Read The Present for Free Online Page B

prime."

    "Deuced hard for me to get senile before you, old man, since you're the elder," Anthony pointed out with a good deal of pleasure.

    "By one bloody year," James was heard to reply before they walked into the parlor.

    Unlike their nieces and nephews, who were all in their bedclothes, James and Anthony were both still fully clothed, since neither had gone to bed yet. They had in fact been commiserating over a bottle of brandy in Jason's study, since they'd both found their bedroom doors locked to them, and had heard one too many creaks on the stairs not to investigate.

    They hadn't expected to find quite such a large gathering, however, and Anthony couldn't resist remarking, "My, my, now, what would draw so many children to this room in the middle of the night, I wonder? Jack and Judy aren't  hiding behind you, are they? D'you get the feeling these younguns think it's Christmas already, James?"

    James had already deduced what was causing so many red faces, and said, "Good God, take a gander at that, Tony. Even the Yank is blushing, damn me if he ain't."

    Warren sighed and glanced down at his wife. "You see what your silliness has caused, love? Those two will never let me live this down."

    "Course we will," Anthony replied with a wicked grin. "In ten or twenty years perhaps."

    "If I'm right about what's in The Present, then no one will be calling this silliness," Amy said.

    "What's in it?" Marshall piped up, staring at his sister. "You mean you've guessed what it is? You're not just here out of curiosity?"

    "I made the bet with Jeremy," Amy explained, as if that was explanation enough.

    It was actually, but Reggie reminded her, "Even after Uncle Jason pretty much forbade it?"

    Jeremy blinked. "Hell's bells, cousin, you didn't tell me I wasn't supposed to accept your wager."

    "Well, of course not, then you wouldn't have," Amy replied in perfect logic.

    And Warren added, "Don't even try to figure that out, Jeremy. When she gets one of her 'feelings,' she gives new meaning to the word 'determination.' "

    "Would have said 'mulish' myself, but I suppose you know her better than I these days."

    "Oh, bosh," Amy mumbled, giving them a disgusted  look. "You both will have my permission to eat your words, since I am going to be proven right."

    Reggie said, "You actually think The Present has something to do with our great-grandmother?"

    "I do," Amy replied excitedly. "When I first saw it, I had the feeling that it was important. But today I got the feeling that it was now related to my bet, so it must have something to do with Anna Malory."

    "Let's not talk it into the ground, children, or we'll be here all night," James said. "Just open the bloody thing and be done with it."

    Amy grinned at her uncle and did just that. But no one was expecting that under the wrapping, The Present would still be difficult to get at—under padlock to be exact.

    The silence that settled on the room as everyone stared bemusedly at the padlock on top of The Present was finally broken by one of James's drier tones as he said, "I take it no one has the key?"

    Whatever the gift was, it was bound tightly in thick leather that had been cut to fold over it in triangular flaps, each flap having a metal ring on the end of it that allowed the padlock to lock them all together. It was very old-looking leather. The padlock was also rusty, indicating it was very old as well, so obviously, whatever was under it would be just as old.

    That, of course, lent credence to Amy's feeling that The Present might be relevant to Anna Malory in some way. Yet no one could yet guess how, or what it was, and especially who had put it there. The shape of it could be a book, but why would someone lock up a book? It was more likely a book-shaped box with something smaller in it, something of great value, something, as far as Amy was concerned, that would point clearly to Anna Malory's true ancestry. She tried to lift one of the flaps a bit to see if she