Beyond the Plough - Janet Woods

Now a wealthy young widow, former peasant girl Siana Forbes has overcome her humble beginnings to become mistress of Cheverton Manor, the handsome estate which her infant son, Ashley, will one day inherit.

When the man she has always loved, country doctor Francis Matheson, asks for her hand in marriage, it seems her happiness is complete.

But trouble lies ahead. An unexpected tragedy means Francis must leave for Australia – a land where danger and hardship await. Left behind to raise a growing family, Siana too has problems when a sinister figure from her past emerges, determined to cause havoc.

And a terrible ordeal suffered by her stepdaughter on the night of the harvest supper leaves Siana with a heartbreaking choice. Will she be able to overcome the odds stacked against her and keep her family together?

And will she ever be reunited with her beloved Francis?