Girl In The Mirror. Mary Monroe Alice

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      Praise for the novels of

       MARY ALICE MONROE

      SKYWARD

      “Monroe’s novel is a fascinating, emotion-filled narrative that’s not to be missed.”

      —Booklist starred review

      “A devoted naturalist and native of South Carolina’s Low County, Monroe is in her element when describing the wonders of nature and the ways people relate to it…. Hauntingly beautiful relationships between birds and people add texture to the story…. Monroe successfully combines elements of women’s fiction and romance in this lyrical tale.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “Skyward is a soaring, passionate story of loneliness and pain and the simple ability of love to heal and transcend both. Mary Alice Monroe’s voice is as strong and true as the great birds of prey of whom she writes.”

      —Anne Rivers Siddons

      THE BEACH HOUSE

      “With its evocative, often beautiful prose and keen insights into family relationships, Monroe’s latest is an exceptional and heartwarming work of fiction.”

      —Publishers Weekly starred review

      “Whether you are one of the hundreds of sea turtle volunteers in the southeast or just wish you were, this beautifully written story brings us a glimpse of their dedication and commitment to the conservation of the loggerhead sea turtle.”

      —Sally Murphy, Sea Turtle Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

      THE FOUR SEASONS

      “Mary Alice Monroe writes from her heart to the hearts of her readers. It is a quality of emotional honesty together with lyrical, descriptive passages that draw her audience to books like The Four Seasons.”

      —Charleston Post & Courier

      “With novels like this one and The Book Club, Mary Alice Monroe continues to be one of the leaders of complex female relationship dramas that hit home to the audience.”

      —Midwest Book Review

      “Moving, touching and beautifully drawn, the characters in this wonderful novel are compelling and true. Ms. Monroe’s skills as a teller of women’s fiction are becoming quite exceptional.”

      —Romantic Times

      THE BOOK CLUB

      “Monroe offers up believable characters in a well-crafted story.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “The Book Club skillfully weaves the individual story threads into a warm, unified whole that will appeal to readers who enjoy multifaceted relationship novels with strong women protagonists.”

      —Library Journal

      GIRL IN THE MIRROR

      “A heart-wrenching, sensitive tale that will delight readers…”

      —Painted Rock Reviews

      Girl in the Mirror

      Mary Alice Monroe

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      This book is dedicated to

       Oscar Rogers Kruesi A Man of Ideas

      Dear Reader,

      Girl in the Mirror was my first book with MIRA Books, published in 1998. I was very interested in the growing popularity of elective plastic surgery in the 1990s, but never could I have guessed that “extreme makeovers” would be so popular in magazines and on television in 2004. My heroine, Charlotte, had what can readily be called an extreme makeover in this novel, and though the story isn’t new, it asks the timely question: what is true beauty?

      Also, in 1990 there were not as many treatments available for HIV, and most HIV-positive people were expected to die. Today there are more than twenty drugs on the market to treat the disease, and research is continuing. Today there is hope.

      I’ve enjoyed editing this edition of the novel to bring it up to date, yet the story remains largely the same. I hope you will enjoy it.

      Happy reading,

      Mary Alice Monroe

      Contents

       Part One

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Part Two

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Part Three

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Part Four

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

       Chapter Twenty-Three

       Chapter Twenty-Four

       Chapter Twenty-Five

       Chapter Twenty-Six

       Epilogue

      Part One

      Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

      —Margaret Wolfe Hungerford

      One

      April 1996

      If all the world was a stage, it was time once again to play her part.

      Charlotte sat in the green room of the television studio while outside, strains of the talk show’s theme song intermingled with audience applause. She had promised Vicki Ray this interview, and there was no choice now but to endure the hour or suffer months of bad press. She’d had enough bad press lately. Now her plan was set. Freddy had seen to every detail in his usual compulsive manner. How had he put it? “Interview, marriage, surgery. Bim, Bam, Boom.”

      The only booming she felt right now was in her temples, a rhythmic, tympanic beat. How hot the room was! Bringing a fevered hand to her forehead, she noticed with alarm that it was trembling. And her lips, so parched. Oh, please, she prayed, holding her fingers tight, steadying them. Don’t let the symptoms come back now. Maybe one more pill, she decided, quickly fumbling through her purse. Just in case.

      Three brisk knocks sounded on the door.

      “Charlotte?” Freddy Walen walked in without waiting for a response. Although not a big man, his dominating presence filled the room, causing Charlotte to shrink inside. His eyes, as hard as the diamond on his pinkie finger, assessed her with a proprietary air.

      “Good…good,” he said, stroking his neatly trimmed mustache, observing every detail. Her