"Annie Stonewall is a very sensitive, loving teen who is distressed by the problems in her family. She can't help being attracted to Luke despite the fact that he is her half brother; to the shame of the entire family, Luke is the son of Annie's father and her mother's sister. Still, Luke and Annie are very good friends and often daydream about Farthinggale Manor, a huge and beautiful castle and Tony Tatterton, its owner and the great grandfather Annie has never met before.
Heaven, Annie's mother, tries to dissuade Annie from being overly interested in Farthy and Tony because of the bad memories it evokes for her; she has yet to explain to her daughter why she never speaks to her grandfather. Heaven is also concerned about Annie being too attached to Luke. Annie has seen pictures of her parents' reception at Farthinggale Manor, and can't imagine a place so wonderful and striking to be evil in her mother's eyes.
When a car accident kills Annie's parents, Tony Tatteron appears out of nowhere and takes control of her life. Annie has become paralyzed and needs special care. Tony takes Annie to Farthy and practically turns her into a princess having servants, doctors, and nurses at her every beck and call. At first, Tony seems sweet, loving, and concerned, and Annie can't see why her mother never forgave Tony. But, slowly, a daydream turned true becomes a nightmare. Annie can't understand why Luke hasn't visited her, or even given her a phone call. Tony has memory lapses, mistaking Annie for Heaven, and for her dead grandmother, Leigh. He even gets Annie to dye her hair blonde, which was her grandmother's hair color. When Annie's nurse is fired for negligence, Tony insists on giving Annie personal care, even bathing her. And when Tony takes away Annie's wheelchair and fastens the side guards to her on the bed, Annie has had enough. Now she understands why Heaven ran away from Tony. Tony's love is suffocating and incestuous. "
Marie Morris, Resident Scholar
|
