Pearl in the Mist

Even after a year as a Dumas, Ruby still wonders at the splendor of the family's New Orleans mansion, and rejoices in the love of a father she had never known. But true happiness in her new home is as elusive as a swamp mist. Ruby must carefully avoid a venomous enemy:her stepmother, Daphne, who cringes and sneers at her backwater upbringing. And Ruby's every effort to befriend her twin sister, Gisselle-especially since Gisselle's crippling accident-is answered with bitterness and vicious backstabbing. So idyllic Greenwood-the exclusive girl's boarding school that her father has chosen for his daughters' senior year-seems to promise some peace from the conniving Daphne, and maybe even a fresh start with Gisselle. But Ruby's kind isn't welcome at Greenwood, and the legendarily strict headmistress, Mrs. Ironwood, plots with her stepmother to make her life miserable. Meanwhile, Gisselle is on a mission to break every school rule, leaving Ruby to suffer the humiliating punishments. But Ruby doesn't lose hope-until a terrible tragedy leaves her alone in a world that never really wanted her. Ruby will have to summon every last ounce of her Cajun strength to reclaim her home, her future, and the happiness she once knew.... Copyright 1994 by Virginia C. Andrews Trust. Cover art by Lisa Falkenstern. Published by POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.