"Alden Patterson wants two things: to regain what she sees as her rightful place in Toronto society and to do so without succumbing to the traditional role of wife and mother. But escaping such roles is almost impossible for a woman in 1916, and the history of the Patterson family and Patterson House haunts her. On the day she imagines her most ambitious plans will come to fruition, Alden unexpectedly becomes guardian to a foundling, Constance. Alden’s dreams are further dashed when her father dies in the Spanish Flu epidemic and she learns that the family money is gone. Aided by a former member of the household staff and returning veteran, the horribly disfigured John Hunt, Alden takes in boarders to support this unlikely trio. By 1930, boarders are scarce and money even more so. Alden dreads losing Patterson House, so when a mysterious new boarder arrives, she thinks he will save her. The now-teenaged Constance disagrees: his presence, the divisions he creates, and the secret he eventually reveals puts everything Alden has at risk—her house, her identity, John Hunt, and even Constance. To escape his trap, Alden must set aside concern for appearances and leave everything she thought she knew behind."-- Provided by publisher
