To Have and To Hold — Anne Bennett

Carmel Duffy is the eldest child of a brutal and abusive marriage, and she can't wait to leave home. As soon as she turns eighteen, she heads for Birmingham and begins training as a nurse. She's determined to have no husband or family of her own, but her resolve is tested when Dr Paul Connolly comes onto her ward. Gradually he wins her heart, and they agree to marry, both certain that they want no children, but after the devastation of World War Two, Carmel finds the future is very different to the one she thought she wanted...