The Ghost (45 page)

If that were true, that could be a serious problem. But actually ' , I don't think it is ' she said as he kissed her in the car, and then again when she got out of it, and all of a sudden she couldn't take her hands off him, and all the loneliness and the pain seemed to melt away from them, and the anger, and there was nothing left but warmth and relief and happiness, and love for each other. They stood outside, in the garden for a long time, as they talked and they kissed, and he told her he was going to talk to Gladys Palmer about buying the house from her, and for the past few days he'd begun to think about opening an office in Shelburne, with the intention of restoring old houses. And Francesca smiled as she listened. They were so busy talking to each other, they never saw the woman smiling at them from an upstairs window. She was watching them with a look of satisfaction, and then she disappeared slowly behind a curtain, as Charlie unlocked the front door and walked into the house with Francesca. He was saying something to her about the house, and Francesca was nodding. And then they walked upstairs, hand in hand, each trembling a little bit, and neither of them made a sound as they walked into Sarah's bedroom. There was no one there. But they hadn't come to find her. She was gone now. They had come to find each other. For them, it was just beginning.

Published byDell Pubhshinga division ofRandom House, Inc1540 BroadwayNew York, New York 10036

This novel is a work of fiction Names, characters, places, 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

Copyright -! 1997 by Danielle Steel

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eISBN: 978-0-307-56689-8