The spellbinding new novel from the much-loved author of Farewell to Lancashire Wiltshire, 1910. With her stepfather threatening her with a forced marriage, Mattie Willitt flees home in search of a better life. She is soon lost and at the mercy of the elements - until her life is saved by Jacob, a widower who takes her in and nurses her back to health. Finding consolation in each other's troubled pasts, the pair soon grow close. But when pressure is put upon them to marry, and Mattie's stepfather discovers her whereabouts, they must face their fears and stand up to those who threaten their future happiness.