Janet Mary Tomson

It is 1642, the Civil War is raging and a young Irish girl is separated from her family at the siege of Carrickmain Castle. When Lieutenant Robert Hammond arrives he decides to take the girl to his family on the Isle of Wight for safety. As the two form an unlikely bond it become apparent that their lives will never be the same again.

The year is 1830 and Martha Cavanagh, the minister's daughter, is experiencing the first pangs of love. Gabriel Lawless, the object of her affection, has returned home after seven years but not only is he a common labourer, he is also a rebel. When the landlords cut their workers' wages, the labourers form a friendly society. Their oath of allegiance is treated as treason. With the line drawn, the time has come to take sides. Can Gabriel be the hero Martha dreams of? Or the villain her father seeks to destroy?

One day, Shirley Weeks' secret fiance, Guy Lamb, stepped off a plane at Heathrow airport and disappeared. For eighteen years she has kept the flame of love and hope alive. Without word or any sign from him, Shirley continues to work at the decaying mansion of Cartegena, which should have been Guy's inheritance. Shirley feels her life is governed by her own mother and the elderly Mrs Lamb. And then Frank comes into her life, but even he has secrets of his own. What will happen if Guy returns? Or if Frank goes away? This is a powerful and mysterious story of a woman trapped by her past.