The Vine Weaver

The Vine Weaver
Hawkesbury River area 1820s+
The Walkers live on a secluded farm on the Hawkesbury River. An incident in Joel’s past made him wish to protect young women from the heinous attentions of the colony’s men, so they create a haven for the girls. In the Female Factory in Parramatta, Fran Rea gives birth to a stillborn illegitimate child; then, she tries to disfigure herself to stop the men’s attention. Fran is rescued by Hetty Walker and taken to the refuge, where she slowly heals. Fran teaches vine and basket weaving, and the success of this spurns an entire cottage industry for the small farm. The farm hand, Hector Macdougal, shows compassion to all, and his words change their lives, giving them a future they could never have dreamed about just a short time before.
The vines now must draw them close to survive the future revelations, and of those, there are many.