About this ebook
Note to Readers: This book is also published under the title The Lavender Garden
Unlocking the past is the key to the future
The present: Emilie de la Martinieres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the south of France. An old notebook of poems leads her in search of the mysterious and beautiful Sophia, whose tragic love affair changed the course of her family history. As Emilie unravels the story, she too embarks on her own journey of discovery, realising that the chateau may provide clues to her own difficult past and finally unlock the future.
The past: London 1943. A young office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is drafted into the SOE, arriving in occupied Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact in her very first hours in France, she stumbles into the heart of a wealthy family who are caught up in a deadly game of secrets and lies. Forced to surrender her identity and all ties to her homeland and her beloved husband, Constance finds herself drawn into a complex web of deception, the repercussions of which will affect generations to come.
From the author of the international bestseller, Hothouse Flower, Lucinda Riley's new novel is a breathtaking and intense story of love, war and, above all, forgiveness.
PRAISE FOR LUCINDA RILEY
"Romantic fiction at its most captivating" Lancashire Evening Post
"Riley is talented ... will appeal to fans of historical fiction, Kate Morton, and Helen Bryan" Booklist
"Spellbinding storytelling" Choice Magazine
"Riley is quietly becoming a huge success story" Red Magazine
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About the author
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and sold over ten million copies worldwide. She is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author.
Lucinda is currently writing The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation. The first three books, The Seven Sisters, The Storm Sister, and The Shadow Sister have all been No.1 bestsellers across Europe, and the rights to a multi-season TV series have already been optioned by a Hollywood production company.
When not writing, travelling or running around after her children, she loves reading books that she hasn’t written with a glass or two of Provençal rosé!