Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
It is 1862. Sue is an orphan, her mother hanged for murder, who has been brought up by Mrs Sucksby and her little gang of thieves. She’s a “fingersmith”, a pickpocket. One of the gang “Gentleman” has a plan to marry a lady, Maud Lilly – the niece of a man he is binding prints for, who is the heiress to a great fortune. Sue is employed as a maid to Maud Lilly, to help Gentleman elope with her and, when the time comes, leave her in a madhouse and take her inheritance. For this Sue is promised £2,000. Engaged as Maud’s maid, Sue comes to feel a certain sympathy for poor Maud – a frail, poor sensitive girl, who has barely seen beyond the manor she lives in, assisting her uncle to catalogue and index his vast collection of books. As she suffers from nightmares, Sue sleeps in the same bed as Maud to keep her company and a mild sexual relationship develops. Nevertheless, in spite of her feelings for her mistress, she thinks of the money she will earn and helps Gentleman escape with Maud and q