The Victorian gossipmongers called them The Petticoat Men. But to young Mattie Stacey they are Freddie and Ernest, her gentlemen lodgers. She doesn't care that they dress up in sparkling gowns to attend society balls as 'Fanny and Stella'. She only cares that they are kind to her, make her laugh, and pay their rent on time.
Then one fateful night, Fanny and Stella are arrested, and Mattie – outraged but staunch – is dragged into a shocking court trial, hailed in newspapers all over England as 'The Scandal of the Century'.
Head of Zeus * Historical Fiction
06 Nov 2014 * 480pp * £4.49 * 9781781859841
REVIEWS
'This is a generous and spirited reconstruction of a 19th-century cause célèbre'
The Sunday Times
'Ewing's strange and fascinating novel zooms in on one of the greatest scandals of the Victorian age and manages to shed new light on it ... Terrific'
The Times
'A well-told account of a scandal'
Independent
'Ewing's enormously readable novel reconstructs this 19th-century cause célèbre in vivid detail ... This is a rich, warm-hearted novel which champions ordinary human decency against the corruption of the powerful ... a moving and compelling narrative'
BBC History
'This well researched novel is inspired'
Diva
'This spirited novel based on real Victorian events'
History Revealed
Author
Barbara Ewing is a UK-based actress, playwright and novelist. She trained as an actress at RADA and has starred in film and TV, including Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) alongside Christopher Lee. She is the author of six historical novels.
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