A Different Kind of Silence

Death will not part them, nor will it silence them. It is 1880 and women are meant to be seen and not heard. When a damaged daughter is born of a vicious marital assault, Pauline Kite and her child are condemned to a life of sequestration and silence in rural Oxfordshire until Elinor Budden, a young nurse herself in need of healing, urges resilience and an audacious plan to bring about justice. When an unforeseen catastrophe strikes and they are caught up in one of the worst rail disasters in Victorian history, the rare opportunity for reinvention promises a life lived on its own terms; with autonomy emerges a voice that will not be silenced, and the undreamed-of prospect of recognition for all women condemned to obscurity.

Francesca was brought up in rural Oxfordshire. She gained a PhD in women’s literature from Queen Mary, London and practised as a teacher of English for over 25 years. Now semi-retired, Francesca delivers occasional lectures and talks in schools on women’s fiction and currently works in her local independent bookshop, a job she loves. This is her first novel. She lives in Hertfordshire with her partner.