All That Glitters (28 page)

“Murdered? Who would murder him? Where is he now?”

“Sir, please listen and I will explain. Then if you want to bring charges against me, so be it.” He looked penitent, but pressed on with his explanation. “One day when we were at the Chateau de Boulanger, Countess Lilli came to me and asked me to kill your son.”

“For God’s sake, why?!”

“She told me he was standing in the way of her son, Gregory, having the title of Count Francois II. She wanted to make it up to him for his having been born out of wedlock.”

“Why didn’t you come to me with this?” Fran demanded.

Andre looked frightened, but held his ground. “Sir, would you have believed me if I had?”

Fran was silent for a moment. “Probably not.”

“I wanted to tell you then, but the Countess would have denied it, and if I were dismissed I wouldn’t be there to protect little Fran. I couldn’t take that chance. I knew if I didn’t do as she asked, she would find someone else to do her dirty work. Sir, I couldn’t kill anyone, especially a helpless, trusting child. I loved that little boy, and I knew I would miss him, but I had to make sure he was safe. I did the only thing I could think of to save him from sure death.”

“What did you do? Where is he?”

“I sent him as far away as I could so she couldn’t find him.”

Fran gripped the arms of the chair for support.

As he sat there trembling, Jeremy went over and placed his hand on Fran’s shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

“I was placed in a terrible position,” Andre explained. “But the important thing was to save that boy’s life. I got in touch with my sister who worked for an adoption agency. She knew of a couple in another country who wanted very much to adopt a child. It seemed like the perfect answer. I asked her to tell them I knew of such a child. My sister handled all the arrangements. Plans were made to take him the morning I was supposed to kill him. I know what we did was illegal, but I was willing to take any risk to save that little boy’s life. I wish I could see little Fran once more and explain to him why he was taken away. It must have hurt him very badly to be separated from you, Sir. You were such a close family, and his mother had been killed. My sister assured me later that the boy was safe and in the hands of very kind and loving parents.”

“Who are they? I will go to them at once!” Fran declared.

Andre looked at Fran with great compassion and regret. “Sir, I never knew who the adoptive parents were.”

“Can’t you ask your sister?” Zack asked him.

Andre lowered his eyes. “My sister is dead. She destroyed all the documents so no one could find him. She took the information with her to her grave. As soon as they took little Fran, I left the Chateau de Boulanger and never returned. I’ve been on the run all these years, afraid for my life. Sir, I had to send your son away. I couldn’t take the chance that the Countess would find another way to get rid of him before I could convince you—”

“I understand,” Fran interrupted. “I’m grateful to you for saving his life. If I only knew where he was I would go to him.”

“If you want to bring charges against me, I will understand.”

“No, Andre, I couldn’t do that. You saved my son’s life.”

“It must have been a terrible shock,” Zack said, “to lose your son.”

Fran nodded sadly. “I had just lost my wife, and on top of that, to have my son taken away—my whole family was gone.” His voice broke.

“How much of an investigation was made?” Zack asked him.

“The authorities looked for years,” Fran sighed, “but found nothing. No bodies—no clues—no motive—nothing. It should have been fairly easy to identify him. Vivienne was always afraid someone might kidnap little Francois, so she had a tiny replica of the family crest tattooed on the inside of his right wrist. If only I had known he was in another country, they could have looked there.”

“Oh, Sir!” Andre exclaimed, “if they had found him there, they would have brought him home, and he would still have been in danger. That is why I had my sister destroy all the documents.”

“But Lilli and Francois are behind bars. There is no danger for him now,” Fran reminded him. “How am I going to find my son?”

* * *

Jeremy stared at Andre. Something nudged at his memory, but with all that had been going on, he hadn’t been able to zero in on it until now.

Andre! That was the name he couldn’t remember! He was only five when he last saw him, but now it all came flooding back. Andre was older now, with white hair, but this was the same man who had been so kind to him—the man who used to play with him and take him horseback riding!

He walked over and spoke to him in French. “Andre, I’m Jeremy Douglass. I remember you and your kindness many years ago. I was just a little boy, but you used to play with me. I was adopted when I was five and taken to America. Please—can you tell me anything about my past? I’ve been trying to find out who I am and what happened. Why was I playing at the Chateau de Boulanger?”

Andre stared, closely scrutinizing Jeremy’s face inch by inch. Then—slowly—he reached for his right hand. He turned it over to get a good look at the inside of his wrist. He gaped open-mouthed as he looked back at Jeremy.

“Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” he gasped. He dropped to his knees, and looked upward in a prayerful pose. “Thank you! Thank you!” he exclaimed. “You’ve grown up, but I’ve never forgotten you! Little Fran!” he cried.

He rose and took Jeremy by the hand. There were tears in his eyes as he drew him over to Count Francois I. He held up Jeremy’s hand with the small tattooed crest, so Fran could see it.

“Sir,” he announced, his voice trembling with emotion, “this is the real Count Francois II! Your son!”

Jeremy was stunned. He couldn’t believe it! He finally knew who he was! And the fact that he turned out to be a Count was almost too much for him to grasp!

Fran was even more astonished. He stared at Jeremy, speechless.

As the truth finally sunk in he stood up. He reached out his arms and embraced Jeremy. “My son! My son!” he sobbed.

Cammie stood there trying to grasp the whole thing. “You’re a Count?”

“I guess I am!” said a stunned Jeremy.

“I’m a Countess?!”

“I guess you are!” he said.

“But—but—” Cammie stuttered—“I don’t care about that anymore! I just want to be your wife!”

Fran, fully recovered by now, drew his new daughter-in-law into the circle of his embrace.

“Well,” he told her, “like it or not, you’re Countess Cameron Dubonnet. For real, this time!”

Cammie hugged him. “You’re my father-in-law? I can’t believe it! It’s what I wanted all along!”

Fran smiled at the others. “I may have lost a treacherous wife and stepson, but I’ve got my own son back, and I’ve gained a beautiful daughter. I have a wonderful new family,” he added, looking at Hildy and Jay. “What more could I ask? I’m the luckiest man in the world! I only wish my beloved Vivienne were here to enjoy it with me.” He took Jeremy’s hand. “We have some unfinished business. The wedding breakfast is waiting!”

As they made their entrance to the patio, the maid appeared with her entourage, carrying the wedding breakfast.

Fran opened one of the bottles of champagne and poured it into the glasses on the table, raising his in a toast. “Here’s to the new Count and Countess Dubonnet!” he cheered. He motioned to Andre. “Please—” he said—“join us in a toast.”

Andre took his place beside Fran, and raised his glass with the rest of them. “Thank you, Sir!”

After the toast was finished, Hildy turned to Cammie. “Where do you and Jeremy plan to live?”

“We haven’t discussed it,” Cammie answered. “Where will we be living, Jeremy? Everything’s changed now.”

“I have the solution!” Fran declared. “Son, now that you’re home where you belong, you and Cammie, as the new Count and Countess Francois Dubonnet, have inherited the Castle in Biarritz!”

Cammie shivered. “How can I live there after being locked up in that room?”

Jeremy reached for her hand. “Honey, that part of the Chateau was blown away in the explosion. It’s as though the whole experience has been wiped out. We can do whatever we want with it. We can rebuild it without the secret room. It’s a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean! We won’t have to stay there all the time,” he added. “We’ll be visiting your parents in Scarsdale. And what about Courtney Castle in Scotland? We’ll be going there from time to time. That’s not far from here. And you’ll be making films with Peter. Once we fix up the Chateau in Biarritz you’ll feel completely different about the place.”

“You’re right,” Cammie relented. “I’ll love living there, as long as it’s with you.”

“And I’ll be coming to Scarsdale,” Fran said. “I want to see where my son grew up. I’ve never seen the States, and I’ll be looking forward to visiting my brand new family!”

The wedding breakfast was a feast for royalty. Everything from crepe suzettes to scrambled eggs and bacon, complemented with French pastries and country scones, was set out on a long table at the end of the patio. Laughter and happy chatter filled the air. When everyone had finished eating, Andre rose from his chair and picked up his portable easel and the kit that carried his brushes and paints.

Cammie and Jeremy rushed over to him. “Where are you going?” they asked.

“I must leave,” he told them. He kissed Cammie on the cheek, and shook hands with Jeremy. “Congratulations on your marriage. I know you’ll be very happy.”

“Andre, thank you for saving my life,” Jeremy said. “If you hadn’t, I would never have met Cammie. I would have missed out on all this. I’m very grateful.” He put his arm around Andre’s shoulder. “What are your plans? Do you intend to continue with your painting? Where will you stay?”

“I suppose I’ll do what I’ve been doing—going from town to town—I don’t really know.” He smiled. “I’ll have to get used to the fact that my life is no longer in danger.”

“How would you feel about staying here with me?” Jeremy asked him. “Gabe is gone. I’ll need a caretaker—someone to take charge. We’ll rebuild the part of the Chateau in Biarritz that was bombed and make it into an apartment and studio for you, so you can continue with your painting in your spare time.”

Andre brushed away the tears that suddenly came to his eyes. “Oh, Sir, after all that’s happened, are you sure you want me?”

Jeremy reached out and hugged Andre. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have than you.”

“Oh, Little Fran,” he exclaimed, “I would love to stay!”

There was never a more festive group!

Cammie was now happily married and was actually a Countess. Fran and Jeremy were reunited after many years of separation. Andre was back with his beloved “Little Fran,” and could continue with his painting.

Jenny and Peter were delighted that Cammie would be continuing with her singing.

And Hildy and Jay were ecstatic with Cammie’s choice of a husband.

With the best wishes of everyone for a happy life together, Cammie and Jeremy left for Courtney Castle in Scotland to spend their honeymoon.

END