Born in 1800, George Hudson rose from farmer's son to the rich and powerful Lord Mayor of York - friend to royalty and owner of half of the railways in the kingdom. But Hudson was driven by greed as well as ambition and dark secret lurked within his past - a youthful indiscretion...and an illegitimate child. That child, Milly, has been brought up, quietly and lovingly, by her mother Jane, who dreams of taking revenge on her careless begetter. By a quirk of fate, both Jane and Milly work in the Hudson household. Will Jane's revenge be sweet? Or will life - and unexpected love- get in the way?