The Rowan Tree — Iris Gower

When her beloved father dies, Manon Jenkins is left homeless and alone. She longs for Caradoc Jones, son of a famous Welsh cattle drover and, in desperation, she accepts a job as chaperone to Caradoc's spoilt sister Georgina, and joins the drovers on the road to Smithfield market in London. Non struggles to be accepted by the other women on the journey, as they walk long miles over rugged terrain. One heady, star-filled night Caradoc finally becomes her lover, but she is devastated when he refuses to marry her. She is determined to survive without him in London, but when she realises she is pregnant, she finds that it's not easy to escape the clutches of the Jones family...