Zelah was seduced by a married man and left holding the baby which was sadly stillborn. Now she wants a life that doesn't include marriage. While visiting her sister she is offered a job cataloguing and organising the library of the reclusive Major Dominic Coale. His scars are on the outside while hers are on the inside,, exposure to Zelah and her family exposes Major Coale to more and more of life and he starts to find less avoidable.
It was an interesting read and the Court Case about land ownership did ring quite true. ( )

Major Dominic Coale came home from war a scarred man. The horrors of war and his wounds also caused him to be mentally scarred. He lives like a recluse doing everything he can to hide his scar.
Zelah Pentewan carries her own scars. She is a "fallen" woman who thought she was in love with a man who was going to marry her. She spent one night with him only for him to leave her pregnant. The story starts with her having a stillborn baby then jumps forward three years.
Throughout the story we see Dominic change drastically due to Zelah's influence on him and it is clear their love helps them both to heal.
I also enjoyed the side stories very much. Nicky was a little scamp and I loved it. I also thought the parts about the court case were very interesting. ( )