| Marina Lemartin | ||||||||||||||
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The daughter of Pierre and Marissa LeMartin who died in a car accident in 1989, she was the only grandchild and heir to Jean-Luc LeMartin, an impoverished French baron, Marina decided the best way out of their family financial troubles was to kidnap and ransom an American millionaire. Unfortunately, the millionaire she chose was Richard Redstone, the alias being used by the all but broke immortal, Richie Ryan.
She needed 200,000 francs to save the 300 year old family chateau, and tried to convince the false millionaire to help her. She told him that if the ransom failed, she would have to marry the man who held the loan. She was the only thing he wanted more than money. Her naivete and her charm eventually won Richie over. After she engaged in a bit of necking while he was handcuffed to the 'best' bed in the chateau, Duncan MacLeod arrived searching for Richie. Richie then appealed to MacLeod for help, and he agreed to play the "millionaire's" secretary, and gave Marina with a check for the money.
When Marina and Richie presented the check to the loan holder, Carlo Capodimonte, he refused it, as they missed the deadline of the previous day. 10 million francs would be the new price of the chateau. Marina had no money, of course, and Richie was forced to tell Marina the truth about himself, and she acknowledged that it was not his fault as he never expected to be kidnapped.
Marina decided all she had left was herself, and she had to marry Carlo to save the chateau. Richie begged her not to, telling her he thought he was falling in love with her. "I don't know, Mac, she drugged me, kidnapped me, tied to me to a bed. If you ask me that's a pretty solid foundation for a relationship."
She walked away from Richie, determined on self sacrifice, thinking she had no other choice. MacLeod, however, noticed Carlo had the watch stolen from him 20 years previously. Mac and Richie then ran a con on Carlo involving a struggle for a gun, and the 'death' of MacLeod. Richie demanded the deed to the chateau, Carlo's removal to South America, and the stolen watch, and he would not call the police. Carlo agreed and fled.
Back at the chateau, Richie offered his help to Marina if she wanted to convert the place to a hotel. The baron and MacLeod, meanwhile, found a false wall in the wine cellar which was hiding a wealth of premium wines from before the second World War. The proceeds for which would pay for the renovations Marina hoped to complete of the chateau.
Hotel LeMartin opened in the spring of 1997.