The Soldier's Bride

Duty and Destinies Entwined

In The Soldier’s Bride, Maggie Ford transports readers to the turbulent autumn of 1916, where the rolling fields of rural Lincolnshire stand in stark contrast to the mud-churned battlefields of the Western Front. Charlotte “Charlie” Benson, a spirited young woman determined to serve her country, trades her comfortable drawing-room for the austere rigours of a wartime hospital. Amid the endless tides of wounded soldiers, she meets Captain Daniel Hawthorne—an officer whose quiet resolve masks the horrors he has witnessed. As Charlie tends to his injuries, their chance encounters ignite a bond that neither protocol nor the thunder of artillery can diminish.

Love Forged in Battle

Between lantern-lit dressings and whispered confidences in deserted corridors, Charlie and Daniel find solace in one another’s courage. Yet with each letter stolen beneath the guard of curfew and every stolen dance at a makeshift canteen ball, the spectre of separation looms larger. Daniel is bound for the next offensive, where the promise of victory feels as precarious as the thin walls of the nurses’ quarters. Charlie must summon all her ingenuity to gather the morale-boosting comforts—from knitted socks to treasured chocolates—that Daniel’s company demands, while also grappling with her own fear of loss.

A Promise Beyond the Trenches

As icy winter winds begin to seep through the canvas walls of the field hospital, Charlie faces a choice that will alter the course of her life: remain safe at home or follow the man she loves into the heart of danger. Ford’s evocative prose captures the bittersweet tension of wartime romance, illuminating how even in the darkest hour, the human heart can kindle hope. Through moments of laughter beneath war-scarred skies and tears shed by candlelight, The Soldier’s Bride becomes a testament to the abiding power of love and the sacrifices demanded by honour.

. Maggie Ford is a Sunday Times bestselling British author renowned for her heartfelt historical sagas, richly drawn characters, and her gift for weaving intimate portraits of love and resilience against the backdrop of epoch-defining events.