Undercover (27 page)

It took them three days to organize everything and pack what they were taking. Ariana sent the horses to be sold at auction. She was sorry to see them go, but it made no sense to try to keep them and have them sent somewhere else. She didn't want to send them to a stable outside Paris, or New York. It was simpler to sell them here.

They called a few people to say goodbye and that they were moving, but they had made no close friends here, in a life they believed was temporary and fraudulent. She was thinking of selling her father's apartment in New York, but hadn't decided yet. She had so many memories there of her parents, and she didn't need to sell it.

Marshall called the university and told them he wouldn't be signing the contract to teach poli sci in the fall, although he would have loved to. He said that he and his future wife were moving to Europe, and they told him how sorry they were that he was leaving. They thought he had done a fine job that spring, which was why they'd offered him the job.

Marshall and Ariana took very little with them, and left all the new linens and china and furniture for the new tenants. In the end, they took their clothes, their music, their dogs, and very little else. They were going to start fresh, all over again, together in Paris. She had already started sending e-mails to find a job. And Marshall had e-mailed the U.S. embassy in Paris for a civilian position there, and was researching teaching positions at the Sorbonne.

Ariana called Yael and told him all the news, and he was delighted, especially that she was free again, and coming back to Paris. He said he thought she might, she had been happy there. And it was a great city to start a new life. She sent Mother Elizabeth an e-mail and told her she was getting married. And she wrote back with congratulations from all the nuns.

And Marshall spoke to Mac the night before they left Wyoming. He told him about Muñoz, and that he had proposed to Ariana.

“I hope she said no,” Mac teased him, but sounded very pleased. “Have you taught her to clean the house yet?”

“Not exactly.” He had done more housework than she had, but didn't say it.

“Well, come to London, and we'll celebrate. I hope she sticks around longer than mine did. I think she left with the postman or something. But you're a much nicer bloke. I'm sure she'll stay with you.” He was happy for both of them, and told Marshall to give Ariana his love.

The plane came for them on Friday, and they were ready to go. A U.S. marshal picked them up at the house, more as a formality than a necessity, to escort them back to Washington. They had some papers to sign, and then they were free. They stayed at the Four Seasons in Washington that night and left for Paris the following afternoon. Ariana went shopping that morning and came back with a plain white silk dress for their wedding. They had decided not to spend any more time than they had to in the States. They were both anxious to get to Paris, and start fresh. They wanted to find an apartment, and had made a reservation at the Ritz until they did, which was Ariana's favorite hotel. She had already heard back from
Vogue
and
L'Officiel,
and a website she'd contacted, offering her interviews. And the U.S. embassy wanted to meet with Marshall when they got to Paris. They had been vastly impressed by his CV.

They talked about all of it on the plane to Paris. They wanted to get married when they arrived, even before they settled in. And once they were at the Ritz, while she was calling real estate brokers, he called the embassy, about their wedding. It seemed simplest to him to get married there, rather than cut through miles of French red tape for foreigners to get married in France. And he was startled to learn that diplomats were not authorized to perform weddings in France. It required a French government official to do it, and often there was a waiting period.

The secretary at the embassy told him what he had to do. He told her that he was a retired DEA agent in good standing, decorated by the president, and the bride was the daughter of an ambassador. She put him on hold then, and came back on the line rapidly. She assured him that everything would be done to move the process along quickly, they would find someone to perform the ceremony. And any time they came in to fill out the forms, they could be married the next day. It sounded fine to him. And he told Ariana when she was off the phone with the real estate broker. She looked excited and said they had three apartments to see that sounded perfect. One on Avenue Foch again, on the sunny side, one in a supposedly charming cul-de-sac, and the third in the Parc Monceau. She wanted to see them all that afternoon. And he mentioned stopping by at the embassy afterward, and she agreed. All they wanted was a simple ceremony. There was no one they wanted to invite, just the bride and groom. But she wanted to ask Yael to be her witness, since without him she would never have been able to do this, and would never have buried the box that had led Marshall to her. In a way, Yael seemed to be the father of it all, but when she called him, he was away for the week.

When they stopped at the embassy that afternoon, they discovered that there was a presidential visit, there were police cordons outside, and security was very tight. But they let them through anyway. And as they waited in the lobby to fill out their papers, Marshall had an idea, and approached the reception desk.

“Is the president in the building, sir?” he asked a marine at the desk.

“Why do you want to know?” The marine looked instantly tense, but Marshall looked respectable, so he relaxed a little.

“I'm a personal friend of the family. Ex–Secret Service, ex–DEA. My name is Marshall Everett, and I'd like to speak to him if possible,” he explained discreetly. The Secret Service was a stretch since he had only been on loan, but the marine didn't need to know that.

The young marine dialed a number internally, spoke to two different people, and then handed the phone to Marshall, looking impressed while Ariana stood by. The president was on the line.

“What are you doing here, Marsh?” the president asked him in a jovial voice.

“Well, I'm moving back to Paris. And I'm getting married. And I'm sorry to ask you this. I know how busy you are. But if we make it fast, would you be my witness?”

Phillip Armstrong didn't hesitate, and instantly agreed. He spoke to someone standing next to him and asked about his schedule the next day. “If you do it at eleven-fifteen tomorrow, I'm all yours until noon. Melissa and the kids are here too. Can they come?”

“Of course! We'd love it.”

“Who are you marrying, by the way?”

“A wonderful woman. Ariana Gregory. I think you knew her father.” The president recognized the name instantly, and was amazed at how things turned out and how people found each other.

“I didn't know you knew her.” He sounded surprised. He didn't know about their visit to his wife and children a year before.

“I didn't when I worked for you, sir. We met here a year ago. We just got off a year in the Witness Protection Program together.”

“Tell me about it tomorrow,” he said, and sounded rushed, and Marshall hung up and turned to Ariana.

“He said he'll be our witness. Melissa could be yours, if you want.” Ariana smiled. Having the president and first lady as witnesses to their marriage was pretty impressive, and something to tell their children one day.

“Perfect.” She beamed at Marshall.

They signed the papers then and were given an official eleven-fifteen
A.M.
time slot the next day. The president's aide had already called down to arrange it. And everything went smoothly.

They went back to the Ritz and had a glass of champagne at the bar, and talked about the apartments they had seen that day. Ariana liked the one on Avenue Foch best, and had loved living there before, and it was fine with Marshall. It was a big sunny apartment with three bedrooms, and was unfurnished. So she would be decorating again. And it was big enough if they started a family while living in Paris.

And then they went upstairs to their room at the Ritz and made love. It had been a perfect first day back in Paris.

They arrived at the embassy promptly at eleven the next morning. Their papers were in order. The ambassador's aide was waiting for them, and took them upstairs herself. And Marshall was surprised to see the ambassador waiting when they got there—he recognized Ariana and was very pleasant to them both. And they had arranged for the assistant mayor of Paris to perform the ceremony. The waiting period had been waived at the request of the ambassador himself. And five minutes later the president walked in with Melissa, surrounded by Secret Service men, and Brad and Amelia were right behind them with their own.

Ariana wore the white silk dress she'd bought in Washington, and they'd stopped at a florist to buy a small bouquet of white lily of the valley. She looked simple and young and elegant, with her shining blond hair down her back. Amelia smiled the minute she saw her and then looked disappointed.

“You don't look like a bride. You should have worn a big pouffy white dress.”

“I couldn't find one,” Ariana explained, and then Marshall introduced her to the president, whom she had met before with her father. He told her she looked beautiful, and she kissed Melissa and the children, and then handed her bouquet to Amelia and asked if she'd be her flower girl. The child beamed with pride and pleasure, and took the bouquet quietly from Ariana. Marshall handed the rings to Brad to make him the ring bearer.

And a moment later, the ceremony began. The assistant mayor managed to make it touching, although he didn't know them, and Marshall looked down at her proudly with damp eyes. They had come such a long way to get here. Melissa was smiling at them, touched by how in love they were. Amelia held the bouquet like a sacred torch during the ceremony, and Brad handed Marshall the rings at the right time. Ariana was amazed he had them. Marshall had gone out to buy them the day before on his own at Cartier, and had accurately guessed her ring size. The ring he'd chosen for her was a narrow gold band. They exchanged the rings then, and hers fit perfectly. Marshall kissed her when the assistant mayor declared them man and wife. And Phillip Armstrong was the first to kiss the bride after that.

They all drank champagne, and at exactly five minutes before noon, the president left for his next appointment. Melissa and the children stayed with them for another half hour, and then they had to leave too. And after thanking the ambassador and assistant mayor, Ariana and Marshall stood on the sidewalk outside the embassy and hailed a cab.

“Wow! We're married,” she said as she slipped in beside him.

“Where to, Mrs. Everett?” he asked her with a broad grin.

They decided to have lunch in the garden of the Ritz, and afterward Ariana wanted to go for a walk in Bagatelle, the park near where they had both lived before and were about to again. It was the park where he had first seen her, and everything had started, the day she buried the box.

They had a long, leisurely lunch, drank champagne, and talked about where to go for their honeymoon. Marshall suggested Venice, and she loved the idea. And after lunch, still in her wedding dress, they took a cab to Bagatelle.

They got out of the cab, paid at the gate, and strolled through the gardens. She was still carrying her lily of the valley, and she kept looking at her narrow gold wedding ring and up at Marshall in wonder. She looked totally happy, and so did he. They stopped at the place where she had buried the box, and he had found it and unearthed it. Everything had happened from that moment. She had buried her past, and he had found their future. A lifetime had happened in between, and now they were back in Paris. It was a perfect end to the story. Or in fact, only the beginning.

To my wonderful children,

Beatie, Trevor, Todd, Nick, Sam,

Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara,

You are my greatest blessings,

and I love you more than words can ever say.

May your challenges be small ones,

and your blessings and victories huge.

UNDERCOVER
•
COUNTRY
•
PRODIGAL SON
•
PEGASUS
•
A PERFECT LIFE
•
POWER PLAY
•
WINNERS
•
FIRST SIGHT
•
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
•
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER
•
FRIENDS FOREVER
•
BETRAYAL
•
HOTEL VENDÔME
•
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
•
44 CHARLES STREET
•
LEGACY
•
FAMILY TIES
•
BIG GIRL
•
SOUTHERN LIGHTS
•
MATTERS OF THE HEART
•
ONE DAY AT A TIME
•
A GOOD WOMAN
•
ROGUE
•
HONOR THYSELF
•
AMAZING GRACE
•
BUNGALOW 2
•
SISTERS
•
H.R.H.
•
COMING OUT
•
THE HOUSE
•
TOXIC BACHELORS
•
MIRACLE
•
IMPOSSIBLE
•
ECHOES
•
SECOND CHANCE
•
RANSOM
•
SAFE HARBOUR
•
JOHNNY ANGEL
•
DATING GAME
•
ANSWERED PRAYERS
•
SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ
•
THE COTTAGE
•
THE KISS
•
LEAP OF FAITH
•
LONE EAGLE
•
JOURNEY
•
THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET
•
THE WEDDING
•
IRRESISTIBLE FORCES
•
GRANNY DAN
•
BITTERSWEET
•
MIRROR IMAGE
•
THE KLONE AND I
•
THE LONG ROAD HOME
•
THE GHOST
•
SPECIAL DELIVERY
•
THE RANCH
•
SILENT HONOR
•
MALICE
•
FIVE DAYS IN PARIS
•
LIGHTNING
•
WINGS
•
THE GIFT
•
ACCIDENT
•
VANISHED
•
MIXED BLESSINGS
•
JEWELS
•
NO GREATER LOVE
•
HEARTBEAT
•
MESSAGE FROM NAM
•
DADDY
•
STAR
•
ZOYA
•
KALEIDOSCOPE
•
FINE THINGS
•
WANDERLUST
•
SECRETS
•
FAMILY ALBUM
•
FULL CIRCLE
•
CHANGES
•
THURSTON HOUSE
•
CROSSINGS
•
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
•
A PERFECT STRANGER
•
REMEMBRANCE
•
PALOMINO
•
LOVE:
POEMS
•
THE RING
•
LOVING
•
TO LOVE AGAIN
•
SUMMER'S END
•
SEASON OF PASSION
•
THE PROMISE
•
NOW AND FOREVER
•
PASSION'S PROMISE
•
GOING HOME

PURE JOY:
The
Dogs
We
Love

A GIFT OF HOPE:
Helping
the
Homeless

HIS BRIGHT LIGHT:
The
Story
of
Nick
Traina

PRETTY MINNIE IN PARIS