Ruby McBride has always been on the wrong side of authority. The grand opening of the Manchester Ship Canal is set to be a day of unfettered festivity for Ruby and her younger sister and brother. Even Queen Victoria will be in attendance.

But the glories of the ceremony fade into insignificance when their dying mother delivers them to the imposing oak doors of Ignatius House. Abandoned in the not-so-tender care of the nuns, the siblings are soon separated.

So when the Board of Guardians force Ruby into a marriage that sends her to a new home upon the Salford waterways, she makes only one vow: to reunite her family whatever the cost.

This is an enthralling story of romance and rebellion perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court.

'An inspiring novel about accepting change and bravely facing the future' Bangor Chronicle

'Compelling and heart-wrenching' Hull Daily Mail

'The kind of character-driven saga that delights the Catherine Cookson and Josephine Cox audience' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

'This book deals with gritty, real-life situations and shows how the heroine's strength of character triumphs through adversity' 5* Reader review

Sunday Times bestselling author Freda Lightfoot was born in Lancashire. She was a teacher, a bookseller in the Lake District, then a smallholder and began her writing career publishing short stories and articles before finding her vocation as a novelist. She published over fifty novels, mostly sagas and historical fiction. She died in 2025 aged 83, leaving a legacy of books that continue to be enjoyed by thousands of readers.