Tobias felt a stab of guilt when he watched Tris and her parents and realized that he'd missed it. Tris wasn't feeling ill; she was upset about her family, and he'd been so caught up in her worry about losing her that he hadn't seen it, and hadn't been a comfort to her. He'd never had a family that he cared about, but Tris did. She didn't want to escape from the difficult ones, she wanted them restored - the family they should have been all along. She wanted a whole, healthy family. Tris, Andrew, and Natalie were devastated by the hurtful choices Caleb and Jeanine had made and were continuing to make.
The original plan was to spend a day together in Zanzibar before making another overnight flight back to Albania, but the news about Caleb and Jeanine altered that. Natalie, Andrew, and Tris were all too upset for a day of sightseeing. Amar had lunch delivered to the plane, and they ate together while the staff and flight crew worked on changing plans so they could go back to Albania sooner.
They flew all afternoon and evening. The men monitored new developments in the investigation. Natalie periodically cried as she thought about her son and his involvement in the scandal. Natalie's tears triggered Tris' tears. It was a somber flight, and no one ate much of their dinner.
At one point, the men were absorbed in a discussion, and Tris went to sit by her mother on the couch. Natalie leaned into her daughter and patted her on the leg. Tris yelped and pulled away hard, catching the attention of everyone in the cabin.
"Sorry," she said, blushing at the sudden attention. "I got stung by a jellyfish."
"Oh sweet girl," Natalie said, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Tris replied. "You didn't know. It just happened yesterday."
She pulled up her skirt a bit, and Natalie gasped at the wild red squiggle mark covering the side of Tris' thigh.
"It'll fade in a couple days," Tris assured her mom. "It's really not a big deal, it's just tender."
"It is a big deal," Tobias scolded from his seat at the table. "She had an allergic reaction to it. We had to get the resort nurse to come. I almost called in a helicopter to take her to the hospital, but Benadryl was enough. We took her to the hospital this morning to be sure, and the doctor wants her to see an allergy specialist when we get home. She may need to carry an EpiPen."
"When I go to the beach," Tris elaborated, rolling her eyes, "not all the time."
"I have a feeling you won't be swimming in the ocean again any time soon," Natalie said with an amused little smile as the men went back to their discussion. "I don't think your husband is in a hurry to go through that again."
Tris laughed dryly. "You're going to have to help me," she said. "I'm afraid he'll try to lock me in a tower when we get home. His life goal is to never let anything bad happen to me. I guess it scared him pretty bad."
"Hmm," Natalie said thoughtfully. "Tobias lost his mother as a young child. That has a long-term scarring effect on a person. I hope you're being patient with him, Beatrice."
"Beatrice!" Tris said brightly, remembering the baby hippo and completely forgetting what else they were talking about. She took out her phone and told Natalie all about Cairo, Zanzibar, and their safari day in Tanzania.
Natalie pulled out her own phone and told Tris about Rome, London, and Paris. Tris had been to Rome and London, so they compared notes on the two beautiful and historic cities.
"Was it strange traveling with staff?" Tris asked quietly. Rebekah and Jorik were both on the flight, though they were seated closer to the cockpit and looked to be engaged in a conversation of their own.
"Surprisingly no," Natalie said. "Rebekah and Jorik are very sweet. Your father and I are used to having you and Caleb with us. It felt a lot like that."
The two women sobered again at the thought of Caleb.
"Jeanine knew what she was doing was wrong," Tris said sadly. "She'd done many drug trials over the years. If she really did swap out the drugs to do secret testing - and it looks like she did - that was… That was blatant, Mom. Deliberate. That means she knew the drug was too dangerous to get its own approval for testing, but she did it anyway. She killed someone."
"I know," Natalie said sadly.
.
Two SUVs of luggage and tired travelers arrived at the Eaton estate after eleven o'clock that night, and everyone went straight to bed.
Tris woke up alone the next morning. For a moment she was sad, then she saw the clock. It was after ten in the morning. She also saw a vase of pink flowers on her nightstand, and a note from Tobias.
Tris,
I hate to leave you to wake up alone, but I know you need to sleep, and I have to catch up on some things. I'm in the office here in the house if you need anything. I love you.
Your husband,
Tobias
Tris smiled at the closing signature. Your husband. Every time Tobias emphasized their new roles as husband and wife, or got excited about Tris saying things like "ours" and "home," it reminded her just how alone he'd been all his life, and just how deep his affection deficit was. He was so unbelievably happy to have someone share his life, and it made Tris both happy and sad.
Tris had offered to sign a prenuptial agreement before their wedding. She told Tobias that she had every intention of spending the rest of her life by his side, but that she wanted him to know for certain that she wasn't after his fortune. She would be happy to sign legal documents to that effect. He had refused. Flat-out refused.
"I know you," he'd said. "I know your heart and I trust your love. I don't need legal protection, and I have enough faith in us that I don't want it, either."
Tris smiled thinking about her husband and their new life together. She hurried through a shower, put on a cute but casual outfit, and went looking for everyone.
The house was quiet. Tris wandered from room to room, and was impressed with how clean everything was. One would never guess the chaos of guests and wedding celebrations that took place there just a week earlier.
She came across Besa, one of the part-time cleaning girls, dusting the formal dining room. Tris greeted her in Albanian and asked if she knew where everyone was.
"Zoti Eaton po punon në zyrën e tij," (Mr. Eaton is working in his office), the maid said shyly. "Zoti dhe Zonja Prior kanë shkuar për shëtitje. Zonja Roza është në kuzhinë. Zoti Amar dhe Rebekah po takohen në dhomën e punës."
(Mr. and Mrs. Prior have gone for a walk. Ms. Roza is in the kitchen. Mr. Amar and Rebekah are meeting in the workroom)
Tris smiled and thanked the young housemaid. Besa was the quietest of the cleaning girls. She always seemed reluctant to speak with Tris, and was flat-out terrified of Tobias. Tris did her best to notice the young woman and have a simple, friendly exchange when she saw her. She didn't want any of the staff to fear her, Tobias, or Amar and Roza. The language barrier didn't help, but her sweet disposition did, and her Albanian was improving.
Tris found Roza in the kitchen, just as Besa had said. She wished the housekeeper a good morning, and Roza returned the greeting while handing Tris a cup of coffee. They spoke for a few minutes about Tris and Tobias' travels, lunch, and the events of the upcoming week. Tris thanked the housekeeper for all her hard work.
They were going over menu plans for the week when Tobias walked in. He greeted his wife with a kiss and asked what she was up to.
"Roza and I were just going over the meal plans for the week," Tris said.
Tobias grinned. "My little housewife," he teased, nuzzling Tris' neck.
"Yes," Tris said. "The millionaire housewife - going over meal plans with the housekeeper who does the actual work around here."
Roza chuckled. "Where would you like lunch served today, Mrs. Eaton?" she asked with false formality.
Tobias laughed heartily. "I knew I picked the right girl to marry," he said.
"I never knew I had competition," Tris said.
"You've never had any competition," Tobias assured her. "I've been in love with you since you opened the door in your old pajama shorts, with your hair all wild, and yelled at me."
It was Tris' turn to laugh. "That's actually how we met," she told Roza. "Tobias showed up at my door, and I answered it in pajamas. I thought it was a prank, and I yelled at him to go away. Fortunately, he's stubborn."
"There's a lot more to that story," Tobias said as Andrew and Natalie walked into the kitchen.
"We thought we heard you in here," Andrew said. His arm was around his wife, and Tris could see that Natalie was upset.
"Any news?" Tobias asked. It was early in the morning back in Chicago, but the looks on Andrew and Natalie's faces said that they'd either had news or had been thinking about the situation with Caleb.
"Yeah," Andrew said sadly. "Caleb called. He's been fired by Erudite Labs. He wants to go home and wait out the situation. Nat and I think it would be best if we went home, too. He needs us right now, and we think we should take this opportunity to hopefully talk some sense into him since he won't be under my sister's influence."
"How soon do you want to go?" Tobias asked, putting his arm around Tris in case she needed his support hearing that her parents were leaving. "I can have the plane ready in a few hours, or a few days. I can even have them stop and pick up Caleb on your way. With the private jet you'll have room for most of his belongings, too. Not big furniture, of course, but we can rent him a storage unit or something if he needs to leave his place, and he can bring all his personal belongings home."
Andrew sighed and Natalie wiped her eyes. "That would make things a lot easier - for all of us," Tris' dad said. "We should leave as soon as possible. To tell you the truth, I've been worried about the logistics. I thought since we were messing up everyone's plans we'd have to buy tickets home for us and for Caleb, and I had no idea how to get his stuff. I mean, he lives with Jeanine, so there isn't much furniture or anything, but it would be nice to take everything so he doesn't have to go back."
"Of course," Tobias said, "anything you need. You're family now."
"Tris?" Natalie asked, looking at her daughter.
"I think you're right," Tris said. "If Caleb needs you, you should go. And of course we'll send the jet with you."
"Do you want to go with them?" Tobias reluctantly offered his wife.
Tris shook her head. "We have the art opening at the end of the week. I have things to do for the party, and I don't want to be jetlagged."
"I'm sorry we're going to miss your art opening," Andrew said to his daughter.
"It's not like I painted the art," Tris said. "It's a party and a show, and you've seen the paintings. It'll be fine, really."
Tobias tapped at his phone, and Amar and Rebekah arrived a few minutes later.
"Mr. and Mrs. Prior need to return home," Tobias said. "As soon as possible, actually. They'll need to make a stop in Erudite to pick up Tris' brother. Arrange a car for Caleb, and one to get the three of them home from the airport."
"I'll check with the girls," Rebekah offered, snapping into action. "They were doing laundry this morning. I'll make sure you have all your things."
"Lunch is ready in a few minutes," Roza added. "Would you like to eat together, or should I prepare a tray so you can eat while you pack?"
"I… I think we should eat with Beatrice and Tobias," Natalie said. "I don't know when I'll see my daughter again."
Tears streamed down Natalie's face, and Andrew put his arm around his wife. "I'm sorry," Natalie said. "I knew this would be hard, but I didn't know… I didn't know... My sweet girl!"
Natalie burst into sobs, and Tris jumped up and threw her arms around her mom.
Tobias watched helplessly. This isn't about me, he reminded himself, repeating the words in every language he could just to keep himself calm.
When Tris and Natalie pulled apart, Tris turned to Tobias, and he opened his arms to her. She smiled softly as she stepped into his embrace, and Tobias startled as he realized that Tris wasn't crying.
"I'm going to miss them," Tris whispered up at her husband, "but I'm glad to be here. I love you."
"I love you," Tobias murmured in return.
.
After lunch, Jorik drove the Priors to the airport. Tris and Tobias stood on the front step and waved as they drove away, and Tobias kept an arm around his wife.
"How are you doing?" he asked Tris.
"I'm fine," she said, leaning into her husband. "It was right for them to go home; Caleb needs them."
"I need to go over some things for the art opening," Tobias said reluctantly. "Will you come with me? I'd love to have your input."
"I'd love to," Tris said.
.
The rest of the week passed quickly. Tris and Tobias threw themselves into preparing for the art opening. Tris had a fitting for her party dress. Tobias fielded calls from the museum's event coordinator.
Tobias and the museum staff had been interviewed by several art magazines when the show was first announced. On the week of the opening, Tris, Tobias, and the museum director were scheduled for a television interview on an Albanian morning show. The museum director spoke little English, so when Dutch, British, and American media also requested interviews, that fell to Tobias and Tris.
The art opening was on a Friday, and the television interviews were scheduled for Thursday, so on Wednesday Tris, Tobias, Rebekah, and Amar left for Tirana. They checked into a beautiful suite at the Plaza hotel.
A manicurist came to do Tris' nails while Tobias and Amar prepared things with the television people. All four interviews would take place live, and all of them at the studio where Albania's most popular morning show took place. The first interview would be with the local show, and Tris had received her questions in advance. The show would be most Albanians' first introduction to the new Mrs. Eaton, and the station knew that Tris' Albanian was good but not exactly fluent, so they'd chosen some softball questions for her and sent them ahead of time so she could practice her answers.
As the manicurist painted Tris' nails, Rebekah quizzed her until they were both satisfied with her ability to answer the questions without messing up verb tenses or pronouns.
In the afternoon they went to the art museum to go over last-minute details. The exhibit was all set up, and the party was being prepared. The museum staff seemed to have everything under control, so the couple offered their thanks, reminded the staff of their willingness to help, then got out of the way.
"We need to do something for the museum staff," Tris said when they were back in the car.
"What do you have in mind?" Tobias asked, smiling softly at his wife's generous nature.
"I was thinking we should have lunch delivered on Friday," Tris said, "when they're running around doing last-minute party preparations. Then something on Saturday, like gift baskets or notes with gift cards to say thank you after the opening reception. Then maybe something again on Tuesday, when the show opens to the public, as a reminder that they're on the front line of Albania's hot new tourism lure."
"I love your heart," Tobias said.
"I hope so," Tris flirted, "because it's yours now."
.
Leo and Anikka Van de Brakke flew in on Wednesday. Because Van Gogh was Dutch and the Van Gogh museum is in the Netherlands, there was a lot of interest there in the long-lost Van Gogh painting. The Eatons had an interview scheduled with a Dutch program, and Leo had offered to serve as their interpreter since neither Tris nor Tobias spoke Dutch.
On Wednesday night the two couples had dinner together. They talked a little about business, but mostly about art, travel, and the Van de Brakke's two young daughters, who were back home with their oma and opa (grandparents).
.
Tris and Tobias were up before the sun on Thursday and in hair and makeup chairs at the television studio. Tobias wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and dark tie. Tris wore a grey-blue short-sleeved Brooks Brothers dress that matched her eyes.
The Albanian interview went well. The museum director talked about the exhibit. Tobias explained how they found the paintings and Tori recognized the lost Van Gogh. Tris' questions came last, and Tobias squeezed her hand as she smiled at the reporter.
"Zonja Eaton, e kuptoj që sapo u martuat," (Mrs. Eaton, I understand that you just recently got married) the show's host said.
"Po," (yes) Tris said with a broad smile. "Tobias dhe unë u lindëm dy javë më parë." (Tobias and I got married two weeks ago.)
"Ju flisni shumë mirë shqip" (You speak Albanian very well), he complimented.
"Faleminderit. Shqipëria është shtëpia ime tani, kështu që unë kam studiuar gjuhën,"
(Thank you. Albania is my home now, so I have been studying the language), Tris replied.
"Si po e pëlqeni Shqipërinë deri më tani?" (How are you liking Albania so far?) the host pressed.
"Countryshtë një vend i bukur dhe njerëzit kanë qenë shumë të sjellshëm,"
(It is a beautiful country, and the people have been very kind), Tris said, relieved that her portion of the interview was over.
"Mirësevini në Shqipëri, Zonja Eaton. Shpresojmë që këtu të jeni shumë të lumtur,"
(Welcome to Albania, Mrs. Eaton. We hope that you will be very happy here), the host concluded.
He added a closing comment about the art exhibit's hours and location, thanked his guests, and sent the show to commercial.
When the director announced the all clear, Tris looked at Tobias. "Perfect," he assured his wife.
After the Albanian segment, Tris and Tobias were hustled to a smaller studio, and they prepared to repeat the process over video for a show in England. Tris was far more relaxed with the English-speaking hosts, which was good, because without the museum director participating she had to do more of the interview.
After the English show, they were interviewed by a Dutch morning show, and Leo Van de Brakke did the translating. That segment was longer as the Dutch were more interested in the show than the British. According to the host, there was a strong desire in the Netherlands to see the Van Gogh returned to its "rightful place" at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
"My grandfather bought the painting legally in 1937," Tobias said, then paused for Leo to translate. "It was lost for years because he hid it from the communists in Albania. We are excited to have it on display for the public here in Tirana. It will be on display here for three years, and my wife and I will make decisions about the painting's future after that.
"I would also like to say that the staff at the Van Gogh museum have been extremely helpful and supportive since we discovered the painting. Tris and I look forward to visiting Amsterdam in the near future so we can see more of their collection," Tobias concluded.
The host said a few more things in Dutch as Tris and Tobias continued to smile and wait, but Leo didn't translate any more, and the light on the camera went out as the monitor displayed a commercial.
"Good job!" Leo praised his friends.
"Thank you for translating," Tris said.
They had some time before the American interview, so they ordered lunch and took some time to relax together after Leo left.
As they ate, Tris brought up something she'd been worrying about. "What if they ask about Jeanine?" she asked Tobias.
"They won't," he assured his wife. "The studio agreed to discuss only the art show, though they're also allowed to ask about our wedding and things like that. I was specific about not discussing Jeanine, and they agreed not to."
"Oh good," Tris said as her shoulders relaxed.
After hair and makeup touch-ups, the newlyweds were back on the couch facing the camera and watching the American morning show's earliest hour on a monitor.
"Coming up after the break we have an interview with Tobias and Tris Eaton, owners of a Van Gogh painting that was long believed to be destroyed. Find out more about how they discovered the treasure and where it's going on display."
Hearing the teaser, the couple sat up straighter and linked hands.
The interview started out like the others had. The morning show host told the story of how the young couple found the art collection and realized that they owned a long-lost Van Gogh, then he introduced Tris and Tobias.
"Mrs. Eaton, I understand you're originally from the Chicago area," the host said.
"I am," Tris replied with a smile. "Tobias and I were married just two weeks ago, and I moved to Albania then."
A picture from their wedding appeared on the screen.
"And how are you adjusting to Albania?" the reporter asked. "Do you speak the language?"
"I've been studying for over a year," Tris said. "My Albanian is coming along, but I have a lot to learn. The country here is very beautiful, and the people have been kind and welcoming."
There were a few more questions, and Tobias talked about the art show.
The host turned his attention back to Tris. "Mrs. Eaton, I understand that your aunt is Jeanine Prior-Matthews, the woman recently arrested for killing a twenty-four-year-old research subject by switching her medications and dispensing a dangerous and untested substance without approval. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Tris felt Tobias tense beside her.