Title: IRISH JEWEL
Genre: Suspense
Author: Julie Ann James
About
the Book:
When Irish
Jewel opens, bride-to-be Amy Reid is living out a fairy tale. She’s engaged to be married to the love of
her life, Michael Cambridge, an Irishman. Michael, a member of one of Dublin’s
most prominent families and heir to the
Cambridge precious gem business, is everything a girl could dream of—and
more. He’s handsome, loving, charming,
smart, successful, and, as icing on the wedding cake, Amy and Michael will be
married in an elaborate ceremony in Dublin. This lavish, spare-no-expense event
will be an exquisite dream-come-true-affair—a beautiful beginning to their
lives together.
But this dream-come-true quickly turns into
a nightmare: what begins as a vague
threat quick escalates into something much more sinister. On the eve of what
should be the happiest day of her life, Amy is quickly swept up in an insidious
web of danger, kidnapping, and murder.
When long buried truths emerge and dark
secrets come to light, this fairy tale will be irretrievably fractured. Nothing is as it seems—and the only way to
win this deadly game is to get out alive. But the odds are stacked against
Michael and Amy. Will they even live to
see “till death us do part”? Expect the unexpected in this twisted tale...
Irish Jewel
Julie Ann James
Chapter One
The captain’s
deep monotone voice interrupted the restless sleep of some 120 passengers to
prepare them for touchdown. They were about 20 minutes outside the Dublin
airport at the end of a smooth but long flight, something that Amy Reid was
still getting used to since her engagement to the love of her life, an
Irishman, Michael Cambridge. They had met two years earlier as seatmates on a
flight out of Dublin to her hometown of Sarasota, Florida.
Since then, they
had been inseparable, other than the exasperating fact they lived across the
pond from one another, which put an unexpected spin on the term, “long distance
relationship.” Last summer, his proposal was sweet and romantic. Following a
shared meal, he offered her an after-dinner mint, and hidden inside the
wrapper, a princess-cut diamond ring, a whopping three-carats! His family is in
the jewelry business. How lucky can a girl be to wear on her left hand what are
literally the family jewels?
It was hard to
believe that their wedding would take place in ten days after months of
planning, choosing the perfect dress, and brilliantly persuading her entire
family to make the trip to Ireland. Now that most of the details had fallen
into place, she felt as though she had conquered all. A March wedding in
Ireland—inside a castle—was a dream come true for any girl.
The seatbelt sign
turned off, giving passengers permission to move about the cabin. Amy rifled
through her purse making certain all her belongings were in order, pulled her
carry-on out from the overstuffed compartment, and took her place in the
crowded aisle.
The flight
attendants thanked the passengers for flying Aer Lingus and provided concise
directions on how to get from the gate to the baggage claim. Amy couldn’t care
less what they were talking about, as her mind was in an entirely different
place. She couldn’t believe she was going to marry someone she considered to be
her soulmate. As corny as that sounded, she made sure complete strangers were
aware that she was about to marry a “Cambridge.”
The Cambridges
were known for their generosity, as they donated to charitable organizations
throughout the country. They hosted elaborate parties at their estate located
just outside County Clare—all on behalf of the miracle of medical research for
so many causes. This made a lasting impression on Amy and was one of the many
traits she admired about Michael. The Cambridge donations made a huge
difference in many deserving lives. The family’s name and pictures were plastered
in the newspaper quite often, but for the greater good, which was refreshing to
say the least.
Michael wasn’t
able to pick her up from the airport due to a work thing, so she was prepared
to hail a cab to take her to their temporary flat in the city. It felt so good
to be back in Ireland, where the Celtic history overflowed in each charming
town. It wasn’t unusual that one of their endearing people would offer a
30-minute dissertation of that history in response to one simple question.
To her pleasant
surprise, a limo waited for her arrival outside the airport doors—Michael’s
doing no doubt. The driver, in a sleek black suit and top hat, rescued her from
her heavy bags and opened the door with a gracious nod and smile.
“Thank you so
much—this is great. I can’t believe Michael did this for me. Wait, what am I
talking about? Of course, he did this—he’s Michael. You will have to forgive
me, driver. I often talk to myself, so pay no attention to me. I am just so
very excited to be getting married in ten days—count them, ten days—in Ireland
for that matter.” Amy held up her freshly manicured hands to give the visual of
ten days as she slid into the back seat.
“So I have heard,
Miss Reid. That rumor has been spreading all around town. Believe me, everyone
knows of your upcoming wedding. The Cambridges might just as well be royalty.”
His eyes sparkled directly at hers, and then he closed the door.
“I am going to be
a bride, Michael’s bride.” She giggled and danced her feet on the floorboard of
the moving limo.
Amy settled back
into the plush leather seat and pulled out her overstuffed wedding planner,
skimming the pages for the final “to dos” before the “I dos” actually took
place. Of course, her newly launched ad agency back in Sarasota had been
somewhat difficult to leave behind and was always on her mind. But she had
great confidence in her staff. They should be able to hold down the fort in her
absence.
Her clients were
few, but the word of mouth proved to be steady and went beyond her wildest
expectations. She hoped to double her clientele by the end of next year. She
wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the rest of them and push her business
hard, all the way to the top. Her goals, which had been in place since she was
twelve, were to get married before she turned thirty, start her own business,
and travel the world—not too shabby for a 28-year-old University of Florida
graduate.
Now that her feet
were touching solid ground, the reality set in about why she was in Ireland,
and the butterflies started to work on her stomach. There was a chill in the
air, the kind that went straight to the bone. It didn’t matter how many layers
of clothing were applied, one never seemed to warm up. A Florida girl through
and through, the frigid cold was something she might never get used to.
The scenery was
breathtaking as usual, never disappointing. It was picture-perfect and
resembled one of the many postcards she had collected and received from Michael
in the past two years.
Suddenly she
realized she didn’t recognize the part of town they were driving through.
“Driver, excuse me, but I believe you missed the turn back there somewhere, but
I could be wrong. Didn’t Michael give you directions to our apartment?”
“He had a change
of heart as to where you will be staying for the next few days and wanted it to
be a surprise. By the way, my name is Matt—not driver.”
“My apologies,
Matt. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I have quite a few friends and relatives
flying into the Dublin airport. Will you be picking them up too?”
“Yes, I’m Michael’s
new personal driver, and I’ve been instructed on your family’s flight plans,
arrivals, and departures.”
“Great, I’ll check
that off my list. I thank you, kind sir.”
Amy’s eyes were to
her list and not the scenery, so her confusion and wonder peaked when they
arrived at a 15-foot wrought iron gate, the entrance to the most enormous
castle she had ever seen.
Matt opened the
limo door and escorted her up the walkway to the massive entrance. Waiting for
her on the other side was a familiar face.
At six foot two,
Michael Cambridge’s rugged Irish looks and wavy brown hair would stop anyone in
their tracks, as they might wonder how one person could be so amazingly
handsome and perfect from head to toe.
“Darling you are
finally here! Welcome.” He took her hands in his, and pulling her close, kissed
both of her cheeks and her soft lips.
“Michael, what are
we doing here? What is going on?”
“Now, don’t worry
your pretty little head about anything. God, you look gorgeous. It is so good
to see you.”
“I thought you
were at work.”
“Nope, I lied,” he
said with a sheepish grin.
“What do you
mean?” Her voice ascended an octave.
“I lied because
that’s the only way I could have pulled off your surprise.”
He opened the
double doors to the ballroom proudly. Her entire family stood in the center of
the room, each with a glass of champagne in their hand, ready to toast the
birthday girl and soon bride-to-be.
“Oh my God, what
did you do? I thought they weren’t flying in until midweek.” Tearfully, Amy
hugged Michael.
“They wouldn’t
miss your birthday, pretty girl.”
“Wait a minute,”
she stuttered. “I’m still 28 in my head.”
“Not anymore. You
are officially 29, Ireland time.”
“Michael, you say
the sweetest things.” As they laughed together, he handed her a glass of
sparkling champagne and proposed a toast. Amy listened to his eloquent speech
of adoration and flushed with embarrassment from the attention.
“To my blushing
bride, Amy, Happy Birthday, my love.”
The sound of
glasses clinking echoed, and the crowd called out, “here, here” and “to Amy.”
“Are you
surprised, darling?” he whispered in her ear, his strong arm wrapped around her
slender waist.
“Surprised? Of
course! You never cease to amaze me, Michael Cambridge. This is why I love you
so much.” Then she whispered, “I just wish I would have dressed more
appropriately. I still have airplane on me, if you know what I mean.”
“But you look
amazing to me. You could be wearing a potato sack and still look great.”
“Oh Michael, you
are so funny. Who talks like that?”
“I suppose I do,”
he confessed.
“I do,” she
repeated. “I cannot believe we will be saying those two little words to each
other in just a few short days.”
The next 30
minutes or so were spent getting reacquainted and greeting relatives from both
sides of the family. Coming together for the first time, the Cambridges met the
Reids. It was so odd to see, but at the same time, it felt right. The
conversations were mostly small talk, both pleasure and business, but they
always segued back to the happy couple.
Dinner was served
sit-down style in a smaller room adjacent to the main ballroom. Irish food,
something pureed no doubt. Either one loves it or hates it. Mostly, it’s
tolerated.
Michael stepped
out of the room to take a phone call from the concierge’s desk. While he was
gone, one of the servers tucked a note next to Amy’s dinner plate, but said
nothing and just refilled her water glass and walked away.
How strange, she
thought. She glanced over her shoulder to see the server who had delivered the
note, but she only caught a glimpse of the back of his head before he quickly
made his exit.
She searched the
faces at the table, but it didn’t appear that anyone was looking her way. They
all seemed engaged in their own bubbly conversations.
Dabbing at the
corners of her mouth with the embellished napkin, she unfolded the note and
discreetly read it.
“He is not who you
think he is...”
