Playing hard to get

Was she leading a secret life outside of the office?

Valerie Knight knew the meaning of commitment. As a feature writer with the Sentinel she'd fought for the articles she believed in. She knew the risks and rewards of getting the story.

But what about commitment in her private life? Gib Collingwood, the paper's financial editor, had been relentlessly pursuing her. Valerie was obviously attracted to him, yet she seemed determined to keep him at a distance.

Was there someone else - someone Gib didn't know about - in Valerie's life? Or was she simply emulating her employer, Gina Tyrrell, whose rejection of Sentinel boss Nick Caspian was common knowledge? Was she avoiding office gossip? Or was Valerie simply playing hard to get . . . ?

Barbary Wharf is home to more than a newspaper. It's home to a group of men and women whose careers - and passions - are intertwined. . . .