History and myth entwine in this atmospheric tale of freedom and friendship from bestselling author Lucy Strange and acclaimed illustrator Pam Smy.Bess has left the London workhouse behind for a job at a rural cotton mill. But life at the mill is hard and cruel a far cry from the fresh start Bess hoped for. The only way to survive is to escape, but the mill is like a prison with no way out.Meanwhile, rumours are spreading about a vicious creature that lurks in the millpond. Bess is sure it's all nonsense, until one night she sees something stir in the murky water.But is it really a monster that lives in the depths of the pond? Or a creature trapped and alone, just like Bess, desperate to escape

LUCY STRANGE is the bestselling children's author of titles including The Secret of Nightingale Wood and Our Castle by the Sea, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and chosen as the first ever Independent Booksellers' Children's Book of the Month. Lucy lives in the Kent countryside with her family.