The Secret of Haversham House by Julie Matern

Author:Julie Matern
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing
Published: 2018-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

UV

ITALY

Giorgio swatted the doctor away. “I am well! Stop this fussing!”

“You are not well, Signore. You have suffered several small heart attacks over the last month. You are very lucky that you did not die in France.”

Giorgio tutted in disgust.

“I plead with you not to take what I have said lightly, Giorgio. You must rest. It is rest or death. I cannot state it any plainer than that. I could, perhaps, find you a nurse?”

“I have plenty of servants who can minister to me without hiring a nurse like an invalid!”

The doctor, who had been a close friend of Giorgio’s for thirty years, paused as he put his equipment back in his bag and turned his head, “You are an invalid, my old friend, and if you do not obey my orders I will no longer be able to enjoy a leisurely drink with you. Instead, I will be giving the eulogy at your funeral.”

“Bah, what nonsense! I am fit as a fiddle.”

“Come, you know that you are not. You must rest; your heart is in a delicate state, and it needs time to recover.”

He had finished packing his bag and sat down in an arm chair. “Now, tell me what you have learned on your travels.”

Giorgio’s drooping countenance lifted, and he leaned back in his chair and smiled like a cat, making a tent of his fingers, elbows on the arms of the chair. He recounted in detail all his journeys, the dead ends and frustrations and finally discovering what had happened to the baby. The doctor made the appropriate noises of interest and surprise. “What will you do now?”

“I would have traveled to England as soon as possible”—the doctor shook his head in alarm—“but I see that such a journey would be too risky.” The doctor’s lined face relaxed. “Therefore, I will send my estate manager, Mario, as there is no one else I trust as much, except you, my old friend, and you cannot possibly go. Mario will travel to England and make inquiries as to where this Haversham House is situated and then present the facts to the family. I will request that the child come to me in haste as I am on death’s door”—he winked at the doctor, who shook his head again, but smiled—“and am unable to travel and he will explain that she is my heir.”

“What if she will not come?”

“What nonsense, of course she will come! She is the heiress to a vast vineyard. I know the English. They like money!”

“She may not need money. Have you considered that she may not know she was adopted? The English may be fond of money, but I believe they put blood, blue blood, above all else. You may stir up a hornet’s nest, the consequences of which you cannot possibly foresee. Her parents may even prevent their daughter from ever hearing the news.”

“Ever playing devil’s advocate, Alberto. In that case, I will send my manager with a prayer and pray continually while he is gone, that God may bless him that she may learn her true heritage.

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