Ex-Con Barrister Chases Poor Widow

In early 20th-century England, Cassian Black, sole heir to a Yorkshire estate and a barrister, is imprisoned on a murder charge. To preserve the family fortune, his mother hires widow Ella Thorne to conceive an heir with him in prison. Cassian wounds his own hand rather than drag her into his ruin, and his decency moves Ella to complete their agreement willingly. After his release, he guards her bakery and protects her sick mother-in-law and twin children. As family opposition, aristocratic persecution, kidnapped children, and a forced marriage close in, Ella only realizes her love when Cassian is beaten, crippled, and left on the moor; she risks everything to save him. Together they bring down Sir Ashcroft, overcome class barriers and conspiracy, and finally become each other’s home.