Charley Feather
Kate Pennington
- In
- mid-18th
- Century
- England,
- now
- 14
- year
- old
- highway
- robber
- Charley
- was
- born
- an
- orphan
- in
- Southwark,
- London,
- and
- learned
- to
- survive
- the
- hard
- way;
- having
- seen
- a
- succession
- of
- casual
- 'guardians'
- thrown
- in
- to
- jail
- or
- shipped
- off
- to
- the
- colonies
- or
- dying
- of
- typhoid.
- By
- the
- time
- she
- is
- ten
- years
- old,
- Charley
- has
- waved
- goodbye
- to
- the
- latest,
- pickpocket
- mother
- and
- decided
- to
- don
- shirt
- and
- breeches
- and
- look
- after
- herself
- from
- now
- on;
- a
- much
- easier
- job
- if
- she
- is
- disguised
- as
- a
- boy
- (a
- fact
- the
- reader
- only
- realises
- a
- chapter
- in).
- So
- Charley
- goes
- it
- alone.
- At
- the
- age
- of
- twelve,
- he/she
- is
- part
- of
- a
- notorious
- highway
- robber's
- gang
- run
- by
- the
- ruthless
- Jack
- Wild.
- Travelling
- with
- the
- gang
- all
- across
- England,
- Charley
- has
- already
- gained
- herself
- the
- plucky
- nickname
- of
- Charley
- Feather
- -
- because
- of
- her
- feather-light
- touch
- when
- picking
- pockets,
- and
- the
- dashing
- white
- ostrich
- feather
- she
- boldly
- sticks
- into
- her
- three-cornered
- hat.
- But
- when
- Jack
- Wild
- is
- cornered
- and
- captured
- by
- a
- rival
- gang
- in
- York,
- his
- own
- gang
- scatters;
- Charley
- finds
- herself
- on
- the
- run
- with
- another
- member,
- the
- dubiously
- called
- smooth-talking
- 'Frenchy',
- whose
- interests
- are
- not
- entirely
- selfless,
- naturally.
- By
- the
- time
- Charley
- realises
- she
- can
- trust
- neither
- Jack
- Wild
- nor
- Frenchy,
- she
- is
- already
- in
- deep
- trouble
- and
- so
- resorts
- to
- changing
- back
- into
- a
- girl
- and
- finding
- work
- as
- a
- maid.
- But
- it
- seems
- she
- cannot
- escape
- recognition
- and
- finds
- herself
- back
- in
- the
- clutches
- of
- Frenchy,
- who
- will
- spare
- her
- from
- Wild
- if
- she
- colludes
- with
- him
- in
- a
- treacherous
- plan
- against
- him.
- Charley
- doesn't
- know
- where
- to
- turn.
- Only
- her
- old
- friend
- Robert
- seems
- to
- truly
- care
- for
- her
- welfare,
- and
- he
- is
- believed
- drowned
- in
- the
- Thames.
- Will
- Charley
- escape
- Frenchy
- again?
- Is
- Robert
- truly
- dead?
- Will
- she
- ever
- find
- happiness...and
- a
- normal
- life?
- Read
- on
- and discover.
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