Hope is the only refuge for those left behind . . . A classic saga of World War One from the author of A Handful of Sovereigns. When Emily Ford’s kindly employers decide to escape the Zeppelin raids that bedevil Hackney in 1916, the pretty housemaid is delighted to return to her parents for an unexpected break. But the holiday proves anything but peaceful. If finding her mother Nellie in hospital after a savage beating from her husband wasn’t enough, Emily’s plight deepens when she yields to the advances of Tommy, a young soldier, and becomes pregnant with his child. Not for nothing is Victoria station nicknamed the “palace of tears.” As trainloads of men leave for the Western Front, and Emily says goodbye to Tommy, she is left contemplating the life of a single mother. Yet amidst the devastation, happiness still lies within her grasp . . .
