SARA WOOD - White Lies

“You’re not seriously thinking of keeping me here!” she cried “You’re not seriously thinking of keeping me here!” she cried “I’m sorry it’s come to this, Mandy, but you need protection.” With a strangled cry Mandy ran for the door to find a telephone. But she fell into Pascal’s arms instead and he wrapped them around her like the coils of an iron snake. “Let me go!” she yelled. “Save your breath,” he said levelly. “Or I’ll stop it for you!” “How?” He stopped. Stared at her, his eyes glowing. She gasped, sensing the flare of his sexual desire as she gazed up at him. Clutched to his chest, she became intensely aware of him. The way his heart beat beneath her hand. He bent his head in a sudden movement, and kissed her. Letter to Reader Dear Reader, Welcome to Sara Wood’s colorful new trilogy. The series is full of family intrigue, secrets, lies and, of course, love. It involves the St. Honoré family, which has a reputation second to none in Saint Lucia. Mandy, Ginny and Amber are about to be drawn into this notorious family and the secrets of its past. Each of these intrepid heroines is looking for love and each of them will find it—but only where they least expect it! But then, as you’ll discover, in this series things are rarely as they seem! In White Lies, Mandy Cook is desperate to find her father, and perhaps Vincente St. Honoré can help her. If she can ever find him! For first she must wrest herself from the arms of his commanding and charismatic son—Pascal. In Scarlet Lady (#1916), Ginny MacKenzie is a successful fashion model, but her worst nightmares are confirmed as she is wrongly branded a scarlet lady by the press and loses her husband, the Hon. Leo Brandon, as a result. It is only when, two years later, she decides to search for love elsewhere that Ginny is reunited in Saint Lucia with the man she has always loved—Leo! The question is, why is he there? You can read Ginny’s story in October 1997. In Amber’s Wedding (#1922), Amber Fraser has just married Jake Cavendish, not for love but for convenience, companionship and to secure a father for her unborn child. On their wedding day Jake reveals to Amber a secret that will change her life. A secret that will finally reveal the truth about the St. Honoré family. They honeymoon in Saint Lucia where love appears to blossom after all—until Amber discovers Jake’s real motive for marrying her. You can read Amber’s story in November 1997. Happy reading! The Editor Title Page White Lies Sara Wood www.millsandboon.co.uk Acknowledgments With my grateful thanks to Mrs. Joan Devaux, Gary Devaux, Maria Monplaisir and all at Anse Chastanet CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE Copyright

“You’re not seriously thinking of keeping me here!” she cried

“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Mandy, but you need protection.”

With a strangled cry Mandy ran for the door to find a telephone. But she fell into Pascal’s arms instead and he wrapped them around her like the coils of an iron snake.

“Let me go!” she yelled.

“Save your breath,” he said levelly. “Or I’ll stop it for you!”

“How?”

He stopped. Stared at her, his eyes glowing. She gasped, sensing the flare of his sexual desire as she gazed up at him. Clutched to his chest, she became intensely aware of him. The way his heart beat beneath her hand.

He bent his head in a sudden movement, and kissed her.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Sara Wood’s colorful new trilogy. The series is full of family intrigue, secrets, lies and, of course, love. It involves the St. Honoré family, which has a reputation second to none in Saint Lucia. Mandy, Ginny and Amber are about to be drawn into this notorious family and the secrets of its past. Each of these intrepid heroines is looking for love and each of them will find it—but only where they least expect it! But then, as you’ll discover, in this series things are rarely as they seem!

In White Lies, Mandy Cook is desperate to find her father, and perhaps Vincente St. Honoré can help her. If she can ever find him! For first she must wrest herself from the arms of his commanding and charismatic son—Pascal.

In Scarlet Lady (#1916), Ginny MacKenzie is a successful fashion model, but her worst nightmares are confirmed as she is wrongly branded a scarlet lady by the press and loses her husband, the Hon. Leo Brandon, as a result. It is only when, two years later, she decides to search for love elsewhere that Ginny is reunited in Saint Lucia with the man she has always loved—Leo! The question is, why is he there? You can read Ginny’s story in October 1997.

In Amber’s Wedding (#1922), Amber Fraser has just married Jake Cavendish, not for love but for convenience, companionship and to secure a father for her unborn child. On their wedding day Jake reveals to Amber a secret that will change her life. A secret that will finally reveal the truth about the St. Honoré family. They honeymoon in Saint Lucia where love appears to blossom after all—until Amber discovers Jake’s real motive for marrying her. You can read Amber’s story in November 1997.

Happy reading!

The Editor

White Lies

Sara Wood

www.millsandboon.co.uk

With my grateful thanks to Mrs. Joan Devaux,

Gary Devaux, Maria Monplaisir and

all at Anse Chastanet

CAST OF CHARACTERS

CHAPTER ONE

‘THE...Caribbean?’ repeated Mandy incredulously. ‘There must be some mistake! I can’t possibly have any family there! I thought,’ she said, suddenly more subdued, ‘that this was an advert from a relative who was trying to trace me. That can’t be right, can it?’

‘Why not?’ The solicitor smiled encouragingly.

In a wistful gesture that was almost a caress, her hand smoothed the much read page of the newspaper in front of her and she went over the words of the advert again, even though she knew them by heart.

MANDY COOK, née Brandon. Born 26.8.71, Sunnyside Nursing Home, Glasgow. Resident of West Hill Children’s Home, and St Mary’s Children’s Home. Married David James Cook, 26.8.89. Last heard of in Devon.

Please contact the office below where you will learn something to your advantage.

Cold facts, simple words. And yet they’d aroused such a disturbing turbulence in her that she’d barely been able to keep her finger steady to dial the number given for the London solicitor, Jack Lacey. Full of excitement and hope, she’d gabbled out her story—that she’d been searching for her natural parents for a long, long time and was hardly daring to hope that she might have a positive lead at last.

And luckily Jack Lacey had understood why she’d been half laughing, half crying and why her words had tumbled out in an unstoppable rush like a river in full spate.

‘Come at once,’ he’d said. ‘Take the next train from Plymouth.’

And here she was in his office, four hours later. She’d sipped tea and nervously chatted to him while he checked the documents she’d brought as proof of her identity.

Then he’d looked up and stunned her by saying that she was to fly to St Lucia in the Caribbean!

‘I dearly want this to give me a link with my real parents,’ she said earnestly. ‘But it’s so unlikely—’

Jack Lacey lifted a thick grey eyebrow. ‘Is it? The details are correct, aren’t they? I can understand your amazement, but my contact in St Lucia said that when I found Mandy Cook his client wanted her to take these tickets and make the trip to the West Indies as soon as possible.’ He smiled at her, knowing that she desperately wanted to be convinced. ‘I believe quite a few Scots went out to work on plantations in the past. Why not one of your relatives?’