Sasha slowly exited the back of the luxury sedan with her mouth agape to greet her final shock of the day. “Uncle Camden lived here?”
The English Tudor seemed to come out of a Beatrix Potter novel. The brown-brick style open windows, nine-foot doors and exquisite masonry set it apart from all else. The home—no, she shook her head—the mansion would have fit perfectly in the North Lake District of England.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sasha’s attention shifted and her mouth closed as she focused on Jackson’s response. “Let’s make a deal. How about you never call me miss or ma’am and I won’t call you Jeeves?”
She watched as his bushy eyebrows rose and his brows jumped from flat to deep crested waves.
“As you wish,” he replied and then turned away to open the trunk.
Sasha stared at his back and half of her wanted to give up and scream. The other half ached to run for the nearest airport. However, she took a third option and surprised herself.
“As I wish?” She took a step closer and jabbed the man’s shoulder with her outstretched finger. “As I wish?” Her voice rose slightly. “If I could I’d be back on the Malay Peninsula observing tapirs foraging for food. I’d have my uncle back.” Tears popped out of her eyes. “That’s what I wish.” She sniffed. “And since I can’t have that, I’d just like to have a tissue, please.”
His expression softened and from out of nowhere a handkerchief appeared in Jackson’s hand. “I apologize. Camden’s loss has affected me more than I realized.”
“I didn’t even know that Uncle Camden was a millionaire. Sure as heck never dreamed that he’d leave this to me.”
“I know that Miss—Sasha. He told me of his plans months ago.”
“If that’s true, then why the attitude?”
“Because every creature in that house, the future of the foundation in Camden’s name depends on you. And for those pets to be properly cared for, you need to be here and not on the next flight to Singapore.”
The tide of anger, which had a few moments ago rushed in, rushed out just as quickly. “You overheard my conversation with the attorneys?”
Jackson’s look of offence couldn’t be mistaken. “I assure you that I’ve been called many things, but an eavesdropper has never been one of them.” He paused. “Your tickets were delivered to the hotel. I picked them up at the front desk.”
Sasha looked down at the driveway then back to Jackson. She’d been on the receiving end of so many apologies that day that she’d lost count. “I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted. Now I think we can continue our conversation inside. It’s a might bit nippy out here.”
As they crossed the threshold, Sasha opened her mouth to ask another question, but something big and furry rubbed against her leg. She looked down to see the high-flung tail and the wide body of a long-haired-crème-colored cat as it pranced out of the room. She watched as a small dog with a leash in its mouth trotted slowly past her and dropped the leash at Jackson’s feet. “Looks like someone needs a walk. If you’ll excuse me.”
The man left her standing alone under a two-story entrance foyer hung with a crystal chandelier that could have been plucked out of Buckingham Palace. While she tried to take some of the day’s events in, the glasses of iced tea she’d drunk at lunch hit her bladder less than a heartbeat later. All previous issues disappeared. Sasha did a complete 360-degree turn and her eyes sought the cat as it lay curled up on a carpet. “Know where the bathroom is?”
Chapter 4
“I love you more, hummingbird,” she repeated once again before hearing the tattletale click on the other end of the line. Barbara Clayton hung up the phone and walked outside the three-bedroom cottage she’d called home for the past decade. Her first instinct was to find her husband and tell him about Sasha’s phone call. But her second thoughts won out. Turning left, she exited the walled garden and started down the worn path that would take her to the beach.
Memories rode the wind. She recalled their university days. When Camden, Arthur and she had long talks in the university library about migratory birds and human encroachment on the national forests. Always short on money, and big on ideas, they’d talked about saving animals. Barbara sat on a flat rock, curled her legs up, and hugged them to her chest. Resting her head atop her knees she stared at the ocean as the salty twang brushed across her cheeks. Minutes or hours passed as she sat immersed in her memories until a shadow crossed her face.
“Hey, sweetheart, I looked for you in the house and I thought you might be here. What’s got that faraway expression on your eyes?”
“I was thinking about Camden.” She shook her head slowly. “I still can’t believe he’d dead.”
Her husband was silent for several moments. “I know.” He sat down, put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close. Even after over three decades of marriage, they still fit. She’d gained inches, he’d lost hair and they’d both lost sleep worrying about their work and daughter. But despite the ups and downs, she still felt that marrying him was the best thing she’d ever done.
Barbara laid her head on his shoulder and looked out over the sea. The waves continued to rise and fall, providing a semblance of something constant in a world of change. “Why did things have to end so badly?”
“Camden lied to us, butterfly.”
She smiled softly at his pet name for her. She studied birds and he studied bats, yet they both shared a passion for butterflies. “But I could forgive him that.”
“I could forgive a man for hiding the truth, but you can’t help wonder what else he’d hidden.”
“He was a good man.”
“Who did an excellent job of fooling us into thinking he was a run-of-the-mill British man bent on making up for his country’s past. But to find out that he’s from one of those wealthy families that were actually responsible for all the natural damage that we’re struggling to make right. It turns my stomach.”
“You can’t help what family you’re born into.”
“I made him my daughter’s godfather. He was a member of our family and he was keeping secrets. Now when I go to give a lecture, or I’m offered a position at a university, I question whether it’s because of my qualifications or Camden’s influence. Not to mention I can’t get over the fact that he funded Sasha’s scholarship and fellowship.”
She closed her eyes. Secrets. She still held one from her husband and if she didn’t tell him about Sasha’s being included in Camden’s will she’d have another secret.
Maybe when he calmed down.
She watched the waves knowing Miami was ninety miles in the distance. Her husband crossed his arms over his chest and stared toward the water. “Money is the root of evil. History has shown us that. Never doubt it. I’m just glad none of this ever touched Sasha.”
Barbara looked away and kept her mouth closed.
Chapter 5
The next morning the first thing Sasha did was to pick up the mobile phone and head into the large guest suite bathroom. “Lena, are you awake?”
“Would I answer the phone if I wasn’t?”
“Sorry to call you so early.”
“No, no, I need to get my lazy butt out of bed and head to the library.”