The Household

Urania Cottage reminds Martha of a doll's house, of a staged domestic life where, upon closer inspection, the fire is a pile of ribbons and the windows are pasted shut ... London, 1847. In a quiet house in Shepherd's Bush, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common : they are fallen.
Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life - but how badly do they want it ? Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.
As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price ... Set against Charles Dickens' home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history, The Household is Stacey Halls' most ambitious and captivating novel yet.