The Season of Gold Dust and Gilt

Lovers of historical fiction will enjoy a rollicking tale of action, passion and humour as the story moves from the gilt and glitter of London to the gold dust of Australia.

Summer, 1854: As steam locomotives and steamships forge new pathways around the globe, a British regiment escapes the carnage of the Crimean War by taking a posting to the unruly goldfields of Australia. With them are Sarah Cartwright, the Major's beautiful but dangerous daughter and Rhys Wetherby, the charismatic son of a peer who has been disinherited and press-ganged into the military. Far from finding safety, they land in the middle of a battle between ten thousand angry miners and a few hundred soldiers and police. Can Sarah and Rhys survive the Eureka Stockade and forge their own path despite old ties and past mistakes?

Sarah Cartwright and Rhys Wetherby both come from military backgrounds, but the Wetherby family has acquired titles and land while the Cartwrights are constantly on the move between barracks and camps. Sarah has the skills of a soldier and the heart of a nurse but she dreams of living in a house and community where she will not be an outsider any more. Rhys loves his family traditions but is cruelly thrown from his path, finding himself contracted to serve with the 18th Light Dragoons just as they are sent to police the goldfields of Australia.

The great southern land is at a turning point in its history as colonial traditions are challenged by democratic ideals. The Victorian goldfields are in such a state of turmoil that the police and military commanders are preparing for civil war. As events unfold, Sarah and Rhys are forced to make choices that will determine whether their paths lead to happiness or heartbreak.