Superb narration and engrossing drama.' Tom Keneally
She's the daughter of the bloody-minded mutiny on the Bounty villain William Bligh, who accompanies him on his appointment as Governor to this raw British colony on the other side of the world.
Yet Mary Bligh is no shrinking violet. After an horrific six-month sea voyage, she proves as strong-willed as her father as the pair immediately scandalise Sydney with their personalities, his politics and her pantaloons. And when three hundred armed soldiers of the Rum Rebellion march on Government House to depose him, he is nowhere to be seen as she stands defiantly at the gates, fighting them back with just her parasol.
Despite being bullied, belittled and betrayed, Mary remains steadfast, staying with Bligh as he's placed house arrest, and then imprisoned at the barracks. When, however, he's finally given permission to sail back to England, he double-crosses her yet again in his desperate attempt to cling onto power.
But will Mary turn out to be her father's daughter and betray him in pursuit of her own dreams and ambitions?
Sue Williams returns to the untold stories of the women of colonial Sydney with another fascinating, and meticulously researched, historical novel.
