1945 - the war in Europe is over. It should be a time of utter joy and celebration. Most women can't wait for their men to return, but in the small town of Rivenshaw in Lancashire, Judith Crossley fears having her husband back in the house. He'd grown into a bully and a drunkard, and on the occasions he'd come home from leave, he'd hit her. He wasn't a good father, either. Luckily Judith has found an unlikely ally, a friend to turn to - Maynard Esher, from an old aristocratic family on the other side of town. But Judith knows that when her husband returns, she and her children will be back in the firing line again. She decides that for the children's sake, she must leave her husband. But with the house rented in his name and other accommodation scarce, where on earth can they go...?

Author Biography

Anna Jacobs was born in Lancashire at the beginning of World War Two. She was four when the war ended, and it was only after its end that she met her father, who had been serving as a soldier in the Middle East, for the first time. Anna remembers the post-war years well, as a peaceful time when people were happy to be done with war and content to enjoy themselves in simply ways such as playing cards with friends or going to Saturday dances at various clubs. Anna has since emigrated to Australia, but still visits the UK regularly to see her family and do research, something she loves. She is addicted to writing and figures she'll have to live to be 120 at least to tell all the stories that keep popping up in her imagination and nagging her to write them down. She's also addicted to her own hero, to whom she's been happily married for many years. She is the bestselling author of over sixty novels and has been shortlisted for several awards. Pride of Lancashire won the Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award in 2006, and The Trader's Wife was shortlisted for the 2012 award.