The Fall and Rise of Lucy Charlton — Elizabeth Gill

A gritty, emotional saga about tragic loss, a mysterious inheritance and one woman's determination to succeed in the male-dominated society of 1920s northern England.
Since childhood, Lucy Charlton has dreamed of working with her father in the family solicitor's firm. But when scandal shatters her dreams and her father disowns her she finds herself on the streets, fighting for survival. Joe Hardy has returned to London after the Great War to find his life in tatters--his father is dead and his pregnant fiancee has disappeared. Then Joe learns he's unexpectedly inherited an old river house in Durham from a stranger called Margaret Lee. With nothing left for him in London, he makes arrangements to travel north and claim it. Lucy's determination has finally secured her a job as a legal secretary, campaigning for the rights of the poorest in society. As Joe arrives in her office to collect the keys to his new home, she promises to help him uncover information about his mystery benefactor. But before long, the past comes back to haunt them both, with shocking consequences.