Victorian Orphan

When Queen Victoria stepped onto the throne of Great Britain and Ireland in 1837, gone were the days when the monarch had supreme authority over the kingdom. Victoria ruled at the head of a government with which she was meant to converse, debate, and ultimately guide, and it was a job she sometimes struggled to perform. Victoria described herself as an emotional creature and blamed her gender for what she believed were her shortcomings as a monarch.

A helpless baby is forsaken in a churchyard. This is how life begins for orphan Emma. Unwanted, cast aside, and thrown on the mercy of strangers, she grows up wondering why. And what are the mysterious gifts each year, placed where her cradle was once abandoned? Now blossomed to youthful beauty but shunned by society, the man she loves is forbidden to marry or court her.

Dora Wentworth is born out of wedlock in one of the poorest parts of Liverpool. Abandoned by her family, she is brought by God into the arms of a childless fisherman and his wife. But life is cruel, and when an accident prevents the fisherman from working, they are forced to give her up to the orphanage. As Dora grows, neglected and alone, she almost gives up on her dreams of one day having a home and a love she can call her own. Then, through the kindness of a stranger, Dora discovers that there is always hope and embarks on a path that might finally lead her to the family she has dreamed of.

In the heart of 1875 Victorian London, where the city's ruthless streets guard the darkest of secrets, two orphaned souls stand defiant in the face of adversity. Prepare to embark on an extraordinary Christmas journey - a tale of unyielding courage and a love that defies all odds. As their beloved mother departs from this world, young Emma is burdened by the haunting question of why their father vanished into the shadows. Her quest for answers takes a backseat to the relentless struggle for survival.

In March 1876, the life of eight-year-old Josephine Mary Jones changed forever. Torn from the protection and love of her family and her beloved wolfhound, Clyde, Josie finds herself cold and alone at the Foundling Hospital, where her spirit and outspokenness is seen as nothing but trouble. Josie desperately misses her family and Clyde, but there is one small glimmer of hope in her otherwise grey and endless days: a foundling boy by the name of Leo Hastings.

Ella has never known love. Left as a baby outside the workhouse, Ella has only ever been treated with unkindness; especially from the hateful guardians of the workhouse, who hold the fate of the inmates in their cruel hands. When she is sold as a scullery maid to a new home, Ella hopes for a better life. But her hopes are dashed as she struggles to do all the work heaped on her thin shoulders by her brutish master. Daring to escape her harsh treatment, it isn’t long before she is caught and once again finds herself at the mercy of an uncaring world.

On a cold, lonely Christmas Eve, 15-year-old Dovie Ellis gives birth to a baby girl she names Christmas. Lost and afraid in the world, Dovie flees, abandoning her child that very same night.

Nick Terranova and Maura, both broken in their own ways, embark on a romance, but just when happiness is on the horizon for them, obstacles arise that test their faith. Will they overcome them or succumb to despair and disappointment?

The Lambeth Workhouse is no place for nice dresses, so why does Violet Marsh dream of a pretty blue satin dress? Violet remembers nothing of her life before the poverty of the workhouse. Her only comforts are a recurring dream and little Joe, the cheeky orphan, who is her one friend. But, life is hard in the workhouse. At eight years old, Violet has learned to keep quiet about her dreams. She has learned that there is little hope for the future.

Will the sins of the mother condemn the daughter to a life of loss? London, 1879. At just 13 years old, Florence Smith's life will change forever. Losing almost everything, she must grow up quickly and hope that a secret scandal does not come back to haunt her. Florence and her grandmother Queenie are forced to move when the family Queenie works for falls on hard times. Florence is devastated to be leaving the only home she has known and Marcus the young lad she’s harbouring a crush on. Queenie is forced to flee to where their story began.

Baby Sophie. Forced to dance for her dinner. Used and abused to feed the greed of those who should have been her carers. Her tiny gypsy feet sore with blisters, until they are big enough to run away and find the love she has lost. Perhaps young Byron Adams, her childhood friend and protector, will seek her out. Their secret childish love, so tragically torn apart, leaves little chance that this could ever happen.

London, 1879. When Ella's family is forced to live on the streets of London's East End, tragedy strikes, forcing Ella and her sister, Mary, into an orphanage where they endure long hours of hard work. When Ella is apprenticed to a cobbler, she's forcibly separated from her sister. The cobbler is a cruel man, using beatings to keep the workers in line. Ella's saving grace is Seth, who becomes her only friend. Then Seth divulges a shocking secret.

Being a maid at the Highmore estate is hard work, but it offers food and a warm place to sleep. And it is there she meets Nate, an orphan like herself. Forming a fast bond, Charlotte is thankful she can count on Nate. Until tragedy strikes, and Nate is removed from the estate, leaving Charlotte shattered.

Nora is forced into the workhouse at eight years old with her younger sister when they lose their parents. Hungry, lonely, and scared, the sisters lean on each other to get through a miserable existence of backbreaking work. When Nora is able to find work in the home of a titled lady, she's forced to leave her sister behind. Frightened for her sister's well-being, she returns to the workhouse after several months away, but her sister is gone. Desperate to find her, Nora resorts to lies and deceit to get a job as a maid for a wealthy merchant.

London, 1859. After Elizabeth's family is taken by disease, she is taken in by Calvin and Mary, working long hours in their bakery. Life is good until Mary dies, leaving Elizabeth alone with Calvin, where beatings become part of Elizabeth's daily life. As she suffers misery day after day, she dreams of running away but knows she will be brought back, with even more severe punishments.