The Music Makers

Do you have the power to change your fate…?

Pembrokeshire, Wales, 2020

Serious illness has forced Eleanor Wilder to leave her life in London, close her antique shop, and return to the family farm in Pembrokeshire. Her instinct is to hide from the world but when her parents bring her to a family reunion at the nearby house, Cliffside, she is transfixed by a set of old family photographs.

One of the images is of a woman in theatrical dress, labelled ‘Esme Blood’ – a name that is familiar to Eleanor through a set of Victorian tarot cards and diaries that she found through her shop. Certain the name is unusual enough not to be a coincidence, Eleanor begins to research the life of this intriguing woman.

London, England, 1875

Born to a teenage mother who couldn’t cope, Esme Blood is adopted by the ebullient Cornelius and Rosie Hardy into a touring theatrical troupe, along with her friend Aaron. When Aaron’s grandparents return to claim him, Esme is devastated and the two promise they will find each other.

Outgrowing her adopted lifestyle, Esme decides to set out to seek her fortune, and she relies on a deck of Tarot cards to direct her. But fate can be a cruel mistress, and before long Esme finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.

Did Esme find happiness? Was she ever reunited with Aaron?

And will researching her family history bring healing to Eleanor…?