Gwendolyn Mason

The Constable's Wife Gwendolyn Mason

In 1915, Rose Perry has escaped a life of poverty and degradation. When she moves to the town of Cherry Creek, Pennsylvania, she wants to put her sordid past behind her, find respectability as the new town constable's wife, and fit in with the church-going folks of her new town. On practically her first day in town, Rose meets a poverty-stricken family from the nearby coal camp and involves herself in their troubles. When Bridget Murphy dies in childbirth, Rose provides a home for her motherless children and is drawn to Bridget's brother, the mysterious Gareth Quinn, a union-organizer. Inspired by Iris, the brilliant young niece of Gareth, she sets out on a quest to educate and empower the women and children of the coal camp and try to right the injustices perpetrated against them. As Rose struggles with her own bitterness and shame, she clashes with her husband who feels that her involvement with the coal camp families puts his job at risk. At odds with the elite of Cherry Creek, whose fortunes are tied to the coal mines, she finds her most dangerous adversary in sinister John Gerard, who disguises his evil nature behind the mask of a respected minister. Battling those who are invested in maintaining the status quo, and increasingly involved with Gareth, Rose risks losing everything she has gained, including her marriage and security to find her heart's true mission.