The last Vanderbilt

Prologue

"Just invite them all then!" I snapped. I was tired and overworked and I still didn't have the complete dining plan. My shoes sounded like the clack of horses hooves as I hurried down the main stairwell and I could barely hear the response of the butler as he struggled not to trip down the stairs while he focused on a long piece of paper trailing off a clipboard.
"Well ma'am of course that would be the best option, but as you know many of these people on the list are not eligible to dine with you or people of your status. Not only that but the house, however big, can't host this many people overnight. "
"I know, Coolage, because you have told me at least ten times in as many minutes. Just invite them all." I turned to him, looked him straight in the eyes and he stopped dead in his tracks. "This is place will not be turned into another place built off of how much money you have or other crap like that, do you understand? Invite them all."
"Ye..yes ma'am, sorry ma'am." The butler scurried away and I stood for a moment, breathing deeply in my moment of solitude.
"Miss Vanderbilt, they are ready for you." My assistant came bustling toward me and I sighed, so much for solitude. "Here miss," she tugged in my arm and led me roughly to a mirror above a fireplace in the gun room. She took out a clothing brush and started sweeping and smoothing out my impeccable black suit. "Anything you want me to do to your hair miss, we have about 5 minutes,"
"No, thank you, Kathy, I'll just leave it straight."
"Ok, you should get going then."
"On my way." I walked purposely out of the gun room and through the extensive rooms of my house to the main entrance, wishing I had taken the 5 minutes to duck into the elevator and have a smoke. When I reached the huge front door it was pulled open for me by two servants. Stepping down the stairs and under the massive archway I emerged into the light and was immediately blinded by the sun and flashes of cameras.
"Miss Vanderbilt! Miss Vanderbilt!" Cries echoed toward me. I took a deep breath, calm.
"Roll the cameras," I said with conviction.
"Annnd, action!" A voice called and the crowd quieted almost at once.
"Hello," I said clearly, "my name is Althea Vanderbilt, I am the great great great granddaughter of George and Edith Vanderbilt and the owner and heir of Biltmore Estate.
"Tonight marks a very important day in the history of Biltmore. Yes it will be closed to the public as a museum and historical landmark, but it will be open to the public once more as my home and grounds. I am officially restarting the Vanderbilt tradition of hosting and turning this manor into what it once was. A place of parties and happiness and family. Just like your aunts house you go to at Christmas time, if your aunt lived in the biggest privately owned house in America." The crowd tittered, "Tonight, at 6:00 o'clock, I will host the first ever private Vanderbilt party for a long time.
"The estate will of course be open for Christmas and visitors may stroll along the grounds as they please, but I will be closing the house tours and moving in myself. I look forward to this new chapter of my family's legacy and hope to see you tonight, wear your ball gowns." I turned dramatically and walked back into my house. My heart was beating very fast. Sadly I would probably never get used to talking in front of crowds.
I heard the fast approaching tapping sound of Kathy's shoes and made a split second decision. Bending down I pulled of my black high heels and stuffed them in a vase on the marble floor. Turning silently in my now bear feet I sprinted up the main stairs. Sometimes it's good to be a child again.
Panting I pushed open the door at the top of the front tower, the one leading from George Vanderbilt's private observatory to his private balcony. Leaning against the granite rail I watched the news vans drive away, hopefully they wouldn't have to bother me again for a long while.
I checked my watch, 4 hours until guests would start arriving. That gave me at least 2 and a half hours of free time before I had to start dressing.
A breeze rustled my short hair and I gazed out across the huge strip of field directly in front of the house. It reached far back into the woods to a tiny vine covered gazebo sheltering a statue of Artemis the goddess and a faithful hound. It had been my favorite place when I was little, the perfect place to get away. But that was a long time ago and I would do well to forget it. 1897 was over a hundred years in the past and dwelling on my memories of a childhood in the years right after the construction of Biltmore was not what I need right now, what I needed was a drink, and a smoke.