Chateau of the Roses

Book excerpt: Meeting an old schoolfriend set Dove on a quest for her past. Her father was an ordinary Aussie bloke. What could he possibly have to do with fairy tales and a mysterious chateau in France? A chance meeting with her best friend from schooldays gives Dove Larren the opportunity to step back into her comfort zone more than thirty years in the past. With Jags, she need not be the CEO of Rosa Columba, or dodge speculation about her personal life. Jags has no idea of Dove’s status, and Dove knows nothing of Jags’ current life. The weekly meetings at Sydney’s O-Quay Café are relaxing fun, but one day the old friends start speculating about names. The inspiration for Jagger Michaela Stone’s name is easy to spot, but why would beer-and-football-loving Eric Larren and his comfortable wife Barb choose to call their child Dove Rose? With urging from Jags, Dove calls her mother to give her the third degree. When Barb Larren finally admits the source of the name, Dove and Jags are off on a quest to find out the truth about a mysterious forebear and how the Larren family is linked with a chateau in France. At first, it seems an ordinary story of a French émigré, but things take an unbelievable turn. Dove thinks she has found an answer, but how can she be sure when Barb has no idea and Eric isn’t around anymore to ask?