Poppy Silk - Michael Taylor

Born and bred in destitution, spirited Poppy Silk is determined to gain an education and leave the poverty and loose morals of Blowers Green behind her.
Robert Crawford thinks she's the most enchanting girl he's ever met. His admiration for her leads him to offer her lessons in reading and writing. But as their classes progress, so too do the feelings they have for one another - and Robert finds he has a difficult choice to make.
Pursued by the violent but darkly handsome navvy, Jericho, Poppy finds herself torn between two men...two ways of life. Can she wait in hope that the man she truly loves will claim her, or will she have no choice but to submit to the one who will lead her only to despair?

'It's about time a man wrote romantic fiction - Michael Taylor does it superbly.' Edwina Currie