A respectable woman (First edition.)

After losing her family in the Great War, Nell is grateful to marry Stan Hibbert, believing she can recapture a sense of family with him.

But five years on, she is just another back street housewife.

When she discovers that Stan is leading a double life, she runs away to make a fresh start.

Two years later, in 1924, Nell has carved out a fulfilling new life for herself and her young children in Manchester, where her neighbours believe she is a respectable widow and a talented machinist.

But the past is hard to run from, and Nell must fight to protect the life she has made for herself and her children.