suspense and romance-in 1992 this was a main selection of two popular book clubs
From the Inside flypage of the book:
One for Sorrow,
Two for Joy.
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy.
Five for silver,
Six for gold.
And seven for a secret
never to be told.
It was a simple childrens rhyme. Yet somehow it held the key to a tragedy that hovered over the seemingly idyllic hamlet of Harpers Green. Though sad circumstances had brought the young Frederica Hammond to her new home in Wiltshire, she held fast to hope and to dreams of a bright future. Frederica was rapidly befriended by her new classmates: gentle Rachel Grey and Tamarisk St. Aubyn, the headstrong but somewhat frivolous daughter from the local estate. Together these three would grow to womanhood. Together they would see the peaceful façade of their surroundings crumble under the weight of secrecy.
There was worldly, handsome, Gaston Marchmont; what motives lay beyond his calculating charm and unrelenting questions? Then there was the arrogant lord of St. Aubyns manor, Tamarisks elder bother, Crispin. Frederica found herself drawn to this enigmatic man. But what could ever come of the strange bond between them, founded in a conspiracy of silence? And finally, there was Lucy Lane and her demented sister, Flora, Crispins one-time nannies. What unthinkable tragedy had made reality so impossible for Flora to bear? And why did a childrens poem act as a constant reminder of a past that could never be revealed?
I have not read much by this author but I really enjoyed this book. The plot held my attentionâ¦and trying to figure out the meaning of the clue provided in the jingleâ¦.also the title of the book.
