Winds of fortune - E. V. Thompson

Set in Cornwall in the early part of the 19th Century.

Thomasina is determined to make more of her life than just to be a maid - even more so when she is raped by Sir Henry's nephew in the house she works in. She runs off with sweetheart Jeffrey and they live for a while as highwaymen, firstly in Mevagissey and surrounding areas, then Bristol. They make a lot of money and are thinking of retiring when Jeffrey is caught - and hung.

Thomasina then goes to sea and has further adventures, dressed as a boy. She meets and falls in love with Abel and, in due course, spends her highwayman money on a boat which she ensures, anonymously, Abel is made captain of. Thomasina knows that Abel is the man for her - she just has to get Abel to know that he is in love with her...