The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series) Read Free

the hands of an abusive woman who’d turned him into a lush before he reached high school. He had no kind thoughts for the father who’d left him to that fate.
    Blade grew to respect his grandfather, but after ten days, the old man slipped into a coma. He died three days later, and Blade felt an unexpected deep loss. In only ten days, Edward Banner had become an important part of his life, the only family member who’d ever treated him with respect and affection.
    The funeral was a private affair. Edward Banner had prepared for his death, and his attorney, Colin Jacobs, handled all the arrangements. All Blade had to do was buy himself a new suit and show up. Edward Banner was laid to rest beside his wife, Mary Elizabeth Covington Banner, his beloved Mary Beth.
    Colin Jacobs held the reading of the will the afternoon after the funeral. Edward Banner had left generous gifts for each member of his household staff. Blade felt relieved. He had no intention of living here, and he didn’t want to send these people away with nothing. His life was in Washington, and he intended to return there as soon as he got things settled here in New York.
    Edward Banner left his home in New York and a winter home in Florida to Blade. A million plus taxes came to him immediately and the balance of the estate would be his when he married. The marriage condition surprised Blade. He could contest it in court, and he might do that if he couldn’t find a woman he wanted to marry. He’d never met one he wanted to spend more than a night or two with. The thought of waking up to the same face every morning for the rest of his life always brought him to his senses in time.
    Blade had already decided to sell the house in New York. He’d keep the one in Florida until he had a chance to check it out. Probate would take time, but the attorney would handle it, and he would also handle the sale of the house.
    After Blade bought himself a new house in Gig Harbor, he’d return and sort through the contents of the house in New York. He wanted to keep some things for himself, but he had to have a place to put them. He couldn’t stuff anything else in his little rental house. He only had two tiny bedrooms, and he used the second one for an office.
    He wanted a nice piece of waterfront property in Gig Harbor. He couldn’t afford it before, and now he could. He could afford to buy everything he’d ever wanted.
    Blade transferred a sizeable chunk of money to his bank account in Gig Harbor, called his boss to tell him he would no longer be available, bought new clothes, and spoke with each member of his grandfather’s household staff. He asked some of them to stay and maintain the house until probate settled and someone bought the house. “If you find another position before everything is settled, then by all means take it.”
    The butler, an elderly man who had worked for the Banner family for nearly fifty years, would retire. Blade’s grandfather had given him a pension large enough to keep him for the rest of his life. The cook had already found other employment, but the gardener would stay, and the housekeeper said she’d gladly stay until the house sold. “Mr. Banner would want the house kept up,” she told Blade.
    Blade felt overwhelmed with the enormity of the changes in his life. It was like winning the lottery, only he didn’t know any lottery that paid out this much money. He’d gone from barely getting by to having more money than any reasonable person could ever expect to spend. And he’d found a grandfather only to lose him a few days later. Someone in his family cared about him and was proud of what he’d accomplished. Too bad they didn’t connect when Blade was a kid, when he’d needed someone to believe in him and encourage him.
    He’d gone from a man who worked for a living to a wealthy man who would never have to work again, and he could get millions more if he married.
    Even though the Banner-Covington Shipping Corporation had