Forbidden, Book 1: A Novel of Love & Betrayal
By Mike Wells and Devika Fernando
5/5
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About this ebook
Readers of Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts will enjoy this book.
5 STARS! “Forbidden takes us on an emotional roller coaster which the reader will ride quickly to the end, as this book is impossible to put down.” - Rhoda D'Ettore, Author
5 STARS! “A total page turner that grips at your heart strings.” - Gayle Pace, Book Reviewer
5 STARS! “I loved it! I was so drawn in from the first page...so romantic...and perfect.” - A. P. Bullard, Triskele Reviews
5 STARS! “A gripping and quick read. A weekend page turner.” - Review Girl
5 STARS! "Forbidden" is an intelligent and well-crafted masterpiece that thoroughly deserves five stars indeed!” - Adisha Kariyawasam
BOOK DESCRIPTION
When Lady Eleanor Sotheby unexpectedly enters the life of Jayne Clark, a 23-year old waitress from Wichita, Kansas, Jayne's world is turned upside down. Not only is she welcomed into a family that she never knew, but she is thrust headlong into the highest strata of European society. Nothing is too grand in the fairy tale lives of the uber-rich--the spectacular seaside villas, the sleek, chauffeured limousines, the outrageously expensive designer clothes. When Jayne plays her part and learns to fit into this new world, she meets Robert Astor, the man of her dreams. But her feelings for Robert are forbidden. Jayne's heady new life begins to unravel into a dark web of deceit, domination and greed...and she ultimately finds herself confronting an evil that truly has no limits.
Mike Wells
Mike Wells is an author of both walking and cycling guides. He has been walking long-distance footpaths for 25 years, after a holiday in New Zealand gave him the long-distance walking bug. Within a few years, he had walked the major British trails, enjoying their range of terrain from straightforward downland tracks through to upland paths and challenging mountain routes. He then ventured into France, walking sections of the Grande Randonnee network (including the GR5 through the Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean), and Italy to explore the Dolomites Alta Via routes. Further afield, he has walked in Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway and Patagonia. Mike has also been a keen cyclist for over 20 years. After completing various UK Sustrans routes, such as Lon Las Cymru in Wales and the C2C route across northern England, he then moved on to cycling long-distance routes in continental Europe and beyond. These include cycling both the Camino and Ruta de la Plata to Santiago de la Compostela, a traverse of Cuba from end to end, a circumnavigation of Iceland and a trip across Lapland to the North Cape. He has written a series of cycling guides for Cicerone following the great rivers of Europe.
Read more from Mike Wells
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Forbidden, Book 1 - Mike Wells
Forbidden
Book 1
Mike Wells
Devika Fernando
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2015 Mike Wells and Devika Fernando
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Prologue
St. Louis, Missouri
The pregnant girl lying in the hospital bed was only 16 years old.
I’ve got some wonderful news!
her mother said, when she finally began to regain consciousness.
The girl struggled to focus her eyes on her mother’s face. Her first thought was: If the news is so wonderful, why is she crying?
You’re going to have twins! Twin girls!
Twins?
the girl said thickly, trying to look down at her stomach. She was surprised the baby, or babies, were still inside her, now vaguely remembering what had happened. She and her best friend had snorted some coke and then went tearing around the city on his motorcycle.
Now she saw her father—he was standing back, on the far side of the hospital room, gazing at her from behind his glasses, expressionless.
Suddenly another man stepped into her field of vision.
Ah, you’re awake now.
He was wearing all white—a doctor.
He started explaining something to her, using lots of complicated medical terminology. Eleanor was so pumped full of pain killers she had trouble following. The trauma from your accident…partial separation of the placenta of one of the twins and not the other…decreased blood flow to the affected twin…possible intrauterine growth retardation in the affected twin only…
What does it mean?
she interrupted. She didn’t give a damn about the twins
—all she cared about was herself.
It means that one of the babies is at increased risk of intrauterine fetal demise—
Dying?
Yes, dying—for the remainder of your pregnancy. The affected twin could have chronic medical problems after delivery.
He glanced at her parents. So, we’ll need to monitor the fetuses twice weekly with ultrasound.
"Twice a week?" Eleanor said, now more fully alert, and outraged.
That’s right. And I’m afraid you’ll need to stay in bed to ensure the placenta isn’t further—
Jesus H. Christ!
she said, frowning.
The doctor recoiled a little. You’re very lucky you didn’t lose them both, young lady.
Oh, yeah, I’m lucky as hell,
she muttered. She motioned to her mother and father with her tattooed arm, almost pulling out the I.V. that was stuck in it. Look at those two losers I have for parents and tell me how lucky I am!
The doctor was appalled. He rose from the chair and said apologetically to her parents, She’s been through a lot, and she’s on some meds right now,
not realizing that this was perfectly normal behavior for her.
Thank you, doctor,
her mother said.
Thanks for nothing,
the girl mumbled.
There and then, she decided that as soon as the twins—or twin—was born, she was running away from home and never coming back.
Chapter 1.1
Wichita, Kansas, USA
23 Years Later
Jayne Clark felt the woman’s intense gaze like a physical touch, a slight itch at the back of her neck. It followed her wherever she went on her rounds through the café, serving customers and smiling as though nothing was wrong.
What’s the matter?
Kaitlin, one of the other servers, asked, when Jayne went to the terminal, to key in an order.
That lady keeps staring at me.
What lady?
Kaitlin said, peering discreetly over her shoulder.
The one sitting by herself, at fourteen. She’s been here two days in a row.
The woman was truly stunning. The Savor the Moment café catered to an upscale clientele, at least for Wichita, Kansas, but this woman was beyond upscale. Tall, slender, and energetic-looking, she was perhaps forty years old, with a heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, a small nose and thin lips. She was wearing 5/6 black narrow trousers with a front crease, high heel black leather shoes that showed off her shapely ankles, and a fur jacket. To top it all off, she sported a fedora hat with a narrow brim, her auburn hair sticking out from underneath in elegant curls. She wasn’t from Wichita, that was certain.
When she’d entered the café yesterday, a momentary hush had settled over the dining room. She effused an almost aristocratic aura, like a queen. She selected a table close to the door, ordered a bottle of Evian water, and never moved from the spot. Seated with effortless elegance, the mysterious lady might have been a statue if it hadn’t been for the warm smile that lit her features whenever Jayne came close or stole a glance at her from afar.
She had ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu but hardly touched any of the food. Her cultured voice, with the slightest hint of a British accent, had been like tinkling bells, filled with the same warmth as her winning smile. When Jayne had left at the end of her shift, the woman had left her a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The change from it made an embarrassingly huge tip.
Kaitlin looked back at Jayne, raising an eyebrow. Maybe she’s taken a fancy to you.
I hope not,
Jayne muttered, clicking in the order with her swipe card. She was pretty, softly feminine, and kind, and even though she was tall herself, she tended to attract strong, dominant types, for some reason. It wouldn’t be the first time a customer had a crush on her, nor a female one, either.
For a moment, Jayne felt so stressed that she thought she might have an asthma attack. She’d had the disease all her life, and loathed it. She reached for her inhaler, which was in the pocket of her uniform.
Are you all right?
Kaitlin said.
Jayne took a couple of slow, deep breaths from the device, calming herself. I’m fine, just a little tired. It’s been a long shift.
* * *
The following day, when the woman returned to take up the same place with the same million-dollar smile, Jayne’s alarm bells started to ring. She pretended to be unfazed and went about her usual tasks, as the café was quite busy. This was definitely a case of a customer taking an unwelcome liking to her.
Jayne had found that the most effective tactic was to show the pest the cold shoulder. This approach did not seem to be working on her new admirer, unfortunately.
Jayne was beginning to lose her patience. The entire staff was aware of the problem now, and she could hear her colleagues whispering and tittering behind her back. The woman’s mere presence, so regal and ominous and simply beautiful, set her on edge.
Bracing herself to utter the cold words she was already practicing in her head, Jayne approached the table to take the woman’s order, intentionally standing farther back than usual.
Can you recommend anything?
she asked in that wind-chime voice of hers, smiling again.
Today’s special is Caesar salad, followed by caramelized onion meatloaf, mashed potatoes and chilled cucumber-buttermilk soup.
Jayne answered in a tone that was as cold as the soup.
"If you recommend that, my dear, I’ll take it. And please bring me another bottle of water."
With a stiff nod, Jayne turned to leave, but the next words had her rooted to the spot.
I’ve been meaning to ask you something, darling. Would you agree to meet me for dinner this evening? Not here, of course.
Summoning her last vestige of politeness, Jayne kept her voice low but icy. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a boyfriend.
This wasn’t true, unfortunately, but Jayne hoped it would do the trick.
The woman looked embarrassed. No, no, no, you’ve completely misunderstood me. I have something very important to tell you.
I’ll bet.
No, seriously, dear, this is something that will change your life, and in the most wonderful way.
She looked almost panicky, glancing around self-consciously—Kaitlin and one of the other servers had noticed the exchange. If you give me a chance and hear me out, everything will make sense to you, I promise.
Curiosity reared its head, but Jayne was still skeptical. You could never be too cautious with strangers. On the other hand, this woman seemed like high-society and did not appear to be dangerous.
If you have something to tell me, why not discuss it here and now?
Believe me, this is not the right place for such an important conversation.
She lowered her voice. And I don’t want to get you in trouble at work.
Jayne gazed at the woman for a moment. She’s probably trying to recruit me for some sales pyramid scheme, Jayne thought, selling cosmetics or jewelry or beachfront condos in Wyoming. But for some reason Jayne found herself saying, Oh, all right.
Money was so tight right now that she was willing to listen to any kind of scheme that might add some monthly income, even if it was a long shot.
* * *
Soft lights, scented candles on the tables, live piano music, and a menu where the cheapest dish cost a small fortune.
They were at Antonio’s, the most expensive restaurant in Wichita. It required a membership to enter.
Jayne felt thoroughly out of place, sitting opposite her effortlessly elegant companion in a secluded corner. She wondered if the woman had paid the outrageous annual fee just to come here for dinner once.
Ever since they had met in front of the elegant old building, the posh lady—yet again dressed in black—had been beating around the bush. They had been here for almost an hour now, and nothing but one-sided attempts at small talk had passed. Jayne’s admirer
had ordered wine for them, selecting from a long list the waiter had recited, but neither of them had touched their glasses.
Her name was Eleanor, and she started telling Jayne all about her life. She was born in St. Louis, but now lived in Europe and had been married to a very well off
British man who had passed away a few years ago. She talked and talked about how much she enjoyed traveling around the world, and so on.
Jayne’s mind wandered during all this. She felt annoyed. Was Eleanor, if that was even the lady’s real name, trying to impress her, or what? Hearing this kind of thing only made Jayne feel inadequate. She was twenty-three years old, from an ordinary middle class family, had a degree in interior design, and because she could not find a job in her field, at least not in Wichita, had to work as a waitress. She was lonely, had broken up with her one and only real boyfriend six months ago, and all of her friends seemed to be getting married, one after the other. On top of that, her mother had been recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, which was costing a fortune to treat.
Jayne kept nodding politely, continuing to listen, or pretending to, wondering where the hell all this was going, or if the woman was simply some kind of nut. She kept waiting for a product catalog or sales brochures to be thrust in her face. But Eleanor just chattered on, and she kept looking at Jayne with a peculiar cast in her dark eyes.
Was she imagining it or were the eyes glistening with unshed tears? What on earth was wrong with this woman? And why didn’t she have the guts to stop listening to this conceited drivel and get up and leave?
Suddenly the stranger reached over and covered Jayne’s hand in a warm, firm grip.
Jayne gasped and yanked her hand away. A lesbian, just like she’d suspected all along! Jayne opened her mouth to give her a piece of her mind, but the woman cut her off and announced in a stage whisper, I’m your mother, Jayne!
Had she been slapped on her cheek, she couldn’t have been more shocked.
She gaped at Eleanor open-mouthed, the sentence echoing loudly in her head and drowning out reality and reason. You’re my—what?
I’m your mother!
This couldn’t be. It was not possible. The woman really is nuts! Jayne thought. She already had a mother, thank you very much, one who was currently languishing in hospital while fighting a fierce battle for her life. But the lady seemed perfectly serious…and sane.
Eleanor’s eyes were now spilling tears over her sculpted cheek bones.
All of a sudden, something clicked into place inside Jayne, like the missing piece of a complicated puzzle.
On her sixteenth birthday, her mother had revealed to her that she was adopted. Her parents had been unsuccessfully trying to have a child of their own for more than five years, and finally began talking to adoption agencies.
At the time this information had been shared with her, Jayne had not even taken the revelation seriously. In fact, she had virtually forgotten about it until this moment.