Honour and Obey

It is 1898 in the small coastal town of Wellington Point, Queensland, where Annie Simpkin works as a schoolteacher. Unmarried at twenty-six, she is considered an old maid by her conventional parents, until she wins the heart of the headmaster, Lionel Warrington. Their plans for a life together come unstuck when tragedy strikes and Annie is forced into a marriage of convenience. Her heart is broken, but she must put her feelings aside and comply with the demands of society. Annie knows Lionel is the only man she could ever love and before she makes her wedding vows, tells her new husband she will honour and obey him, but she will not love him. Nor will she share his bed. The marriage falters and Annie finds it impossible to deny her feelings for Lionel, whilst knowing her duties lie within the marriage. She is now stepmother to four children and cannot abandon them. Meanwhile, her desperate husband turns to drink to alleviate his misery and Lionel is forced out of town under a cloud of disgrace. Fate has more heartbreak in store for Annie until she finally comes to the realisation that the only way to find happiness is to grab it in both hands and take a leap of faith.