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Since the death of her parents when she was three years old, Anna Bartlett has lived with her grandfather and his housekeeper at Dunsford House. Growing up in the remote countryside of the Berkshire Downs, Anna leads a sheltered life and has few friends her own age. So when she meets the dashing Theo Sullivan, she naturally falls for his charming ways. Shy and naive, Anna falls hopelessly in love with Theo. Her dreams of a happy future together are shattered however when she falls pregnant, and Theo's reluctant marriage proposal reveals how little he cares for her. Anna has no choice but to accept, and suddenly finds herself mistress of Manningtor, the Sullivan's enormous estate in Devon. Determined to make the best of her unfamiliar and intimidating surroundings, and to get on with Theo's extended family, Anna throws herself into her duties as a new wife. When tragedy strikes, however, her already unstable relationship with Theo is thrown into more confusion. Trapped in a loveless marriage and surrounded by members of Theo's haughty and disapproving family, Anna must face up to a an uncertain future, with the threat of war also drawing ever closer . . .