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Will her devotion to duty stop her from pursuing her dreams?

Paisley, Scotland, 1920

By day young Mirren Jarvis works in the twisting department at Ferguslie Thread Mills and by night she works in a local fried-fish shop. She also cares for her sick mother and forgoes the freedom and luxuries her friends enjoy, dreaming of the day her fiancé, Donald, will send for her to come and live with him in America.

In the aftermath of the Great War, many of the women in Mirren’s life are struggling. Her cousin Grace’s fiancé believes he is no longer fit for marriage due to his war injuries, and her widowed sister-in-law faces stern opposition from Mirren’s mother about her decision to remarry. Meanwhile, Mirren worries about her younger brother Robbie’s involvement in politics, encouraged by his friend Joe Hepburn.

As the day-to-day reality of working two jobs and caring for her sick mother begins to weigh more heavily on Mirren, the promise of a life in America with Donald seems even more unobtainable. But when Mirren finally gets her freedom, her plans for the future begin to unravel and she is forced to confront a seemingly impossible choice about her own future.

Storytelling at its best, Evelyn Hood is the original bestselling Scottish saga writer 💫

Previously published in paperback as A Procession of One