Kate Cleary feels no sorrow when her brutal father dies. At last she will be free from him, even though she & Nuala, the sister who depends on her for everything, must now leave his miners cottage. Then Kate discovers they have an aunt in the Midlands whom their father had kept secret, & who now offers them a home. Despite leaving her heart in Durham with Matthew, a young artist, Kate feels loved & safe with Aunt Beth. But her peace is shattered by an astonishing revelation from Nuala, & a series of brutal attacks on the women of Nuneaton. Kate turns to a handsome widower, Martin Denby, but is his kindness too good to be true?