Annie Morgan is a servant in a grand house in Wales, unfortunately, the master of the house has decided that the beautiful young girl is his property and she's forced to run from the house in order to evade his unwanted advances. She ends up in the home of the Reverend and Mrs. Davies, the Reverend understands the situation and knows that Annie should not be found. But there's really no time to make decisions, because there is an explosion in the mine just outside of town. Most of the men in town work in that mine, and the Reverend knows that he will be needed by some of his flock and that there will be men needing to be mended after the explosion. Annie goes as well and is able to meet miner Evan Powell. Evan's brother-in-law, Tom, has a broken leg from the explosion and Annie is able to help the doctor set his leg, showing Evan her compassion. Evan is a single parent, his wife Catherine having died in childbirth with their one child, Jane. Jane is usually cared for by Maggie, Evan's sister, but with Tom injured and their next child due right away, Evan knows that he can't leave Jane with Maggie, so he goes to Reverend Davies to see if he can come up with a satisfactory solution. Reverend Davies thinks for a minute, wondering just what to say, and then he sees Annie and Jane together and he knows that Evan and Annie should be married. They are married right away, much to Maggie's chagrin, and Annie begins to care for Jane as a mother. Annie knows that she's entered a marriage of convenience, not love, but can there ever be more?
I enjoyed reading this book. I've not really learned much about the history and customs of Wales, so reading a little about it in this book was really fun! I am kind of amazed at some of the things the miners had to deal with in the 1800's the conditions seem to me deplorable. I really enjoyed the plot of this book, and I loved the characters. This book was a quick read for me, I highly recommend it!Labels: historical, LDS fiction, Sian Ann Bessey