Tilly — Catherine Cookson

"ONE DAY YOU'LL COME INTO YOUR OWN, TILLY, YES YOU WILL."

It was those words from a wise old friend that kept Tilly Trotter going. A beautiful, solitary innocent in the rural England of 1840, wrongly accused of witchcraft by superstitious villagers, Tilly was forced to enter a wider world alone--through the death of her family, the burning of her home, the shattering loss of the man she loved, she willed herself to survive, taking moments of happiness where she could find them.

And always there were many men who wanted her, who would take her--but never on her own terms.

From the darkness of the coal mines to a servant's life on the edge of grandeur, Tilly struggled on, never losing hope or spirit of will, learning along the way that when one door shuts, another opens--and someday one might open upon the bright promise of a loving future...