The Secret Heiress

Table of Contents

 

 

“Strong romantic suspense.”—The Best Reviews

 

“Betrayal, violence, and a shocking conspiracy . . .
Dreamboat
is romance with a dash of intrigue.”

—Romance Reviews Today

 

“Enthralling . . . ripe with exotic locales and entertaining mystery.”—
Romantic Times

 

“Spine-tingling mystery . . . plenty of shocking surprises.”

—
Cosmopolitan

 

“Fans of the bestselling Gould will enjoy her designer label name-dropping, her lush descriptions of the places rich folk romp, and of course, the . . . sex scenes.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Old-fashioned glitz. Emeralds to die for . . . European settings . . . sex, and scheming bitches by the score.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

 

“Will keep readers hooked.”—
Booklist

 

“[A] great escapist read, a tale filled with suspense, steamy sex, glamorous clothing, and exotic characters.”—
Booklist

 

“Readers . . . will get plenty of bang for their buck.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“An engaging contemporary romance that has a touch of mystery.”—
Midwest Book Review

 

“Wonderful twists and turns. . . . Devour a bite at a time to truly enjoy and experience . . . an outstanding work.”

—A Romance Review

“An exciting relationship drama. . . . Readers will take pleasure from Judith Gould’s inspirational tale.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“[A] page-turning plot and deliciously evil villains. A delight.” —
Publishers Weekly

 

“A fun, glitzy summer read filled with titillating sex and tidbits about upper-crust Manhattan, the trademarks that delight Gould’s many avid fans.”—
Booklist

 

“Another of Judith Gould’s surefire pleasers.”

—
The Sanford Herald
(NC)

 

“Gould’s steamy tale about the lives of the rich and troubled is perfect for a read on the beach.”—
Booklist

 

“Gould applies complex characters, steamy sex scenes, and a fast-moving plot to a popular premise. A modern-day Beauty and the Beast . . . sure to please her many fans.”

—
Affaire de Coeur

 

“Tugs seriously at your heart. . . . Fueled by a speedy . . . plot, delicious
Dynasty
-style details, and some lusty sex scenes that will surprise—perhaps even shock—the earthiest of readers, this yarn delivers.”—
People

“Cavort across the continents . . . with Gould’s diverting tale.”—
BookPage

 

“This novel has all the right components: romance, a beautiful setting, deceit, and strong-willed, independent characters.” —
Booklist

 

“Whisks from scandal to scheme, piling on the suspense.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“A wedding of Krantz and Sheldon. Judith Gould is a master.” —
Kirkus Reviews

 

“Mouthwatering . . . just the thing to chase away the blues.”

—
Chicago Tribune

 

“A romp . . . a smash success.”—
New York Daily News

NOVELS BY JUDITH GOULD

SIGNET

Published by New American Library, a division of

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in a New American Library edition.

First Signet Printing, May 2007

Copyright © Judith Gould, Inc., 2006

All rights reserved

REGISTERED TRADEMARK-MARCA REGISTRADA

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

eISBN : 978-1-101-04366-0

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

And, after all, what is a lie? ’Tis but
The truth in masquerade.

 

Don Juan,
CANTO XI
GEORGE NOEL GORDON
(LORD BYRON), 1788-1824

 

 

 

 

When she was suddenly awakened by her mother, she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes with small fists. “What is it, Mama?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

“Don’t ask questions now, Ariadne,” her mother said sternly. “We must hurry.”

“But what—?”

“No buts, Ariadne,” Maria said, pulling the bedcovers off her daughter and shoving them aside. “You must get up now. Quickly.”

Her mother had turned on the lamp at her bedside, and in its small pool of light Ariadne could see that her mother’s eyes were red and swollen. She had been crying. “What’s wrong, Mama?” she asked worriedly. “Why are you crying?”

Her father’s voice came from out of the darkness at the doorway to the tiny bedroom. “Your mama is fine, Ariadne,” he said. “Do as she says and hurry. We’re going on a trip.” She heard his footsteps as he marched back into the front room.

A trip?
Ariadne wondered what he was talking about. Maybe it was for her birthday, she thought. Tomorrow she would be ten years old.

“Here,” her mother said, gesturing to Sunday clothes she placed on the bed. “Put these on.”

Ariadne pulled off her nightgown and dutifully began dressing, watching as her mother opened the drawers in the old pine chest and began emptying their contents into a small piece of luggage. Sweaters, shirts, underwear, socks—all of Ariadne’s clothing in the drawers—went into the suitcase. Before she had tied the laces of her sneakers, her mother had taken the few things hanging in the battered armoire and placed them atop the clothing that already nearly filled the suitcase. Flipping the top down, she struggled with the zipper but finally managed to bring it all the way around.

When she was finished, she sat down on the bed and turned to Ariadne. In her hand was a long black scarf. She placed it on Ariadne’s head, then wrapped its ends around her neck. It was so low on her forehead and high on her chin that it obscured everything but the child’s eyes. Putting a hand on each of her daughter’s shoulders, she gazed at Ariadne with an anguished expression, then slid her arms around her and hugged her tightly.