Rumor Has It

Lucinda Wainwright is a carpet for her family, her father Charles gave me a chill, he was so much like my dad that it was scary. Only my dad simply didn't like girls, and I had three older brothers. I can't tell you how like Cindy I was, trying to please my father, as she did, and never achieving that goal. But for Cindy she had two wicked stepsisters who got all the love and affection from her father that she missed. This book was so close to home, I could feel Cindy's hurt and anguish each time she is faced with the cold almost hatred of her father. Cindy didn't actually start the rumor, her sister did, but her lack of confidence feed the rumor, even when she tried to correct the impression no one believed her. From the back of the book: "It wasn't a lie, exactly. The rumor about the night Lucinda spent stranded on Marshall's Island with the dashing Englishman, Leo Grosvenor, simply got out of hand. Denials of an affair only brought knowing smiles, and Lucinda began to enjoy having people believe someone as glamorous as Leo found her desirable. As the rumors flourished, so did Lucinda. Besides, she reasoned, Leo was safely home in England. She certainly never expected he would return to South Port and force her to live the lie.'