Forgive and forget - Margaret Dickinson

Polly Longden's looks belie a strong and fiery personality.With the death of her mother from typhoid, thirteen-year-old Polly is left to care for her grieving father and younger brothers and sisters. When their father, too, falls victim to the typhoid, his only hope is to go to hospital, leaving Polly alone. Thankfully she has the support of kind neighbours: Bertha Halliday and her son, Leo, a young policeman. Polly dreams of becoming Leo's wife but her father's hot temper leads him to the wrong side of the law, forcing Leo to take drastic action that Polly will never be able to forgive and forget...