The Outward Appearance

As a girl growing up with a physical disability in rural Ontario, Abigail Quinn has worked hard to attain academic excellence. In 1871, she's poised to follow her dream of becoming a teacher by attending the Toronto Normal School, but unexpected events derail Abigail's plans. Forced into a life she did not want, she finds surprising gifts along the way, including the joy of mentoring her niece, Brooke. When Brooke becomes a teacher herself, she befriends a young farmer in Hillsdale, Ontario. He visits her schoolhouse with gifts for her students, and his good-natured persistence captures her heart. But teacher contracts forbid Brooke from keeping company with any male except for her father or brothers. She could lose the job she loves if anyone discovers their friendship. At the end of her first year of teaching in June of 1915, Brooke returns home to Everton, Ontario, gaunt and heartbroken. Can Brooke and Abigail find happiness while their loved ones are fighting in the trenches of Europe?