NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Danielle Steel’s thrilling novel, a woman’s legacy—shaped by tragedy, fortitude, and undying devotion—transforms lives and hearts long after she is gone, and fulfills at last her most precious bequest. Faded photographs of a glamorous couple in postwar Europe. Old letters hinting of tragic loss. And a breathtaking array of magnificent jewelry, spectacular stones in exquisite settings. These are the contents of a safe-deposit box long abandoned in a New York City bank. If no heir can be identified, the jewelry will be auctioned. But who was the woman who left such a fortune and no will? Two people, drawn together by chance, begin to unravel the mystery. Jane Willoughby is a law clerk at the surrogate’s court and Phillip Lawton a fine arts expert for Christie’s auction house. They are simply doing their jobs when they come to the bank to inspect the contents of the box. But for both Jane and Phillip the search turns personal—and their efforts to reconstruct an enigmatic life will lead from New York to London and Paris, to Rome and Naples, and a series of stunning revelations. Eighteen-year-old Marguerite Pearson left America with a broken heart in the shadow of World War II. She found a new life in Europe but forever mourned what she left behind. As the truth about Marguerite’s extraordinary history—her forbidden love affair and her family’s treachery—is slowly revealed, more people are drawn into the puzzle that Jane and Phillip have pieced together, and one among them will inherit the most unexpected gift of all.

An abandoned safe-box in a New York City bank is opened to reveal a treasure trove - a bundle of old letters, photographs and a collection of priceless jewellery. Among the stunning jewels are a wedding ring and a locket with a baby photograph in it. But there is no will in the box, nor anything that refers to a next of kin. Charged with discovering more, court clerk Jane Willoughby is caught up in the mystery of the box's owner. She discovers that she was Marguerite Wallace Pearson di San Pignelli, who married an Italian count and lived in a chateau in Naples until he died, when she returned permanently to the States. She is no longer living, and Jane is sad to think that these most precious possessions are to be sold off. Why did Marguerite never claim them? Had she no one to leave them to? Jane arranges for the jewellery to be valued by Christie's auctioneer Philip Lawton, in preparation for a sale. Thrown together, Jane and Philip's curiosity about Marguerite's story grows. But neither of them could imagine where the contents of the box could lead them . . . or how it will change their lives forever.

Reproduction of the original.

Reproduction of the original.

Reproduction of the original.

Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.