Shilling for a wife

By Emma Hornby

Subjects: Runaway wives, England, fiction, Abused women, Abused women -- Fiction, Mothers and sons, Fiction, family life, Mothers and sons -- Fiction, Fiction, Femmes abandonnant la résidence familiale -- Romans, nouvelles, etc, Femmes victimes de violence -- Romans, nouvelles, etc, Mères et fils -- Romans, nouvelles, etc, History, Runaway wives -- Fiction

Description: A dismal cottage in the heart of Bolton, Lancashire, has been Sally's prison since Joseph Goden 'bought' her from the workhouse as his wife. A drunkard and bully, Joseph rules her with a rod of iron, using fists and threats to keep her in check. When Sally gives birth, however, she knows she must do anything to save her child from her husband's clutches. She manages to escape, and taking her baby, flees for the belching chimneys of Manchester, in search of her only relative. But with the threat of discovery by Joseph, who will stop at nothing to find her, Sally must fight with every ounce of strength she has to protect herself and her son, and finally be with the man who truly loves her. For a fresh start does not come without a price ...