From an author praised for her "genuinely perceptive portrayals of human relationships," a historical saga about the consequences of a wartime affair ( Irish Independent). He survived the carnage of war. But it was bitter conflict on the home front that tore his life apart . . . After a year of fighting in the Boer War, Corporal Russ Hazelwood—missing his wife and tired of long, passionless nights—seeks solace in the arms of an African woman. Only his friend Jack Daw knows of the relationship and the son born of it. Returning to York, he builds a successful career in business and raises six daughters and a son with his wife Rachel. But when his former comrade branches into local politics, rivalry breeds betrayal. Suddenly the past comes back to haunt Russ, shattering bonds between husband and wife, father and son. Then comes the most dreadful war of all. But when it is over, the greatest battle has still to be won . . . Praise for the writing of Sheelagh Kelly: "The tough, sparky characters of Catherine Cookson, and the same sharp sense of destiny, place and time." —Reay Tannahill, author of Fatal Majesty and Sex in History "Sheelagh Kelly surely can write." — Sunderland Echo
