Innocent Mistress. Margaret Way

Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Innocent Mistress - Margaret Way страница 10

Innocent Mistress - Margaret Way

Скачать книгу

paternity of a child other than his son, Ralph and his daughter Melinda. His wife, Myra, was so completely dominated she wouldn’t have given him a terrible time had he confided in her or simply produced a surprise offspring as a fait accompli.

      Jude groaned aloud. Lester Rogan wasn’t her father. He couldn’t be. He wouldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t his own father have known? His dad was one of the few people Lester Rogan had ever been known to confide in.

      So what was the story? He let his mind range over a half a dozen scenarios all of which he hated. Surely he hadn’t let a complete stranger get under his skin? He wasn’t ready for that kind of connection with any woman much less one who gazed into crystal balls. He was depressed, too that she had lied to him. He hated lies.

      Minutes later he arrived home. An old fishing mate of his father’s, Jimmy Dawson, though not a caretaker as such—Jimmy had his own little bungalow on the edge of the rain forest—kept the grounds under control. At least the jungle hadn’t set in. He got out to open the white picket gates, looking up with deep nostalgia at the handsome white house that stood tall against the turquoise sky. This was his much loved home right up until the time he had started his legal career in the state capital. Two storied it was surrounded by wide verandahs with a green painted galvanised roof and glossy emerald-green shutters to protect the pairs of French doors along the verandahs in times of tropical storms. A wide flight of six steps led to the porch.

      His mother had always kept two huge ceramic pots planted with masses of white flowers flanking the double doorway with its beautiful stained-glass transom. Towering palms stood in the large, very private grounds, the lawns a carpet of lush green. Obviously Jimmy had seen to the mowing. The wonderfully spectacular poincianas were in full bloom as were the flame trees. On either side of the house the magnolias carried great plate-sized blooms, creamy-white and resplendent over the rich dark green leaves burnished underneath.

      The flower beds had not survived although agapanthus, strelitzias, cannas, cassias and gardenias had gown back to the wild. The long fences on either side of the house were totally taken over by a dense screen of King Jasmine. Jude supposed the timber had rotted, teetering beneath the rampant vines which were so strong they were virtually self-supporting. It would be getting too much for Jimmy even with help. Jimmy was much older than Jude’s father, around seventy but wonderfully fit and wiry or he had been the last time Jude had seen him about a year ago. A year at Jimmy’s time of life was a long time.

      He had rung Jimmy to let him know he was coming. The house had been aired. There was milk, butter, cheddar cheese, bacon and eggs, a whole roasted chicken, a bottle of chardonnay, four jars of cumquat marmalade in the frig—cumquat marmalade, brandied cumquats, pickled cumquats, you name it, cumquats were the base of Jimmy’s home made specialties—Jimmy like his dad didn’t bother growing the miniature fruit in pots like some people. He grew them in long hedges as a windbreak, always teeming with fruit or flower. Jude looked in the bread bin, found a fresh loaf. There was tea and coffee in the pantry, a few more groceries and a bottle of whiskey—he laughed at that.

      Jimmy was a great guy, an honourary uncle to him when he was growing up. His throat tightened with affection and gratitude. Jimmy had been organised to go fishing with his dad that terrible day only another friend of Jimmy’s had stumbled over a snake on his way home from the pub and got bitten for his trouble. Jimmy, being a drinker, was on hand to get his friend to the hospital. The rest was history.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4Q9LRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDExOjA5 OjI5IDA5OjMwOjMzAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAg2gAwAEAAAAAQAAArwAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAOHQAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAYAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMMKQ5UR5qTeU56IKJJdtCI0NZqdShAbXknvwousO4ykq6bPqFSa5yrsdKsM EpL4m2bXjgookCW6jwQHCOEWl3YoLweiet25M6x1Nniw9lCqW27Ud7BY0juEGQWY6bhkx7Xt3N4T kxzwq1LjW/ae/KtJFdE2H//QwXCWpq7CNHaqYUXV6y1OehTCHBDspsmQNw8kzS5pRW2lJOh3Wqot 7iB5lWg1rBqZKELHHRqmG+JkpL4gDZfV2pTgw5S0DVBgL3aILmyxv6cnwaEYGLAP3h+RCqdue+OB AUy79LWP9eEGaO1+KO5sWT46o7DLQUO8cFTr+gl0SNJF/9HBEqYJTBSE9k56FNjY+Rl2GrHqNtgY 6wsbE7WDdYW7o3bW/mfTT141tmJZnMq3YtLmssukBoc/+bbzud/ZR+k5lmFkXZLbBXazGt+zmJm7 2PoZ/bcxall/Rn4uT0ynILMK63Hs3Fpaf0mQb8za33/0HBGNjfy/RSWynISoRJFx1AvTi9f/AKC5 v7L6kL8fGdQa7cusW47CWjcwhz95cXba/bW/cy3Y9n56l9hyWlkNY5r6zc24WVmn02u9Ky05LX+i 3Zb+i2b/AFfU/R+mtOjquBk59Ode1+NZTl3X/prPVBryarGPrbsqp2V0XVYzfR/4f+cQGZmNb0+r He6nGc/FbSaSC2mqyjJblt3/AM57OoV/zln6T9P/ADn6NBInlsXCtuLS64uLb+7FqN6Z1G3MrwhV uvuaLKWtc0texzTay2u7d6T63sb7ff8A8H/OKWPg5VtAtx2sIfaMdpfZXXNpaLBQxt7691uwq1Z1 Dp2KH244rfe+imgswnei0Wb35WVkUWPquY1jfRxKPZV+k9WxWqeodOb+lY2u5tvVG5zqbGlxqbbS 31y36LPUxMh1tbP5z+aZ+jSV7uT9GNkjeuv6X6TQowr68dllmyv1JIbZYxj9HuodNT3C1uy1j2P3 MUcjHuoyahbs94D2BljLDtcA9lh9Jz9rLGO3V7vpq3mXV/s+utl2Lc+ltrH2WA/anE5F1rbKXOb/ AIauxl30/wDCWKtfZXflUvrdubXi47HHwfXUyuxn9h4Q8WeM5EiNChKXQ7RPoY3DRvxUmaNCazXa peSTYrUv/9LBBPYpw9w7BLaCn9PwKc9

Скачать книгу