Secrets of Our Hearts — Sheelagh Kelly

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US; Brothers Niall and Sean Doran have married two sisters. Niall considers himself as morally upright and is harshly critical of Sean for romancing another far too quickly after his wife's death. Amid great unpleasantness he takes the side of his in-laws and Sean is ostracized. But secretly Niall envies his brother, and wishes there were more to life than this terraced house in the back streets of York where he feels smothered by his wife's clannish sisters and her bullying mother Nora Beasty, all of whom live under his roof. There are even times when he wishes his wife would die. When, tragically, this occurs Niall is swamped by guilt, and if he had assumed it would grant him a legitimate excuse to be rid of his in-laws then he must think again for he has five children to care for and cannot do it alone. Seeking refuge at the Angel pub, he finds a warm companion in the new barmaid. Despite his Catholic guilt and self-loathing Niall is unable to suppress his feelings and soon becomes deeply involved, consequently finding himself in a similar position to the brother he has treated so badly