Pauper's Gold — Margaret Dickinson

Hannah Francis has been forced to leave her beloved mother and the life she knows in Macclesfield to become an apprentice at a cotton mill in the Derbyshire dales. I's a cruel blow for such a young girl, but she is determined to be cheerful for the sake of her three younger travelling companions. Once settled at the mill, Hannah discovers that the daily routine is dangerous, arduous and harsh, but her capacity for joy lightens the load for everyone. Becoming a favourite with the other mill workers, friendships are forged and an innocent love starts to blossom. But it is not long before Hannah attracts the eye of Edmund Critchlow â€" the man from whom no mill girl is safe...