Two hundred people crammed into Huntsford village church for Oswald’s funeral. Any passers-by eavesdropping on conversation and condolences about the deceased might have thought they were talking about a saint. Maria and the sisters sat on opposite sides of the church. Serena did the eulogy, dressed in black Chanel, and reduced half the congregation to tears with her poignant melancholy. It was the performance of her life.
The Crown Prosecution Service did not consider there was enough evidence to prosecute Philip Watchorn and Nicholas Charlesworth for the murder of Oswald Balcon. Their footprints were found in the secret tunnel leading to the ramparts, along with Serena’s and Maria Dante’s, but the rest of the evidence was circumstantial and hearsay. It was simply not strong enough to warrant a long and expensive trial, much to the intense disappointment of the sisters. Watchorn and Charlesworth were, however, found guilty of the kidnap of Serena Balcon; Dimitri Vlodanov testified against them. The CCTV cameras in Philip’s home also provided incriminating footage against their owner, the grainy image of whom was seen instructing Dimitri to take Serena away. They both received a twelve-month sentence in an open prison. Stock in Philip’s company plummeted, over £100 million being wiped off the share price in a week. The society smart set stopped going to Nicholas’s club, which was finally sold to a Saudi Arabian businessman for a bargain-basement price.
Fierce Temper was bought by a wealthy American oil tycoon and, after another successful season, was retired to stud in Ireland. As Oswald predicted, he was in hot and costly demand to sire mares from around the globe. Declan O’Connor was investigated by the Jockey Club for allegations of horse-doping, race-fixing, and links to Hong Kong criminals. Finbar, meanwhile, went on to win the Derby.
Cate had become fixated with the disappearance of Alistair Craigdale, and sent an investigative journalist to Central America to find out what had happened to him. Locals in the Belize village where Watchorn had kept a lodge remembered a man who looked remarkably similar to a photograph of Craigdale. He had a beard, his hair was a different colour, and he went by the name of Andrew McKinney, but everyone was sure it was the same man. The man had disappeared, presumed drowned, fifteen years earlier, when his fishing boat was wrecked in a storm. His body, however, was never found. With the extra evidence, Cate pressed for the Craigdale case to be reopened by the Metropolitan Police and an investigation into the involvement of Philip and Nicholas is still pending. They could yet be charged with further crimes.
Oswald had not made a new will to accommodate Maria and she received nothing. She moved to Paris, where she spent the summer on the arm of a wealthy, twice-married, sixty-nine-year-old comte, who has a vast vineyard in the Champagne district and a passionate thirst for opera. The French society press are predicting marriage. They call her La Croqueuse de diamants.
Venetia returned to Seville with Jack after Cate’s wedding, where she spent a perfect summer at the finca, painting, swimming and riding horses with Jack’s eleven-year-old daughter, Jade. Jack bought Jonathon’s shares in Venetia’s company from Stefan von Bismarck, for an inflated price. Her New York store opens soon.
Oswald’s will bequeathed Huntsford to Serena, who in turn transferred it to Venetia.
‘You love that house,’ she had told her over lunch at Le Caprice. ‘You will do it far more justice than I ever could.’ Venetia had wept over her Caesar salad.
Venetia’s renovation of Huntsford was stunning, bringing the old house back to life. When they are not in Seville, Jack and Venetia live there. Jack’s daughters come on weekends and on holidays. It’s open to the public when the couple are in Spain.
Camilla withdrew herself as candidate for Esher amid a flurry of controversy, and took a leave of absence from chambers. For the hit-and-run eleven years earlier, she was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, failure to stop after an accident, and failure to report an accident. The police decided not to proceed with the more serious offence of death by dangerous driving. She received a sentence of one hundred hours of community service. She considers herself lucky. Her life is taking another direction, but everyone who has witnessed her strength, courage and talent knows that, whatever she decides to do next, Camilla Balcon will succeed at it.
Nat Montague married a Scandinavian swimwear model, whom he divorced ten months later.
Camilla reported David Loftus’s threats to Inspector Cranbrook during her interview. On police instructions, Cate and Venetia met up with Loftus at Huntsford following New Year’s Day. Unaware of the investigation into Watchorn and Charlesworth’s involvement in Oswald’s murder, Loftus repeated his demands. The library had been wired up, his threats were caught on tape. He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, attempted blackmail, suffering a nervous breakdown during a twelve-month prison sentence. The book of Oswald’s memoirs remains unfinished.
Serena phoned Michael Sarkis on New Year’s Day to tell him about the birth of their son and that she was, if he had been in any doubt at Battersea heliport, turning down his offer of marriage. ‘Now the kid’s been born, the offer’s retracted anyway. I only wanted Huntsford,’ he had replied spitefully. He did send a hundred-thousand-dollar cheque for their child’s christening, which was immediately returned.
Serena’s attempted kidnapping hit the headlines everywhere. Her agent and manager in New York, who had gone suspiciously quiet during her pregnancy, were never off the phone. Tom’s film, Campbell, was a smash hit. Serena got rave reviews, Hollywood finally wanted her and she snagged her US Vogue cover – twice. But until Toby, her son, is in school, she has limited herself to two or three projects a year. She is determined to be a good mum and, second time round, a better girlfriend for Tom.
Sand won Magazine of the Year. The Sand Publishing Group are launching a new glossy women’s magazine backed by major City finance. William Walton is still unemployed.
And one hot July day that summer, Cate and Nick got married. The couple insisted on keeping the day as intimate and low-key as possible, with the exception of the £4 million pounds-worth of diamonds that Serena had loaned on the bride’s behalf. Not that Cate needed any help to dazzle on her big day as she floated down the aisle of Huntsford village church, stunning in a long, strapless Valentino column of vanilla silk. Venetia gave her away to an emotional Nick Douglas waiting at the altar. Oswald’s 1922 Rolls-Royce, open-topped and decked out in white ribbon, took the newlyweds back to Huntsford, where the wedding party enjoyed a sit-down meal of vichyssoise, rack of lamb and sticky-toffee pudding in the Orangery. Everyone spilled out onto the terrace for Pimms and a hog-roast afterwards. Elmore Bryant played a one-hour set on Huntsford’s grand piano. Everyone said it was the wedding of the year. David Goldman was not invited.
The title to the barony of Huntsford is held in abeyance pending the production of a legitimate male heir to the estate.
‘How do you fancy being the father of a lord?’ asked Cate on honeymoon, turning to her new husband on the terrace of their hotel suite in Portofino.
‘I’m just a poor boy from Sheffield,’ smiled Nick, sipping his Bellini and taking Cate in his arms as they watched a lazy, golden sun slip beneath the horizon.
‘You’d better get used to the idea,’ grinned Cate, patting the flat stomach that would not remain that way for much longer.
‘You’re kidding!’ He looked at his wife, glowing in the dusty light, and knew he had never loved her more than at this moment right now.
‘Lord Balcon,’ she smiled, laying her head on Nick’s shoulder. And she knew that everything was going to be all right.