Elizabeth "Bess" Hastings has led a very sheltered life; the daughter of a vicar and an all-round good girl. That all changed on the day she left her tiny village in Suffolk to go visit her cousin James in Essex with her best friend Felicity. But of course, this isn't just the story of a normal girl on a visit to her cousin... far from it. That's because this is the year 1735 and Essex is being prowled by dangerous highwaymen and the notorious Essex Gang, most dangerous of all is the elusive Dick Turpin. Elizabeth's life is flipped upside down when she and Felicity are kidnapped by Turpin and his accomplice Matthew and held for ransom. Slowly though, an unlikely romance begins to blossom...

This story is about a small girl named Arabella who was born into a life of luxury but longs for freedom and the right to be a child. The first 4 chapters were written by my friend and I on a 24 hour coach journey.