As they dazzle all the men at Queen Victoria's jubilee ball, Beth and Milly Goodwin seem to be mirror images of one another: beautiful, graceful and rich, they can take their pick of any man in St Helens. Only those who know them best realize that Milly's dark brown eyes hide a wild, untamed wantonness, while Beth's silvery-grey ones betray her idealism and kindness.



But the only man in the room either of them wants is the one who could destroy both their lives. Hugh, sixteenth Lord Thornley, is a rake who needs to marry an heiress to restore the fortune his father gambled away. Even a lowly daughter of a glass manufacturer will do - provided she is biddable and strong and willing to bear the son he needs.



Beth, he decides, will make him the perfect wife. But it is Milly who traps him into a loveless marriage - and sets in motion a chain of events that could destroy everything they hold dear.

Her thousands of fans recognise the artistry of a true storyteller * Lancashire Life *
Among the dross that constitutes the Liverpool saga market for women, Howard's enjoyable 19th-century historical romance of crossed love shines out. * Daily Mail *
Poignant and well plotted, this is the book to curl up with to shut out troubles. * Woman's Realm on BEYOND THE SHINING WATER *
This saga is, like all of Audrey Howard's books, compelling and memorable...a joy to read * The Historical Novels Review (A Place Called Hope) *

Audrey Howard was born in Liverpool in 1929. Before she began to write she had a variety of jobs, among them hairdresser, model, shop assistant, cleaner and civil servant. In 1981, while living in Australia, she wrote the first of her bestselling novels. She lives in St Anne's on Sea, her childhood home.