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The Distant Hills
MARRIAGE WITHOUT LOVE
"I have come to make a proposal of marriage to you," Gilbert Lawrence said coldly. "A proposal I will not allow you to refuse."
Angela was stunned. The wealthy young landowner was accusing her of tricking him into marrying her - and there was no way to explain the misunderstanding or to escape its consequences.
Alone in a strange land, with a younger sister to care for, she had no choice but to accept.
But the "marriage of convenience" was to prove extremely inconvenient for the masterful Gilbert Lawrence - for Angela, though not the fortune-hunting schemer he imagined, had strengths and resources he did not dream of...
"I have come to make a proposal of marriage to you," Gilbert Lawrence said coldly. "A proposal I will not allow you to refuse."
Angela was stunned. The wealthy young landowner was accusing her of tricking him into marrying her - and there was no way to explain the misunderstanding or to escape its consequences.
Alone in a strange land, with a younger sister to care for, she had no choice but to accept.
But the "marriage of convenience" was to prove extremely inconvenient for the masterful Gilbert Lawrence - for Angela, though not the fortune-hunting schemer he imagined, had strengths and resources he did not dream of...
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
25 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Walker
103 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
Lucy Walker (1907–1987) was the most famous of a few pseudonyms used by Dorothy Lucie Sanders (née McClemans). She was born in Boulder, Western Australia, on 4 May 1907. Her father was of Irish stock, a minister of the Church of England. Her mother was from New Zealand. Dorothy began writing at an early age, despite her father’s scepticism about her ability.
A qualified teacher from Perth College (1928), she taught in state schools in Western Australia until 1936. She continued teaching later in London while her husband, a fellow school teacher whom she married in 1936, completed his doctorate in education.
They returned to Perth, Australia in 1938 but Dorothy Lucie Sanders only began her writing in 1945, producing articles, short stories, and later novels. In 1948 her first novel, Fairies on the Doorstep, was published.
As Lucy Walker, she wrote about 39 romance books:
Fairies On the Doorstep (1948)
Who Leaves the Crowd (1952)
The One Who Kisses (1954)
Sweet and Faraway (1955)
Come Home Dear (1956)
Heaven is Here (1957)
Master of Ransome (1958)
Kingdom of the heart (1959)
The Stranger from the North (1959)
Love in a Cloud (1960)
The Loving Heart (1960)
The Moonshiner (1961)
Wife to Order (1961)
The Distant Hills (1962)
Down in the Forest (1962)
The Call of the Pines (1963)
Follow Your Star (1963)
The Man from Outback (1964)
Reaching for the Stars (1964)
A Man Called Masters (1965)
The Other Girl (1965)
The Ranger in the Hills (1966)
The River Is Down (1967)
Home at Sundown (1968)
The Gone-Away Man (1969)
Shining River (1969)
Six for Heaven (1969)
Joyday for Jodi (1971)
The Bell Branch (1971)
The Mountain That Went to the Sea (1971)
Ribbons In Her Hair (1972)
Pepper Tree Bay (1972)
Pool of Dreams (1973)
Girl Alone (1973)
Monday in Summer (1973)
Runaway Girl (1975)
Gamma's Girl (1977)
So Much Love (1977)
These romance novels were very successful in Australia and overseas. The stories were meticulously researched; the writer travelled extensively in the Western Australian outback, recording details of scenery, personalities and social customs in her notebooks and diaries.
Other pseudonyms used by this author: Shelley Dean, Dorothy Lucie Sanders, and Lucy Walker.
Dorothy Lucie Sanders was widowed in 1986 and died the following year. Her daughter and two sons survived her.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 3, 2018
I generally relish Lucy Walker's tales, and reminisce over it for a few days even after finishing it. This one was a bore.
The problem was not the setting - its always the same thing. A young naive orphan from England gets into the Australian outback looking to build a new life. And the most important guy in the outback falls like a tonne of bricks for her candor, innocence and charm.
This one has one fatal flaw. The girl is just not lively enough. She is a sweet do-gooder, but she doesn't have any qualities that might appeal to a reader. She is always silent, even her thoughts do not help the reader connect with her.
The guy is ok. But all that he asks for is silence from the girl. Because he thinks she has deliberately spread a word all around town about their rumored affair, and forced the heroes hand in offering marriage. So she just remains quiet and in the shadows throughout the book.
The most powerful female character in the book is the 13 year old precocious and bratty sister of the heroine. She spends more time with the hero talking, fighting, laughing and loving him (duh, in the puritanical sense!).
The heroine is just watching this from afar and longing for the same camaraderie. Finally its the sister who advocates the elder ones cause, and tells the guy - "She is wearing her best frock, she is nervous, she wont say it but she is crazy about you. You better do some thing about it" !!!
The guy comes looking for her then. Pulls her out of a chair, and just says "I love you", out of the blue. No build up, no confession, no expression of yearning, nothing.
And she cant say that even , so she decides "let me do something worthwhile in this story". And kisses him first. That's the end of the book, and the author lazily adds "The words between them can come later" !?!?!?!?!?!?!?
But the reader is not going to be around beyond the last page, the words need to come before that. And they just dont. Sad anti climax.
Boring fare, 2 stars.
The problem was not the setting - its always the same thing. A young naive orphan from England gets into the Australian outback looking to build a new life. And the most important guy in the outback falls like a tonne of bricks for her candor, innocence and charm.
This one has one fatal flaw. The girl is just not lively enough. She is a sweet do-gooder, but she doesn't have any qualities that might appeal to a reader. She is always silent, even her thoughts do not help the reader connect with her.
The guy is ok. But all that he asks for is silence from the girl. Because he thinks she has deliberately spread a word all around town about their rumored affair, and forced the heroes hand in offering marriage. So she just remains quiet and in the shadows throughout the book.
The most powerful female character in the book is the 13 year old precocious and bratty sister of the heroine. She spends more time with the hero talking, fighting, laughing and loving him (duh, in the puritanical sense!).
The heroine is just watching this from afar and longing for the same camaraderie. Finally its the sister who advocates the elder ones cause, and tells the guy - "She is wearing her best frock, she is nervous, she wont say it but she is crazy about you. You better do some thing about it" !!!
The guy comes looking for her then. Pulls her out of a chair, and just says "I love you", out of the blue. No build up, no confession, no expression of yearning, nothing.
And she cant say that even , so she decides "let me do something worthwhile in this story". And kisses him first. That's the end of the book, and the author lazily adds "The words between them can come later" !?!?!?!?!?!?!?
But the reader is not going to be around beyond the last page, the words need to come before that. And they just dont. Sad anti climax.
Boring fare, 2 stars.
July 16, 2020
Lucy Walker's books are always about 40 pages too long for the plot. This is pretty good, but if you don't like plot moppets, you are going to despise the plot tween who does not shut up near the end of the book. Two and a half stars.
November 9, 2022
Review at November 2022
Still a bit silly; why would a rich, tall, handsome man marry an 18 year old girl without a promise of love and sex. Yes, sex. He must be at least 30. So what has he been doing for sex the last 5-6 years? Walker never mentions it. I am pretty sure if this was now he would have been sleeping with beautiful Stella. And then falls madly in love with Angela who can't say "I love you." Hard to believe. Like I said a bit silly.
This is a pretty silly romance. Angela Burns and her sister Nellie arrive in Australia hoping to live with a family friend on Outback Station, Naroo Downs, but find that the friend has died after being involved in an accident. They have no where to go but Nellie has told everyone that her sister will marry that rich cattle station owner, Gilbert Lawrence. Gilbert realizes he has to save face and decides to marry Angela, thinking her avaricious and a money grabber. I didn't like any of the characters. But I will read it again and see if my opinion has changed.
Still a bit silly; why would a rich, tall, handsome man marry an 18 year old girl without a promise of love and sex. Yes, sex. He must be at least 30. So what has he been doing for sex the last 5-6 years? Walker never mentions it. I am pretty sure if this was now he would have been sleeping with beautiful Stella. And then falls madly in love with Angela who can't say "I love you." Hard to believe. Like I said a bit silly.
This is a pretty silly romance. Angela Burns and her sister Nellie arrive in Australia hoping to live with a family friend on Outback Station, Naroo Downs, but find that the friend has died after being involved in an accident. They have no where to go but Nellie has told everyone that her sister will marry that rich cattle station owner, Gilbert Lawrence. Gilbert realizes he has to save face and decides to marry Angela, thinking her avaricious and a money grabber. I didn't like any of the characters. But I will read it again and see if my opinion has changed.
October 1, 2021
3.5 stars ⭐️ This was such a sweet vintage!! I lust loved the heroine, but the younger sister got on my nerves. I don't feel like we got to know the H very well. The ILYs at the end came too suddenly without any hashing out of thoughts/feelings.
June 13, 2025
Cute vintage story with lots of fun vintage details about an Australian Outback where the grapevine is so strong the powerful hero is "forced" to marry the heroine based on gossip.
Heroine and her sister sail to Australia to live with their deceased mother's pen pal. Unfortunately, pen pal dies and heroine has to scramble to find a job. (She's been trained on IBM adding machines!) Meanwhile, 13 year-old sister tells everyone who will listen that - according to the pen pal's fondest wish- H/h are getting married sight unseen.
Hero roars into town to confront the very sweet heroine. She's not impressed. He's not impressed. But the rumors persist and the heroine ends up saying yes because she can't cope with her sister in the hospital with heat stroke.
The H/h have a huge wedding (because sis tells everyone they're invited) and a dull honeymoon at the Outback station (while everyone else is back in town partying at their wedding LOL).
There's an OW and an OM to keep it interesting because the H/h were pretty much inevitable. Heroine looks upon everyone with compassion. Hero actually questions his own actions. It's refreshing. Sister was beyond annoying, but even she learned a few lessons along the way.
Heroine and her sister sail to Australia to live with their deceased mother's pen pal. Unfortunately, pen pal dies and heroine has to scramble to find a job. (She's been trained on IBM adding machines!) Meanwhile, 13 year-old sister tells everyone who will listen that - according to the pen pal's fondest wish- H/h are getting married sight unseen.
Hero roars into town to confront the very sweet heroine. She's not impressed. He's not impressed. But the rumors persist and the heroine ends up saying yes because she can't cope with her sister in the hospital with heat stroke.
The H/h have a huge wedding (because sis tells everyone they're invited) and a dull honeymoon at the Outback station (while everyone else is back in town partying at their wedding LOL).
There's an OW and an OM to keep it interesting because the H/h were pretty much inevitable. Heroine looks upon everyone with compassion. Hero actually questions his own actions. It's refreshing. Sister was beyond annoying, but even she learned a few lessons along the way.
April 25, 2022
Easy read
Being an ex station and farm girl I like reading about the land and the scenery and escaping back to it through the pages.
The storyline is good, as with all the other books. However the unrelenting hardness of the lead men in every book and their similar descriptions gets a little tiresome. Likewise the "dawning of love" on the last page of every book is repetitive and frustrating.
Being an ex station and farm girl I like reading about the land and the scenery and escaping back to it through the pages.
The storyline is good, as with all the other books. However the unrelenting hardness of the lead men in every book and their similar descriptions gets a little tiresome. Likewise the "dawning of love" on the last page of every book is repetitive and frustrating.
September 12, 2024
This book was ok but lacked passion, both in the story telling and in the tale itself. It was drawn out with the ending way too short in the description and story line. I did enjoy the descriptions of olden day Australia though.
March 13, 2023
One of her best.
September 2, 2024
10/10 my favourite one so far! Humorous yet touching story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews