Iris Gower - The Rowan Tree

Manon Jenkins has had a cherished childhood in the sleepy village of Five Saints in the heart of Wales, but when her beloved father dies, she is left homeless and alone. The handsome blacksmith, Morgan Lewis, cares deeply for her, but she cannot make herself marry a man she doesn't love. She longs for Caradoc Jones, son of a famous Welsh cattle drover and, in desperation, she accepts a job as chaperon to Caradoc's spoilt sister Georgina, and joins the drovers on the road to Smithfield market in London. She plans to seek her fortune as a herbalist, preparing medicines for sale to both the rich and the poor.

Life on the trail is hard, and Non struggles to be accepted by the other women on the journey, as they walk long miles over rugged terrain. One heady, star-filled night Caradoc finally becomes her lover, but she is devastated when he refuses to marry her. She is determined to survive without him in London, but when she realizes she is pregnant, she finds that it's not easy to escape the clutches of the Jones family...