Speak to Me of Love

The plump, plain daughter of a successful shopkeeper, Beatrice Bonnington has no illusions about her looks—or her marital prospects. So when she receives a proposal from the dashing William Overton—a man she’s secretly desired for years—Beatrice can’t believe her good fortune. Knowing her husband will never wholly belong to her, she turns her energies to the other great passion of her life: her family’s department store. As she endures tragedy, betrayal, and the horrors of war, she builds Bonnington’s Emporium into a titan of commerce that rivals London’s Selfridge’s. But with all of her worldly success, she never stops loving William.

One more challenge awaits Beatrice: the battle for her husband’s heart.