THE WINNOWING WINDS

Deirdre Sheridan teaches school, more or less, in this gelatinous tale set within Swiss mountains. The Academy, with its multi-national and wealthy student body, has admitted the son of a sheik, teenage Haroun, and his two young sisters, little ""enchantresses."" But it is their handsome Uncle Sadig, who plies Deirdre with roses and jewelry, for whom the teacher will don a dress ""that could not have been more of a classic."" (Sandbagged with admiration, Sadig ""smiles wordlessly."") There is a certain ado about attempts on the life of Haroun, and there's a final chase on skis and in a plane, but there's nothing for even the most undemanding reader to brood about unduly. A minnow in the sea of popular romances.