Fortune Is a Woman - Elizabeth Adler [203]
The reporters and photographers had disappeared, eager to scoop the story of Maryanne’s dramatic departure, and Annie walked down the steps into the street and turned to look up at her hotel. She had created this place, and all the others. Aysgarth’s was her own world and she loved it. She had shared in Francie’s children, just the way she had with Josh when he was small and though she had never had a husband and a child of her own, she was fulfilled. She ran back up the steps into her world. Through all the tragedies, fortune had smiled on her and she was a happy woman.
Francie and Buck were at the ranch. There were so many things to be said between them that would never be discussed. They didn’t need to. He had said it all when he had told her they were free.
Buck had not resigned immediately after the scandal broke. “If I do, they’ll either think you are guilty—or I am,” he told her. “You’ll see, we’ll be a nine-days’ wonder and then a new scandal will take our place. Besides, they have to figure out who they’re going to appoint to replace me. I can’t just leave all those people who are depending on me up in the air.”
Of course, he was right. He was well liked in Washington and when he tendered his resignation a month later, the political columnists were eager to sing his praises. “The world of politics loses a good man,” they said. “But it’s by his own fair choice and not any puritanical pressure. While it is hoped he enjoys his retirement and his new life, the Republican Party would be foolish to let him go entirely and the word is that he is available in an ‘advisory’ capacity, which his boundless experience more than qualifies him for.”
When he’d finally met Lysandra he had taken her in his arms and kissed her and told her he was the old friend of her mother’s she had spoken to on the phone. He’d crouched down so their eyes were on a level and she had stared silently at him, then she said, “You’re the one, aren’t you? You are my father?”
Francie had gasped, afraid of what she would say next, but he had smiled gently at her and said, “That’s true, Lysandra. I hope you’ll forgive me for not being around for the first seven years, but you see, I didn’t know about you.”
“Are you gonna stay around now?” she asked wistfully, her head on one side.
“If your mother will let me,” he replied with a glance at Francie.
And Lysandra had slipped her hand into his and said confidently, “Oh, she loves you all right. I can tell.”
Now they were the best of friends and Francie watched them walking along the rows of vines. Buck was bending toward Lysandra, who was showing him something, probably explaining how they were pruned for the winter. Lysandra always knew about everything.
Buck looked up and caught her eye. “She’s teaching me all about growing vines,” he called. “Didn’t I always tell you I wanted to run a winery?”
Francie remembered he had, all those years ago, and she laughed as she went to join them. She just wished though that the Mandarin, who had changed her fortunes, could have been there to share their happiness.
Part VI
LYSANDRA
1963
CHAPTER 43
1963
Hong Kong
Lysandra Lai Tsin had more than fulfilled the destiny the Mandarin had bequeathed her. She was president of Lai Tsin International and a beautiful woman in a man’s world, though she was careful never to exploit that fact. She wore formal, almost severe suits of dark cashmere in winter and creaseless silk in summer. She kept her shoe heels sensibly low, even though she had long, shapely legs to show off, and wore her rippling pre-Raphaelite corn blond hair swept up at the sides with a pair of antique jade combs from her fabulous collection. Her