Experience a tale of female empowerment and Victorian Yorkshire with this compelling novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood. Lydia Mercer's journey from scandal to independence offers a captivating read for fans of historical fiction.
In 1860's Yorkshire, a woman's fortune belongs to her husband - regardless of a so-called-gentleman's character... When Lydia Mercer's marriage scandalously disintegrates, she faces some impossibly hard choices. Refusing to hide ashamedly away in the shadows she decides to take control of her future... A future that seems inexplicably intertwined with that of widowed carpenter Matthew Wade and his brood of motherless children? Lydia is magnetically drawn to this very special family, and especially to the strong, honourable, doing everything to keep his family together... When dark secrets and society's expectation threaten their path to happiness, plucky, determined Lydia refuses to give in to despair. Can she follow her dreams of establishing her own independence and find the family she's always dreamed of?
Since winning the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction for her first novel, The Hungry Tide, Val Wood has become one of the most popular authors in the UK. Born in the mining town of Castleford, Val came to East Yorkshire as a child and has lived in Hull and rural Holderness where many of her novels are set. She now lives in the market town of Beverley. When she is not writing, Val is busy promoting libraries and supporting many charities. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull for service and dedication to literature.
