Property of a Noblewoman (27 page)

She went back to the others, and they talked for a while. Angie and Tom’s youngest daughter played the piano, and they all sang. And it was late again when she left.

Valerie invited them all to brunch at the Biltmore the next day, and afterward she went to visit with Walter. He showed her all of Tommy’s drawings and paintings, and photographs of them as children and young boys. He told her stories about her father that made her laugh, and by the end of the day she felt as though she had met her father as well as her uncle and cousins. He gave her a photograph of Tommy to take with her. And when she kissed Walter goodbye, she promised to come back soon. She wanted to see him again and didn’t want to wait too long at his age.

“He loved meeting you,” her cousin Tom told her before she left. He didn’t tell her how resistant Walter had been before she had arrived, and how she had totally captivated him. He was her biggest fan by the end of her stay. He had come alive again talking to her. “I’m sorry you didn’t know him when he was younger. He was a terrific guy.”

“He still is,” she assured him, and they all hugged each other and promised to stay in touch. She thanked them for everything, and as she drove back to the airport in L.A., she was so happy she’d come to meet them. It had been one of the most important weekends of her life. She had a real family now, one where she was welcome and belonged. She could hardly wait to see them all again.

THE RESULTS OF
the DNA test came at the end of April, and were no surprise. Marguerite Wallace Pearson di San Pignelli was Valerie’s mother. Valerie hadn’t doubted it, but hearing it was like an affirmation of who she was, and gave her back the identity that had been stolen from her at birth.

She called Winnie after they told her, just to let her know, and Winnie sounded shaken and tearful.

“I know it’s stupid,” she said, sniffing, “but I feel like I just lost the only sister I had.”

“I can be as big a pain in the ass as your niece, as I was as your sister. And I don’t care what you call me. Nothing’s changed.” But a lot had changed, and they both knew it. Valerie had gained an important piece of her history, a part she had never even known was lost. In spite of her mother’s coldness to her, she had been a happy person and had made peace with not being loved as a child and had overcome it, in great part thanks to Lawrence. But the lack of love she’d endured as a child was unnatural, and now she knew she had been deeply loved by her real mother. It completed her, and added a part of her that she hadn’t known was missing. It filled her with a profound and satisfying sense of peace. It was like coming home after a long journey. She wasn’t an outcast anymore, or a misfit. She had had a real mother and father, and knew who they were, even if they were no longer alive. For some strange reason, it gave her more confidence in herself. And it made Winnie feel more vulnerable somehow, and more alone. She was the only one left of her generation, even if she and Valerie were only four years apart. And all their parents’ lies had been exposed, in spite of Winnie’s futile attempts to protect them.

Penny called Valerie after the results came in, and said that there would be a hearing in surrogate’s court, to confirm that Marguerite was her mother, and Valerie was her heir. She said that she would have to pay inheritance taxes on the value of the jewelry, and had nine months to pay it. She was going to use the proceeds from the Christie’s auction to pay the taxes, and keep the rest. Penny asked her if she still wanted to sell the jewelry now that she knew for certain that Marguerite was her mother, and Valerie discussed it with Phillip. She said that she couldn’t imagine wearing any of it, although it was spectacularly beautiful, but it was all much too showy for her. She preferred to sell it and invest the money wisely, and let someone else enjoy the jewelry, which wasn’t suited to her life. All she wanted to keep was the box with her mother’s crest ring, the locket with her baby picture in it, and the wedding ring from Umberto. She wanted to sell the rest.

Penny had her mother sign a release that she wished to make no claim on the estate, and that would be filed with the surrogate’s court as well. And Phillip notified Christie’s that the Pignelli jewels were no longer being sold to benefit the state, but a rightful heir had been located, and the sale would proceed as planned. They were going to add an insert to the catalog, notifying buyers of the change. It made no difference to them, but it was a technicality they had to observe.

The hearing in surrogate’s court was set for two weeks before the auction. Penny would be there, and Phillip with Valerie. Harriet would be the clerk for the case, and Jane had promised to come, although she would be leaving her position as clerk at the court two weeks before the hearing to finish her classes at Columbia. And she was already busily preparing for graduation. Her parents were flying to New York for it, and she wanted Phillip to meet them.

And after the results of the DNA test came in, Phillip invited Jane to dinner to meet his mother. They had been dating for six weeks by then, and were seeing a lot of each other, almost every night. It wasn’t by any particular plan or agreement, it just seemed to work out that way, and they went sailing every weekend. And
Sweet Sallie
was not a wedge between them, but a bond, and something they enjoyed doing together.

Phillip invited both women to dinner at La Grenouille. He wanted it to be special and festive, and to make it a celebratory evening when his mother met Jane. He didn’t admit it to either woman, but he was nervous about it. What if they hated each other, or considered each other rivals for his attention? Anything was possible, and he thought women were unpredictable that way, and just when you wanted them to like each other, they didn’t. Even Valerie, who was normally sensible. She had always preferred the women he liked least, and disliked the ones he was crazy about, although there hadn’t been many of those, and Valerie usually had valid reasons for her opinions, and proved to be right in the end. So the evening was important to him.

He picked Valerie up at her home, and Jane met them at the restaurant, feeling slightly daunted by the elegant surroundings, and the fact that she was meeting his mother, which scared her. She wasn’t sure what to expect from his description, and she knew how close they were, and how much he respected what she thought.

Jane felt shy at first, but Valerie made an effort to put her at ease, and by the end of the first course, the two women were getting along famously, and Valerie told them about her visit to the Babcocks in Santa Barbara, and how much fun it had been. And they talked about Jane’s plans after graduation, and when she passed the bar exam. The evening sped by, and afterward they dropped Valerie off at home. Phillip walked her into the building, and she gave him an emphatic thumbs-up. By the time they got back to Jane’s apartment, Phillip was exhausted, and realized that he had been tense all night, wanting it to go well.

“I love her!” Jane said enthusiastically, as Phillip collapsed on her IKEA couch. He had enjoyed the dinner, but there had been a knot in his stomach all night, hoping for the best, and fearing the worst. “She’s like talking to someone our age, only better,” Jane said, and he laughed. It was an apt description of his mother.

“She’s very lively and youthful. I forget how old she is sometimes.” And she certainly didn’t look anything close to her age.

“If I’d met her without you, I’d still want to be friends with her,” Jane explained. “She’s such a real person.”

“I feel that way too,” he confessed. “I’d like her even if she weren’t my mother.” It was a high compliment from a man his age.

“She doesn’t seem possessive. I thought she’d hate me.”

“She loved you,” he reassured her. It had been a perfect evening for all three of them, and a superb dinner. And the sommelier had chosen excellent wines for them. “At least that’s behind us. You’ve met her. Now that’s done,” he said, looking relieved, and Jane laughed at him.

“You look like you went over Niagara Falls in a barrel tonight.”

“I think I did. I never know how women are going to react to each other, especially my mother.” But she had been easy and fun, and great company, and she and Jane had enjoyed several good laughs at his expense, particularly about his passion for his boat.

They talked for a while longer, and then went to bed. He’d been staying at her apartment a lot lately. She had mentioned it to Alex, who had been impressed, and had referred to him as “a keeper.” Jane was beginning to think so too, although it was early days yet. They were still in the honeymoon phase, but it was showing no sign of abating. Things just kept getting better and better.

He wrapped his arms around her when they went to bed, and he’d been so stressed all night that instead of making love to her, as he usually did, he mumbled a few words, hugged her closer, and fell asleep, as Jane lay smiling next to him. Even without making love, it had been a very good night. And if she had passed muster with his mother, as he said, it had been a great one.

The day of the confirmation hearing of Valerie as Marguerite’s daughter and sole heir, it was pouring rain. She and Phillip arrived in a cab. Penny got there a few minutes later looking drenched, and Jane shortly after. Winnie came, as a gesture of respect for her newly discovered niece, although she had no part in the proceedings. And Harriet Fine was there with all the records and files and evidence to present to the court. She was pleased to see Jane, and realized for the first time that something was going on between Phillip and Jane.

“So that’s the way it is,” she said with a wry smile, and Jane blushed. But she was no longer clerking there, and she had left Harriet on good terms. And Harriet was in a much better mood than she had been in for a while. Her mother was doing better, and was staying with her again. She knew it wouldn’t last forever, but for now things had improved, and she was happy to have her home.

The confirmation hearing was brief and perfunctory. Harriet presented the file to the court. Penny represented Valerie, who solemnly swore that all the evidence and her statements were true and correct and she was in fact Marguerite di San Pignelli’s heir. Winnie cried when the judge confirmed it, and Valerie was beaming afterward.

“Now you get to pay taxes on the estate,” Winnie said to her smugly.

“I know.” Valerie smiled at her. “The auction will take care of that.” Valerie was sorry to see all the beautiful pieces go, but it made no sense for her to keep them. Phillip had already brought her the small box with the gold pieces, and Valerie was wearing the crest ring and the locket. She had put her mother’s gold wedding band away.

And as they left the court, Winnie commented to her that she should use some of the money to buy a decent apartment, and finally move out of the one she’d lived in for years.

“I love my apartment,” Valerie said, shocked. “Why would I move?”

“You could have more space, a bigger studio, better furniture, in a nicer neighborhood.” Winnie had never liked SoHo and thought they were all crazy to live downtown: Valerie in SoHo, Phillip in Chelsea, her daughter in the West Village. It suited them, but Winnie couldn’t understand it. None of them would have wanted to live on Park Avenue, uptown, as she did. It was too far from the places they liked to go to, and the things they wanted to do. But Winnie was from another era. And Valerie was one of them, and had lived downtown far longer than any of the others. “I guess you’ll always be a bohemian,” Winnie said ruefully, and Valerie laughed.

“I hope so.”

They were in good spirits as they left the building. They all had to go back to work, and school in Jane’s case, and Valerie went to make some arrangements she’d been planning for weeks.

And that night she called Fiona and told her the results of the DNA test, and about the hearing that day. Fiona was happy for her. Things were working out as they should have. She was just sorry it had taken so many years.

“If you hadn’t told me the truth when I came to see you, none of this would have happened,” she said gratefully.

“I should have done it years ago,” Fiona said seriously, “instead of waiting for you to come and ask me.” She sounded tired on the phone but relieved. She said her daughter had been to see her that day. Her children were good to her, and Valerie was pleased to hear it. And then Valerie told her what she was planning. She hadn’t told anyone else yet, and Fiona approved. They both agreed it was the right thing to do.

“You have your mother back now,” Fiona said gently. “And no one can take her away from you again. I’m sure she’s watching over you, and she’d be very proud of you. She always was,” Fiona said softly.

“I love you, Fiona,” Valerie said when they hung up. And Fiona loved her too. In the end, Fiona had returned her mother to her. It was her final gift to both Valerie and Marguerite.

ON THE WEEKEND
before the Christie’s sale, Phillip and Jane went sailing on Saturday. It was a beautiful May day, and the following day was Mother’s Day. He was planning to spend the day with Valerie, and she had finally shared her plans with them. She had bought a good-size plot at a beautiful, peaceful cemetery on Long Island, had it landscaped, and had made arrangements to move Marguerite and bury her there. She had visited Marguerite in the crowded dreary cemetery where she was buried, after Fiona had told Valerie her story. And she wanted to honor her mother with a better final resting place. It was a small thing she could do for her, a final gesture of love and respect. She had told Phillip he could bring Jane along to the brief graveside service. Winnie was coming, with Penny, and afterward they were going to lunch, although Penny was going back to her husband and kids for Mother’s Day, and not joining them for lunch.

Phillip and Jane were sailing in gentle winds on Saturday, when he told her he had to go to Hong Kong in September, to participate in a sale of important jades, and he asked her if she wanted to come along. His trips to Hong Kong were always interesting and fun.