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1860s: Life in Singapore for a woman with passion and perseverance is not the easiest place to be. But Australia beckons for those good at trade..
The Trader’s Wife (The Traders 1)
What you need to know before your trail
Singapore in the 1860s is exotic and yet terrifying for a penniless Englishwoman, alone and vulnerable after her mother’s death. Too pretty to obtain a governess’s job, Isabella Saunders accepts an offer from a Singapore merchant to teach him English and live with his family.
Two years later Bram Deagan arrives in Singapore, determined to make his fortune as a trader. Mr Lee sees a way to expand his business connections and persuades Isabella to marry Bram.
Bravely, she sets sail for a new land and life. But the past casts a long shadow and together they face unexpected dangers. Will they find a way to achieve their dreams of a successful trading business?
Travel Guide
Singapore
Elgin Bridge – Isabella crossed the Elgin Bridge, a long iron structure, heading south towards the native area of town, specifically the Chinese district weaving her way in and out of the bustling crowd”
She looks down at the river and sees the river boats. It’s hot and women on their own do not usually walk out like this. Other European women didn’t do this and she is noticed. This is a city which is very multicultural and where Malays, Babas and Chinese all mix in their languages and social differences from all over China. It’;s a melting pot but where people are still suspicious of each other and where they think Western women are not like them. A man and a woman cannot live together unless married so when isabella gets a teaching job living in, the scandal is huge.
Boat harbour – Marina Bay – This is the bustling centre of the city where the traders seem to live and where the heart and soul of the city buzzes. It’s a noisy and exciting place but no place for a lady.
Raffles Place – Bram gets a guide round the city and goes here
Australia
Fremantle
The port – they come into this port when they finally land in Australia, passing the island of Rottnest. The mouth of the harbour is impressive with an old fort welcoming the boats as they approach. Bram points out that this was the original prison for the colony.
Cliff Street – Where the town planning apparently only had enough paving stones to do one side of the street at the time.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Trader’s Wife
Author/ Guide: Anna Jacobs Destination: Fremantle, Singapore Departure Time: 1860s
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