Property (Vintage Contemporaries) (27 page)

Thanks to Dr. Philip Castille for his comments and conversation. For their continuing encouragement and support, I am indebted to Nikki Smith, Nan Talese, John Cullen, and Adrienne Martin.

To Margaret Atwood, whose help far exceeded the expectations of an already invaluable friendship, this novel is affectionately dedicated.

FIRST VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES EDITION, APRIL 2004

Copyright
©
2003 by Valerie Martin

Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks and Vintage Contemporaries is
a trademark of Random House, Inc.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations,
places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination
or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events,
or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the Nan A. Talese/Doubleday edition as
follows:
Martin, Valerie, 1948–
Property / Valerie Martin.—1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Plantation owners’ spouses—Fiction.
2. Triangles (Interpersonal relations)—Fiction. 3. Slave insurrections—Fiction.
4. Plantation life—Fiction. 5. Women slaves—Fiction. 6. Mistresses—Fiction.
7. Louisiana—Fiction. 8. Slavery—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.A7295 P76 2003
813’.54—dc21 2002066846

eISBN : 978-0-307-42734-2

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