Felicia finished the last page of Damned By Desire and closed the book. She

glanced at the clock, and was surprised to discover that three hours had passed.

Paulina was sitting on a straight chair in front of the library door. "It was the only

way to keep everybody from interrupting you every two minutes." she explained,

"Did you finish the book?"

"Yes." said Felicia.

As soon as everyone had gathered around her in the living room, Felicia expounded

the plot of the novel:

"Julian Storm and Aimee Kincaid fall in love, but her father refuses to let her

marry a 'monster', so they elope." she said, "They have just been married, by a

sympathetic priest, when Mr Kincaid bursts in and tries to shoot Storm. Only Aimee

jumps between them and takes the bullet. Kincaid tells the authorities that Storm

abducted and murdered Aimee, and since he is a wealthy landowner, and Storm is a

deformed foreigner, they believe him. Storm is sentenced to hang - only the night

before his execution, he manages to escape. He goes back to the garden where he

and Aimee met - and finds her there! She's not dead at all! Her father has been

keeping her prisoner! Just then, Kincaid and the authorities arrive. Realising that a

cruel world will only let them be together in death, Storm and Aimee join hands, and

with a cry of 'Love never dies!' jump off the cliff into the sea!"

"That's it?" said Matthew, "That's the end?"

"That was my ending," said Felicia, "But my editor at Ridgeway insisted on a

happy ending, so I added an epilogue where they are rescued by a fisherman, who

takes them out to a passing ship, and they sail away to a new life in America."

"In America?" said Paulina, "Where is the book set?"

"In the West Indies." said Felicia, "I didn't specify which island."

"Jamaica's in the West Indies, isn't it?" said Allie.

"Yes, Why?"

"One of the e-mails I got says Grandma's in Jamaica."

"Wait a minute!" said Paulina, "Where's Rachel's second letter?" She read it over,

"Of course! Rachel didn't use the first letter this time, she used the first word in each

sentence: I-jam-make, Don't stop looking!"

"Jam - make." said Matthew, "Jamaica!"

"Allie, why didn't you tell us sooner?" said Amanda.

"Give me a break, Mom!" said Allie, "I get, like, a zillion messages a day! How

was I supposed to know that was the important one?"

"Maybe we better read that message." said Matthew.

****

"Amalie, you have accomplished wonders." said Stark, "This old garden is already

coming back to life."

"It's amazing that there was so much life left in it, once the dead growth was cut

away." said Rachel."It just needed a little TLC."

"Don't we all?" murmured Stark.

"Can I ask a favour?"

"You can ask for anything." said Stark, "Though I may not always be able to grant

your request."

"Have dinner with me tonight - here in the garden."

"I don't think - "

"Please, Jordan?" she wheedled, "It would mean a great deal to me!"

"How can I resist you, when you call me by name?"

"You'll do it, then?"

"As you wish, Amalie."

****

"My grandmother is cook at the old Kitteridge plantation on the island of Jamaica"

read the e-mail, "The master, Mr Stark, is a very strange man. He keeps his door

locked, and we never see him. If he wants something, he calls on the telephone. He

says his wife is a very sick lady, and must not be disturbed. I saw her when they

brought her to the house, unconscious, and she looks like the picture of your

grandmother. Also, when I went into her rooms to clean, she had wrote help me on a

pillow. So I think maybe she is the one. Nelly Nugent."

"We had better call Josie." said Matthew.

To be continued