Willow (DeBeers 1)

"I'm in graduate studies," I said, trying to pull the words back into my mouth almost as soon as they left my lips. How many lies would my big lie beget?

"Graduate studies?" He shook his head, "The sort of project you're doing sounds like graduate level, all right. What are you aiming to become?'

"Psychologist," I said.

"Then you have come to the right place." he said. His eves twinkled a bit, and then he put down his tumbler of water and stood up. "Would you like to see the grounds?"

I hesitated.

"You could ask me questions about Palm Beach society, and I'll give you truthful and full responses. Tape me, if you like," he said. "You do have a tape recorder, don't you?"

"No."

"I don't see a notebook, either. Committing everything to memory?"

"It was supposed to be an introductory meeting," I said quickly.

"Good idea," he said. "Establish rapport first. That's very smart. Miss Amou. Amou? Has to do with love, doesn't it? What an unusual name, or is it a name that fits your personality?"

"Maybe I shouldn't take up any more of your time."

"No, it's fine. I'm between things, and I need a break after the tiring case I just described." he said. smiling, "Come on. We'll go out through the loggia at the rear of the house."

I rose and walked with him.

"Most of the estate homes here were built in Mediterranean Revival, British Colonial, Georgian. Monterey. and Bermudan styles. As you can see from this home-- mansion. I should say-- they're all designed to take advantage of the weather, catching the breezes and the sunlight. That's why you usually have so many windows. This house with its rambling effect, the wings with varied roof heights, seems more like a small village, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yes. You seem to know a great deal about Palm Beach."

"Born and bred, along with my older sister. Whitney. She's married to Hans Shugar, a trust baby who inherited the Shugar detergent fortune. It's a German company, but the products are said

throughout Europe and the Far East. They live on El Vedado, one of the Three Ells, three streets that run parallel from South Ocean Boulevard to Lake Worth... the neighborhood for the bluest of the blue bloods. Hans bought a mansion for four million and ripped it down to build their Georgian estate," he said with a bit of a smirk.

"You sound disapproving."

"My sister is beyond spoiled. She's in a class by herself. She wanted to live there, but there was no house she liked. You will soon discover that people here have a different view of money. It's almost an annoyance to have to go through a bank or exchange to get what you want. You get the feeling they believe they should be able to wave their hands, much less a wand, at whatever they want, and it should just come to them."

"I take it back. You're not disapproving. You're bitter, Why?"

He looked as if he were going to tell me something dreadful for a moment and then quickly smiled.

"No, not really. I'm amused. Well, there it is," he said, holding up his arm and sweeping it about as we stood on the patio.

The ocean. We have nearly two hundred feet of private beach, but the beach to the right is rarely used by anyone, so it's as good as having a thousand or more."

I gazed at the water and then looked over at the pool which had its own loggia that included a sitting area and a dining table. There were probably kings and queens in the world who didn't have as much as this or a home as beautiful. I thought.

As if he could read my thoughts. Thatcher added. "Before the Montgomery family came to own this, it was owned by a French count who modeled it after a home of his on the Cate d'Azur. Winston Montgomery added to the house and built that oversized beach house as a residence for servants."

I looked to my left at the building in which my real mother now resided with her son. Anywhere else in America, it would be a fine-looking home, but in the shadow of this exquisite and magnificent estate, it looked almost drab.

"What does she do?"

"Who?"

"Grace Montgomery," I said.

"Keeps house for her son and herself is all. I guess. She's a nice lady, quiet, keeps to herself. She's had a hard life."