'1906
'A high-spirited, unconventional girl who can turn her hand to anything, Molly Sparkes is on the verge of a big adventure. At just eighteen, she is leaving her convent school in the heart of rural Kent to accompany the formidable Mrs Alexa Nagel on a tour of Australia, acting as her companion and nursemaid to Alexa's motherless granddaughter, Fay.
'After a long voyage at sea, they finally arrive In New South Wales. Living in rural Australia and far away from everything she knows, Molly is forced to do some rapid growing up. Fascinated by a cool, laconic stockman, Molly is heartbroken when he tells her he is about to return to his native Denmark. Desperate to forget him, she turns her attentions to Rory Kelly, a circus acrobat. Will Molly flout convention and be tempted by the romance of a circus life? And what does the future hold for the irrepressible Molly Sparkes?' (Publication summary)