I suspect this is a big ask but I borrowed a lot of books from the library as a teenager and have a hankering to re-read a particular one - but I don’t remember what it’s called and google isn’t helping.
It started in Victorian times with a woman dockside trying to sell herself and a fisherman type who took her home, looked after her then married her. There was a bit where she didn’t understand she could sit down wearing a bustle. Then they got rich through hard graft and bought a factory and he repainted the name on the chimney but saved paint on the H. OMG, just writing that out I’ve got it - Hardacre!!!!
I’ve been thinking about this book for weeks and I’ve not been able to remember what it was called 😂😂😂 (thanks anyway)