Despite his youth and inexperience, Clem is determined to see the farm prosper. When wealthy Dr Carty suggests that Clem marry his daughter Thora, Clem cannot afford to refuse the handsome dowry she will bring. And although he knows that Thora is carrying another man's child, he is enchanted by his beautiful young bride. Yet Thora proves to be flighty and demanding, disappointed that her husband is not as wealthy as she had imagined. Desperate to please her, Clem joins the goldrush to Kalgoorlie to seek his fortune. But his prolonged absence enrages Thora further and, despite Alice's warnings, she travels to Perth to find her husband. Her dramatic reunion with Clem is to have shocking consequences from which those involved might never recover...

    Agnes Handly cannot hide her hatred for Arthur’s young wife Ellen – a loathing fuelled by the feelings she has long held for the baker.Ellen meanwhile, is starting to have doubts about her relationship with Arthur. When her parents died in a house fire, it was Arthur, her father’s best friend, who took her in. Afraid of facing the world alone, she decided to marry him: a decision with consequences she is only just beginning to understand. And when her attraction to a man her own age intensifies, will she follow her heart, or be faithful in her duty?The Ragamuffins is packed with unforgettable characters and will delight readers of Annie Murray, Catherine Cookson and Rosie Goodwin.