Sapphire Battersea

Sapphire Battersea is the 2011 sequel to Hetty Feather, written by best selling English author Jacqueline Wilson. It is the second installment in the Hetty Feather Trilogy. The story continues where Hetty Feather left off. Hetty, now 14 years old, is discharged from the Foundling Hospital and begins a life of a scullery maid.

After finding out that Ida, the kitchen maid of the Foundling Hospital is her mother, Hetty regularly sneaks into her room at night to bond with her. Hetty dreams of being a successful author, writing stories under her true name, Sapphire Battersea. However, one night, Hetty is followed by another girl, Sheila Mayhew, who often bullies her and Matron "Pigface" Peters. Hetty and Ida's relationship is found out and as a result, Ida is fired and is sent away to Bignor-on-Sea (named after Bignor but based on Bognor Regis and Middleton-on-Sea) as a housekeeper to an elderly woman by Miss Sarah Smith, a member of the Board of Governors and a friend of Hetty's. When the time comes for Hetty to be discharged from the Hospital, Miss Smith arranges for Hetty to be sent to Mr. Charles Buchanan, a fellow writer, as a scullery maid in the country side of Kingtown. As Hetty is picked up by Mr. Buchanan's cook, Mrs. Briskett, a young man calls out to her and unsuccessfully tries to chase down the cab she was in. This young man is later to be revealed as Hetty's former foster brother, Jem.

After spending most of her childhood cooped up in the Foundling Hospital, Hetty is often confused, scared and in awe by the outside world. As she settles into her job, Hetty becomes a secretary of sorts to Mr. Buchanan, copying his stories as Mr. Buchanan's handwriting is hard too read and, in return, Mr. Buchanan will help refine Hetty's memoir and supply Hetty with stamps so she can continue to write to her mother. She also finds a potential love interest in Bertie, the local butcher's boy, who takes her out to the fair, on a boatride, and a walk in the park. Among all of this Hetty accompanies the parlourmaid, Sarah, to a seance with Madame Berenice, a medium. During the seance, an apparition of Hetty's long dead foster brother, Saul, appears before Hetty, frightening her. Hetty's new life is soon shattered when she accuses Mr. Buchanan of plagiarising her work when she finds a poorly written manuscript of her memoir in his office under the name Emerald Greenwich. Hetty is immediately fired. Before she leaves, Sarah gives Hetty her suitcase and Mrs. Briskett gives her a jar full of money as well as some food to take with her. Hetty goes to see Bertie for the last time before setting off to Bignor to be with her mother.

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