Dream Trilogy Read Online Free PDF

at law school. Laura will be a wife. Susie and I will be rattling around this house like a bunch of old bones.” Which was one of the reasons he and his wife were thinking of relocating to Europe. “The house won’t be the same without you.”
    “The house will always be the same. That’s what’s so wonderful about it.” How could she tell him she was leaving that very night? Running toward something she could see as clearly as her own face in the mirror. “Old Joe will keep on guarding his rosebushes, and Mrs. Williamson will be lording it over everyone in the kitchen. Mum will go on polishing the silver because she doesn’t think anyone else can do it properly. Mrs. T. will drag you out to the tennis court every morning and trounce you. You’ll be on the phone scheduling meetings or barking orders.”
    “I never bark,” he said with a gleam in his eye.
    “You always bark, that’s part of your charm.” She wanted to weep, for the childhood that had gone so fast though she had thought it would never end. For the part of her life that was behind her now, though she had strained so hard to pull away. For the coward that lived inside her that shrank from telling him she was leaving. “I love you, Mr. T.”
    “Margo.” Misreading her, he pressed his lips to her brow. “Before too much longer I’ll be walking you down the aisle, giving you to some handsome young man who couldn’t possibly be good enough for you.”
    She made herself laugh, because crying would spoil everything. “I’m not getting married to anyone unless he’s exactly like you. Laura’s waiting for you.” She drew back, reminding herself that this was Laura’s father. Not hers. This was Laura’s day. Not hers. “I’ll go see if the cars are ready.”
    She hurried downstairs. And there was Josh, staggering in his formal wear, frowning at her as she paused breathlessly. “Don’t start on me,” she ordered. “Laura’s coming down in a minute.”
    “I’m not going to start on you. But we’re going to talk later.”
    “Fine.” She had no intention of talking with him. The minute the last grain of rice was thrown, she would make a quick and quiet exit. She carried the hat she’d brought down from her room to the mirror, instinctively arranging the wide blue brim to the most flattering advantage.
    There’s my fame, she thought, studying her face. And my fortune. By God, she would make it work. Lifting her chin, she met her own eyes and willed it to begin.

Chapter Two
    Ten years later
     
    On the wild, wild cliffs above the restless Pacific, Margo watched the storm build. Black clouds boiled in a black sky, crushing every hint of starlight with their weight and temper. The wind howled like a feral wolf hunting for blood. Needle-bright spears of lightning slashed and snapped and shot the jagged rocks and spewing surf into sharp relief. The witchy scent of ozone stung the air before thunder exploded.
    It seemed that her welcome home, even from nature, was not to be a gentle one.
    An omen? she wondered, jamming her hands into her jacket pockets to protect them from the biting wind. She could hardly expect anyone at Templeton House to greet her with open arms and joyous smiles. The fatted calf, she thought with awry smile, will not be served for this prodigal.
    She had no right to expect it.
    Wearily, she reached up and pulled the pins out of the smooth twist to let her pale blond hair fly free. It felt good, that small liberation, and she tossed the pins over the edge. She remembered quite suddenly that when she’d been a young girl she and her two best friends had thrown flowers over that same ledge.
    Flowers for Seraphina, she thought, and nearly smiled. How romantic it had seemed then, the legend of that young girl hurling herself over the edge in grief and despair.
    She remembered that Laura had always cried a little and that Kate would solemnly watch the flowers dance toward the sea. But she herself had always felt the thrill