Set in the 1920's and 1930's Ceylon Gwen is going out from England to be with her husband, Laurence, on his Tea Plantation. This was an adventure in itself as Gwen had never been away from England before. The new young bride soon has to cope with a life she knows nothing about. Firstly there is Verity, Laurence's young sister, who stirs thing up and plans behind their backs. There is the business of Laurence's first wife and young son who died tragically. There are secrets there Gwen cannot get to the bottom of. Then there's Christina, an Amercian who had designs on Laurence after his first wife died and who Gwen fears Laurence still has feelings for.
As well as the family secrets there are the disputes on the plantation - the differences between the Tamils and the Sinhalese and Nick McGreggor who runs the plantation. When Gwen falls pregnant she is over the moon but when the twins are born (while Laurence is away) the boy is white and the girl is black. Gwen is horrified and her mind goes back to a night when she was drunk and the artist Savi Ravasinghe helped her to her room. Had he taken advantage of her? And was it possible for him to have fathered the girl while Laurence the boy? Her maid arranged for the girl to live with a family in a nearby village and Gwen has to live with the guilt. When the child is seven the adopted mother can no longer keep the girl and Gwen takes her back as part of the house staff but her love for the girl is being noticed. When Gwen's cousin Fran marries Savi things being to unravel. How long will it be before all this comes to light?
This is a great story. I enjoyed it very much. It's one of those you know will have a good ending. Does that matter? Not at all because there are twists and turns and I couldn't put it down for long.
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