Chapter 1

Jed sat at his desk staring at the plain manila envelope Miss Everett, his secretary, had just this minute placed there. It had been delivered by currier she said. When he lifted the flap and tilted the envelope a single clipping from the Paris edition of the International Herald Tribune and a small piece of mauve stationary folded in half fell to his desk top. As Jed picked up the newspaper clipping he could see it was from the society page of this week's edition of the paper.

"Samantha Ellis Hastings, formerly of Richmond, Virginia, United States, passed away after a short illness, at the age of sixty-three, in her apartment on Rue de Lafayette on November 12, 2013. Ms. Hastings, heir to the Hastings Chemical Empire, had no children and is survived by a distant cousin, Lawrence C. Hastings, III, of Richmond, Virginia, United States and other more distant relatives. Ms. Hastings attended St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Ms. Hastings whose name was romantically connected with many international jet setters never married. Rumors, though never proven, nevertheless persisted until her death that a failed relationship while in her twenties had soured Ms. Hastings on marriage. In my last interview with Ms. Hastings this past month when I asked her about the rumor she told me she had only sleep two men in her life and one of those was such a horrible mistake that it changed her life forever. It's hard to believe I know but that was her story and no one has come forward to dispute it. Until recently she was seen regularly at social gatherings of the rich and famous always on the arm a handsome younger man. Sam as she was known to one and all will be sorely missed by the courtiers of Paris and her many friends around the world.

Ms. Hastings body is being flown to the United States where she will be buried in the Hastings family plot in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia."

Placing the clipping back in the envelope Jed unfolded the piece of stationary and read the four words. "Oh Sam," he said. After a moment to stanch the tears Jed put the piece of stationary back in the envelope with the clipping and then placed it into his briefcase and snapped it shut.

"Miss Everett I will not be back today," Jed said as he walked toward the bank of elevators.

Mo (Maureen) Harrington looked up in surprise when Jed entered her study where she was reading over the last chapter of her new novel before sending it to her editor. "What are you doing home at this time of day?"

"I'm going to the cottage. Call the office tomorrow and tell them I won't be in for a while. I don't know when I will be back. Is there plenty of scotch there?"

"There's always plenty of scotch at the cottage Jed. You want to tell me what this is all about?"

"No."

"Jed it's November, hardly the ideal time for going to the beach."

"It's the perfect time," said Jed. "I'm going up to pack. We still have clothes there don't we?"

"Yes but only a few winter things. There's a foul weather coat and sweaters of yours but I'm not sure what else for this time of year."

"That'll be enough."

Mo Harrington knew enough after more than thirty years together with Jed Harrington not to interfere. When Jed was in one of his wet paint moods you didn't touch. There hadn't been many thank God, but when they came it was best to allow him his space because he was going to take it in any event.

When he reappeared at her doorway carrying a suit case and his shaving kit Mo said, "The freezer and refrigerator are empty of course so you will need to stop at Johnson's to get bread, coffee cream, eggs and everyday stuff. What are you going to do about the power?"

"I called from our bedroom and told Miss Everett call them. If it's not on when I get there I'll start the generator."

"Will you be back for Thanksgiving? The children are coming you know." Will you be back at all Mo always wondered when Jed was in one of his wet paint moods. She still remembered the stories that others told of the time before they met.

"I'll call you," Jed said and then walked to his car and was gone.

Jed dumped the bags on the counter. Miss Everett must have been persuasive with the power company because it was on when he arrived. He checked and the refrigerator was already cool and the freezer was beginning to make ice. He put the bag of ice from Johnson's in the sink, cut it open and dropped a handful in a glass and poured it full of Cutty Sark. After a long pull from the glass he put it down and put away the groceries. He'd better get some heat going and turn on the water, he thought. Everything had been drained in preparation for winter. After adjusting the thermostat and getting water flowing he brought in wood from the side of the house to start a fire.

The cottage had been built in the 1920's and at the time the only source of heat were the fireplaces throughout the house. There had been a woodstove in the kitchen to cook on which put out enough heat to keep the kitchen and adjoining great room toasty. Jed's daddy had upgraded in the late fifties when Jed was a young child. Jed's daddy had liked the old woodstove and the sense of roughing it but his mother had refused to come to the cottage again unless something was done. Jed and his mother would come to the beach for a month in the summers with his daddy coming down on the weekends. Jed had modernized ten years ago because of the badgering of ths and Mo's children.

Staring into the fire Jed saw her face, exactly the way she had looked that first time he saw her and it seemed like only yesterday.

St. Christopher's and St. Catherine's were two nonsectarian private single sex prep schools in the Westhampton area of Richmond. They each had a large number of boarding students but the majority of each student body were day students. They each had classes for grades four through twelve. St. Catherine's held a series of fall dance socials each year to which were invited a fixed number of age appropriate St. Christopher's students. These were done by grade levels.