What is the title of a fictional book about the bubonic plague?

I think the book was set in a rural area and focused on the life of a young girl. Her father was a coal miner and as far as I can remember most of her family died of the plague. There was a part where she was walking through the village she lived in and noticed all the houses had been boarded up where people had the plague in order to stop it spreading. She met a shepherd one day when she was walking and they fell in love. It was described how she was hugging him and he winced because he had sore armpits, where a few days later buboes formed. I think he died later on. She then left the village but I cannot remember what happened after that. I studied this book at school in 2003/04 and for some reason was reminded of it recently but cannot remember the title - it's really bugging me so if anybody knows what I'm talking about I would be very grateful, thanks!