Let the wind take me and the soft rain settle me into the Irish soil from where I came. And may my sins be forgiven.’ Faye Clayton is a wife and mother to three grown children who isn't given to flights of fancy, but when her mother, Arethusa, passes away, she begins to dream of a strange yet familiar castle. When Faye learns that her mother requested her ashes he scattered on the hills above a place called Castle Deverill in Ireland, she is intrigued. Arethusa always told Faye that she grew up in a poor farming family and left Ireland, alone, to start a new life in America. But who was her family in Ireland and where are they now? What was the real reason she turned away from them? And who is the mysterious benefactor of a significant share of Arethusa's estate? There is no one left to tell Arethusa's story, but Faye is determined to uncover it. She visits the picturesque village of Ballinakelly, Ireland, where she uncovers a heartbreaking story of love, prejudice, and lifelong secrets. Spanning decades and continents, the Secret Hours is a poignant tale about the meaning of family, the power of forgiveness, and the ties we all have to the place we call home.