Catherine Cookson's The Secret

In 1885 England, Freddie Musgrave puts his criminal past behind him as he's made junior partner by his boss, Maggie. He has also fallen for Maggie's beautiful foster daughter, Belle, but old secrets and a new rival threaten his chance at happiness.

Freddie gives Belle the letter about her true parentage, knowing it will enable her to marry Marcel, despite his misgivings about the man. Freddie's troubles soon grow worse when he's implicated in the murder of Marcel's father, 18 years earlier.

Freddie is exonerated, but Belle's life is in turmoil as Maggie's illness worsens and her marriage falls apart. With Marcel growing increasingly violent and unstable, Belle turns to Freddie for rescue, unaware that Marcel has set a trap for him.