'Humour, toughness, resolution and generosity are Cookson virtues . . . In the specialised world of women's popular fiction, Cookson has created her own territory.' - Helen Dunmore, The Times

Just two years after the death of their mother, Hector Stewart tells his children he plans to remarry and has chosen a distant relative from Ireland to be his bride. Money is tight and the only thing the children remember about Moira Connelly is that she lives in a castle; they suspect that her apparent wealth is the reason their father is so keen to remarry.

But Moira has also been far from forthcoming about her own circumstances - thinking she's about to marry into landed gentry, she expects a lifestyle to match this title. So when she arrives in rural Fellburn she is surprised to find a rundown farm as her new home...

Can a marriage based on deception survive?

Catherine Cookson was the original and bestselling saga writer, selling over 100 million copies of her novels. If you like Dilly Court, Katie Flynn or Donna Douglas, you'll love Catherine Cookson.

Previously published as The Desert Crop