The Pennine waterways are the setting for Audrey Howard's spellbinding story of one girl's struggle to make her way in the world.

Vibrant and headstrong, Ally Pearce loves working on the Edith, her family's narrowboat, proving she's the equal of any man on the Leeds to Liverpool canal. Betsy, delicate, calculating and sensuously beautiful, wants only to become a 'lady' - and will use the most unladylike means to become one.



When Dr Tom Hartley enters the sisters' lives after a tragic accident both are attracted to him - but for very different reasons...

"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)