The Samurai Inheritance Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: James Douglas
about us . We do things together. We enjoy each other’s company. And that’s about it. When I lie next to you I can hear you breathe and I can feel your heart beating, but I don’t know what you’re thinking or feeling. You’re a lovely person and you have great qualities, but showing your emotions isn’t one of them. I thought spending two weeks together would give me a chance to get to know the real Jamie Saintclair.’ She noticed the concern on Lizzie’s face as she contemplated the two adults and the smile reappeared. ‘Lizzie, honey, why don’t you go and play with the ducks for a second?’
Jamie put a hand on her arm. ‘No. Let’s go and get some more ice cream instead.’ The little girl’s eyes lit up and she skipped away a few metres towards a vendor dispensing his wares from under a brightly coloured umbrella. Jamie got to his feet, brushing grass from his trousers and offered Fiona his hand to help her up. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, taking her by the waist and leaning over to kiss her cheek. ‘You’re right. I’ve behaved like a selfish idiot. I’m too used to just thinking about yours truly.’ He slipped his hand into the inside pocket of the cotton jacket and pulled out his mobile phone. ‘I’ll call Devlin now and tell him the deal’s off. Family comes first.’
‘Devlin?’ She stopped and looked at him.
‘Yes, Keith Devlin, have you heard of him?’
‘Of course I’ve heard of him; he’s one of the most famous men in Australia. He turned the family firm into an international conglomerate and is probably the country’s biggest philanthropist. It was the Devlin Foundation who originally paid me to come to Britain to study. He set it up as a charitable trust to promote the arts and sciences. His big interest is creating a more environmentally sustainable mining industry. Keith Devlin is inviting us to his private island?’
‘That was the plan.’ Jamie continued to tap Devlin’s number into the mobile. ‘For the two weeks I was away you’d have been ferried round the country by private jet. After that we’d meet up in Queensland, do the national park thing and then head out to the island, sit in a hot tub, drink beer and … whatever.’ He put the phone to his ear. ‘But I’ll tell him it’s a no-go.’
She reached across and gently removed the machine from his fingers and hit cancel. ‘Let’s not be too hasty. Two weeks isn’t that long and I like the sound of “whatever”.’
‘But what about finding the real me?’ He gave her a sideways glance.
‘Bastard,’ she said lightly, punching him on the shoulder. ‘You set this up. Waited until I’d got all my girly emotion out of the way and then dangled Keith Devlin in front of me like a juicy piece of mackerel in front of a hungry barracuda. And I swallowed it hook, line and sinker.’
‘That’s much too devious for me. You must be thinking of a different real Jamie Saintclair, the one who went to the Machiavelli School of Social Engineering. A lovely man with nice qualities would never consider such a thing.’
‘When do you leave?’
‘I’m booked on the afternoon flight to Berlin tomorrow.’
‘Good,’ she said, all businesslike now. ‘The sooner you’re gone, the sooner you’re back. I’m looking forward to spending two weeks in our hot tub finding the real Jamie Saintclair.’
‘I think he might be a bit wrinkly.’ He grinned. He looked over to where Lizzie was squatting next to a sleeping duck. ‘How will you square it with her?’
‘Oh, Lizzie takes after her mum,’ Fiona laughed. ‘The promise of another ice cream and a cuddle from a koala and she’ll be wriggling in the net in no time. Come on,’ she pulled him by the hand, ‘we have some heavy-duty sightseeing to do. That little lady has been staying up too late. It’s bed by eight tonight.’
‘Now who’s being devious?’
‘Mmmmh.’ She turned to him, stepping up close. ‘But I think you’ll find this is much more
Jamie put a hand on her arm. ‘No. Let’s go and get some more ice cream instead.’ The little girl’s eyes lit up and she skipped away a few metres towards a vendor dispensing his wares from under a brightly coloured umbrella. Jamie got to his feet, brushing grass from his trousers and offered Fiona his hand to help her up. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, taking her by the waist and leaning over to kiss her cheek. ‘You’re right. I’ve behaved like a selfish idiot. I’m too used to just thinking about yours truly.’ He slipped his hand into the inside pocket of the cotton jacket and pulled out his mobile phone. ‘I’ll call Devlin now and tell him the deal’s off. Family comes first.’
‘Devlin?’ She stopped and looked at him.
‘Yes, Keith Devlin, have you heard of him?’
‘Of course I’ve heard of him; he’s one of the most famous men in Australia. He turned the family firm into an international conglomerate and is probably the country’s biggest philanthropist. It was the Devlin Foundation who originally paid me to come to Britain to study. He set it up as a charitable trust to promote the arts and sciences. His big interest is creating a more environmentally sustainable mining industry. Keith Devlin is inviting us to his private island?’
‘That was the plan.’ Jamie continued to tap Devlin’s number into the mobile. ‘For the two weeks I was away you’d have been ferried round the country by private jet. After that we’d meet up in Queensland, do the national park thing and then head out to the island, sit in a hot tub, drink beer and … whatever.’ He put the phone to his ear. ‘But I’ll tell him it’s a no-go.’
She reached across and gently removed the machine from his fingers and hit cancel. ‘Let’s not be too hasty. Two weeks isn’t that long and I like the sound of “whatever”.’
‘But what about finding the real me?’ He gave her a sideways glance.
‘Bastard,’ she said lightly, punching him on the shoulder. ‘You set this up. Waited until I’d got all my girly emotion out of the way and then dangled Keith Devlin in front of me like a juicy piece of mackerel in front of a hungry barracuda. And I swallowed it hook, line and sinker.’
‘That’s much too devious for me. You must be thinking of a different real Jamie Saintclair, the one who went to the Machiavelli School of Social Engineering. A lovely man with nice qualities would never consider such a thing.’
‘When do you leave?’
‘I’m booked on the afternoon flight to Berlin tomorrow.’
‘Good,’ she said, all businesslike now. ‘The sooner you’re gone, the sooner you’re back. I’m looking forward to spending two weeks in our hot tub finding the real Jamie Saintclair.’
‘I think he might be a bit wrinkly.’ He grinned. He looked over to where Lizzie was squatting next to a sleeping duck. ‘How will you square it with her?’
‘Oh, Lizzie takes after her mum,’ Fiona laughed. ‘The promise of another ice cream and a cuddle from a koala and she’ll be wriggling in the net in no time. Come on,’ she pulled him by the hand, ‘we have some heavy-duty sightseeing to do. That little lady has been staying up too late. It’s bed by eight tonight.’
‘Now who’s being devious?’
‘Mmmmh.’ She turned to him, stepping up close. ‘But I think you’ll find this is much more