Jail Bird

of her mind. She was going to forget he ever said it. One day soon, she would. She’d forget. She promised herself that she would. She took a quick gulp of champagne and went on, her voice growing stronger with every word.

‘Hi! Nice to be with you all again. Thanks for coming. We’ll be leaving this house soon, I think quite a few of you already know that. Once this was a great family home, but now I guess it’s time we all moved on, put some of the past behind us. I’ve got a new grandchild.’ Lily smiled across at Oli and baby Leo, and a faint cheer went up from the crowds. ‘So we’ve got a lot to look forward to. And now I’m going to blow out this bloody candle, and make a wish.’

Everyone clapped and cheered. Lily blew out the candle.

‘What did you wish for?’ asked Nick in her ear.

‘A new life,’ said Lily.

‘Oh, I think we can manage that,’ said Nick with a smile. He held up his glass. ‘A toast!’ he said loudly. ‘To Lily King!’

And they drank to her, all her enemies; now–at last–her friends.

Acknowledgments

To everyone at HarperCollins for the hard work and creativity involved in making Jail Bird the stunning book it is, and to all my friends for their endless kindness and encouragement.

About the Author

JAIL BIRD

Jessie Keane is the bestselling author of Dirty Game and Black Widow. Her most recent novel, Scarlet Women, the third in the Annie Carter trilogy, shot straight into the Sunday Times bestseller list. Jessie lives in Hampshire.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Also by Jessie Keane

Dirty Game

Black Widow

Scarlet Women

Copyright © Jessie Keane 2010