for a chance to offer his devotion, she could be facing years of unhappiness. Amidst the great social upheaval of the inter-war years, Jeannie must search again for the real love she has always denied herself . . . Margaret Dickinson's The Fisher Lass brilliantly evokes the dramas of those who are born to the fishing way of life.

Featuring some of the characters from Sons and Daughters, Jenny's War is an epic story of loss and heartbreak from Margaret Dickinson.Is it possible for a ten-year-old girl to fall in love? Jenny Mercer thought so. Evacuated to Lincolnshire from the East End of London at the outbreak of war, she is frightened of the wide open spaces and the huge skies. At first, she is treated badly by the two spinsters with whom she is billeted. But the kindly Thornton family soon makes her feel welcome. And no one more so than Georgie, the handsome RAF fighter pilot, who is caught up in the battle for Britain's survival. When Georgie is posted missing, presumed killed, Jenny is devastated and there is more heartbreak when her mother demands that she return home to the dangerous city streets now under almost daily attack from enemy bombers. Dot never hides the fact that her daughter's birth was a mistake and kindness and care towards Jenny comes, not from her mother, but from their neighbours across the street, the Hutton family. The only other person to show concern for Jenny is, strangely, Dot's 'fancy man', Arthur Osborne, who moves into the terraced house. But is Arthur only interested in the girl because she can be useful to him? No one will suspect a ten-year-old of being involved with the Black Market. When the law comes a little too close for Arthur's comfort, the family flees in the night under the protection of the blackout, heading north out of the city. But to Jenny's disappointment, it is not back to Lincolnshire but into the hills and dales of Derbyshire where they are always on the move, always on the run. There, Jenny is caught up in a life of deception, obliged to do whatever her mother and Arthur demand of her, when all she really wants is to go back to Lincolnshire. For Jenny has never given up hope that one day, Georgie will come back . . .

At the beginning of the twentieth century a female doctor was often treated with mistrust. In Margaret Dickinson's Brackenbeck, Doctor Katharine Harvey goes to the village of Brackenbeck to take over Doctor Anthony Stafford's practice, only to find the villagers resent her presence and will not acknowledge her as a fully qualified doctor. Katharine soon learns that the villagers follow the lead of Jim Kendrick, owner of Brackenbeck quarry, and Jim doesn't like women doctors. Katherine's destiny lies in his hands. When tragedy strikes the village, Jim and the people of Brackenbeck need her help - but will they change their minds?

Set twenty years after the dramatic events that unfolded in Abbeyford, Abbeyford Inheritance is the second volume in the moving and powerful saga from Margaret Dickinson.Lynwood felt a strange constriction in his chest. No! No - it wasn't possible! Caroline had come back . . .But this is 1815; Caroline had eloped in disgrace twenty years earlier, and the girl now standing before him speaks with a low husky drawl and an accent from America.Adelina Cole. Her daughter. Returned to Abbeyford in search of a grandfather she has never seen, and the estate which she, as closest living relative, has every right to inherit. Except that Lord Royston cannot bring himself to see Adelina - her disturbing beauty reminds too many people of the past.Reluctantly taken in by distant cousins, Adelina believes she has found an ally in Emily Langley and her betrothed, the handsome, ruthless Wallis Trent. A man with old scores to settle, Trent knows Lord Royston altered his will to make Emily the main beneficiary. But Adelina's return changes everything - perhaps now his hand may be more profitably played elsewhere?And there is Francis, Earl of Lynwood - the man who first discovered Adelina. He once adored her mother and now cannot forget the face which threatens his peace of mind again . . .