The Secret Heiress (47 page)

I
t was as if nothing had ever happened that afternoon in Château-d’Oex, Switzerland. There was no mention of the incident in the newspaper there or anywhere else. The exclusive clinic was more than happy to hush up what had happened on its premises, and the local authorities were cooperative. No one claimed the body of Kees Vanmeerendonk, nor did a halfhearted search for relatives or friends by the authorities turn up anyone who professed to know him.

The cremation of Nikoletta Papadaki took place in Switzerland. Ariadne, Matt, and Adrian were in attendance. Afterward, they picked up her ashes and flew to New York on one of PPHL’s private jets in order to bypass any inquisitive customs officers on either side of the Atlantic. It was very unlikely that one of the company jets would be searched.

After they arrived in New York, Ariadne called a gathering of the PPHL advisers. The meeting would be held at Adrian’s country house on a Saturday afternoon.

It was a clear and sunny day, with a light breeze, the sky a robin’s-egg blue, dotted with puffy white clouds. The group gathered in Adrian’s library. The simple box containing Nikoletta’s ashes rested on the mantelpiece over the fireplace. Adrian served champagne, having sent the caretakers on errands that would keep them away all day. Then he shared the details of Nikoletta’s death with Yves, Sugar, and Angelo.

“I don’t think there’s any need for me to point out that we have to keep this among ourselves,” he concluded.

“Of course,” Angelo said, more subdued than usual. Even though he hated Nikoletta Papadaki with all his heart, her death reminded him of his beloved Bianca’s.

“Who would believe a word of it anyway?” Sugar said.

“Thank you for telling us about it,” Yves Carre said. “It’s a very sad end to a very unhappy and destructive life, but there were moments . . .” His voice trailed off into silence.

“There were moments when some of us loved her, despite all her faults,” Adrian said. “There’s no denying that we all hoped that Nikoletta would change. That she would become the woman we put so much hope in.” He nodded in the direction of Ariadne. “Now we’re very fortunate that the Papadaki legacy is in the best imaginable hands. We know that Ariadne will do everything her father would have wanted her to.”

Ariadne held back the tears that threatened to come. She did want to carry on the legacy of her legendary father.

“Now we’ll scatter Niki’s ashes here in the garden,” Adrian said. “Shall we go outside?” Adrian picked up the box containing Nikoletta’s remains.

They all went out onto the terrace, then followed Adrian to the entrance to the formal parterre. With everyone watching, he opened the box and flung its contents to the wind. When he was finished, he hugged Ariadne close with his free arm.

“I guess we’re finished here,” he said. “Let’s go.”

They all returned to the house quietly.

“Angelo and Yves and I are heading back into the city,” Sugar said. She kissed Adrian, then patted Ariadne’s cheeks and kissed her. “I love you, sweetheart,” she said, then added with a wink, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

Angelo kissed her on both cheeks. “I’ll see you soon, I hope.”

“How is Frans doing?” she asked.

“Remarkably well,” Angelo replied, his eyes brightening. “He’s a different young man. Healthy, robust even! Giulia has fattened him up a bit, so he won’t be modeling anytime soon.” He chuckled. “But he has no plans to return to modeling anyway. His whole outlook has changed, and that’s a blessing. He’s helped me start a youth center nearby for the less privileged, and he goes there every day. It’s in honor of Bianca.”

“You mean there are children in your area who aren’t privileged?” Ariadne asked.

He nodded. “It’s like I once told Bianca. You hardly have to go much farther than your own back door to find people in need, and even on Lake Como, rich as it is, you only have to go a little ways to find the disadvantaged.”

“That’s wonderful news about Frans, Angelo,” Ariadne said.

“It is wonderful. I can hardly believe it. No one will ever replace Bianca in my heart, but he’s become like a son to me. Now I must go. I want to get back there as soon as possible.” He kissed her cheek again.
“Arrivederci, cara.”

“
Arrivederci,
Angelo.”

“Stay as long as you want,” Adrian said to Ariadne and Matt. “Make this house your own.”

“We’ll be leaving soon,” Ariadne said. “Matt and I have a lot to do.”

After everyone had gone, Ariadne and Matt sat back down on the couch in the library together, grateful to be alone. Matt slid an arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

“I’m so glad it’s over,” Ariadne said.

“Do you feel a sense of closure?”

“Not really.” She turned to him. “Do you think we ever do?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Certainly we won’t forget. At least a lot of what’s happened.”

“I can deal with it,” she said. “If I can deal with this masquerade, I can deal with anything.”

“Maybe rings on our fingers will make a difference,” he said.

“We’ve got plenty of time for that,” Ariadne said. “Don’t we?”

“Is that a yes?”

Ariadne brushed his cheek with her lips. “Yes,” she whispered into his ear.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge Alexandre Dumas (
père
) for the inspiration for the plot of
The Secret Heiress.
While I would never pretend to be capable of producing a masterpiece such as
The Man in the Iron Mask
, I found the temptation to play with his classic story—and to make it my own—irresistible.