Her Own Rules

Her Own Rules
Barbara Taylor Bradford

From the internationally bestselling author of A Woman of SubstanceA forgotten past hides the key to the future.Meredith Stratton, at forty-four the owner of six elegant international inns, is about to celebrate her daughter’s engagement. At this seemingly happy time in her life she begins to suffer from a strange illness that baffles everyone. Her doctor cannot find a physical cause for her debilitating symptoms, and, desperate for answers, she seeks the help of a psychiatrist. Through therapy Meredith peels back the layers of her life to discover the truth behind her most careful creation – herself. Determined to get well, Meredith traces her roots back to another country where she learns about childhood experiences that dramatically changed her life. What she discovers is not only the key to the past but to her future happiness and fulfilment as a woman.Moving from the Connecticut countryside, the busy streets and suites of London, Paris and New York, to the pastoral beauty of a château in the Loire, Her Own Rules is an exciting and suspenseful novel about secrets, survival, redemption and love.

Barbara Taylor Bradford

Her Own Rules

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

HER OWN RULES. Copyright © 1996 by Barbara Taylor Bradford. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Ebook Edition © MAY 2009 ISBN: 9780007330843

Version: 2017-10-25

The right of Barbara Taylor Bradford to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Praise for New York Times

bestselling author

Barbara Taylor Bradford

“She’s the envy of all of us who put pen to paper. Don’t miss her.”

Greensboro News & Record

And for Her Own Rules

“An emotional journey.”

Denver Rocky Mountain News

“Barbara Taylor Bradford can always be relied on to tell a good story, and she does just that in Her Own Rules.”

Chattanooga Times

“Compelling…Certain to join the ranks of Bradford’s other bestsellers, this novel skillfully blends mystery and romance.”

Library Journal

“One can’t help cheering the heroine on as she presses toward self-awareness. The family and friends who support her are particularly likable for their encouragement.”

Christian Science Monitor

“Barbara Taylor Bradford’s Her Own Rules won’t disappoint.”

Dayton Daily News

For Bob, with love

Contents

Title Page (#udc0d84a8-e2f6-5cf8-a1f7-c8225d26bdfd)

Copyright

Praise

Dedication (#uede69b21-1de5-530b-846f-573ab25ca1b6)

Prologue Time Past

Part One Time Present

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen