Royal Station Master’s Daughters at War

Ellee Seymour 

THE historic railway station at Wolferton in Norfolk takes centre stage once more in the second book of a fascinating First World War debut saga series from journalist and PR professional Ellee Seymour (pictured below).

Wolferton Station – now in private hands – opened in 1862 and was the nearest station to Sandringham House. Trains continued to bring the royal family to and from their estate right up until the station’s closure in 1969.

Seymour’s delightful series was inspired by the Saward family, who ran the station in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and her stories gives readers a glimpse into all walks of life during this period... from top-tier royalty to the humblest of soldiers.

It’s 1917 and we meet up again with Maria who has adapted well to her new life on the royal Sandringham estate where she works as a maid for the widowed Queen Alexandra in the Big House. After growing up amidst poverty and suffering, Maria is in awe of the many treasures around her.

It is two years since she turned up at the royal station master Harry Saward’s house at Wolferton to escape her secret past. Maria was destitute and had nowhere else to turn but, having proved herself honest and capable, Harry and his daughters have welcomed her as one of the family. But when a mysterious relative called Nellie Jeacock turns up, on the run from the law, Maria’s new-found happiness could be under threat.

Meanwhile, the impact of the war is being felt deeply in the community as the fate of missing men from the Sandringham Company, who fought in Gallipoli, is still unknown. Harry’s daughters pull together to support each other and the women on the royal estate as they face up to their sorrows and challenges.

Ada’s husband, Alfie, is away fighting on the front line leaving her to care alone for their young son while Beatrice is now a VAD nurse at a cottage hospital and still mourning the loss of her first love, Sam. Jessie, meanwhile, has become a land army girl, transforming the Queen’s flower garden at Wolferton Station into a vegetable plot, and still longing for the return of her sweetheart Jack.

In a community torn apart by loss and tragedy, how will the station master’s family survive and find the happiness they are all searching for?

Packed with gripping drama, love and secrets, a cast of colourful characters, and with a delicious, authentic gingerbread biscuits recipe to tickle the tastebuds, this is a heartwarming treat guaranteed to leave saga fans hungry for more.
(Zaffre, paperback, £9.99)