Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon Read Free Book Online Page A

realized he had been holding his breath. He could have yelled aloud with joy. “Where—” the man begged, “where did these come from?”
    “Meet me in the canteen in fifteen minutes,” Jamie grinned, “and I’ll tell you.”
    Jamie gathered up the diamonds, put them in his pockets and strode out. He headed for the registration office two doors down the street. “I want to register a claim,” he said. “In the names of Salomon van der Merwe and Jamie McGregor.”
    He had walked through that door a penniless farm boy and walked out a multimillionaire.
    The assayer was in the canteen waiting when Jamie McGregor entered. He had obviously spread the news, because when Jamie walked in there was a sudden, respectful hush. There was a single unspoken question on everyone’s mind. Jamie walked up to the bar and said to the bartender, “I’m here to wet my find.” He turned and faced the crowd. “Paardspan.”
    Alice Jardine was having a cup of tea when Jamie walked into the kitchen. Her face lighted up when she saw him. “Jamie! Oh, thank God you’re back safely!” She took in his disheveled appearance and flushed face. “It didn’t go well, did it? Never you mind. Have a nice cup of tea with me, dear, and you’ll feel better.”
    Without a word, Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out a large diamond. He placed it in Mrs. Jardine’s hand.
    “I’ve kept my promise,” Jamie said.
    She stared at the stone for a long time, and her blue eyes becamemoist. “No, Jamie. No.” Her voice was very soft. “I don’t want it. Don’t you see, child? It would spoil everything…”
    When Jamie McGregor returned to Klipdrift, he did it in style. He traded one of his smaller diamonds for a horse and carriage, and made a careful note of what he had spent, so that his partner would not be cheated. The trip back to Klipdrift was easy and comfortable, and when Jamie thought of the hell he had gone through on this same journey, he was filled with a sense of wonder. That’s the difference between the rich and the poor , he thought. The poor walk; the rich ride in carriages .
    He gave the horse a small flick of the whip and rode on contentedly through the darkening veld.

3
    Klipdrift had not changed, but Jamie McGregor had. People stared as he rode into town and stopped in front of Van der Merwe’s general store. It was not just the expensive horse and carriage that drew the attention of the passers-by; it was the air of jubilation about the young man. They had seen it before in other prospectors who had struck it rich, and it always filled them with a renewed sense of hope for themselves. They stood back and watched as Jamie jumped out of the carriage.
    The same large black man was there. Jamie grinned at him. “Hello! I’m back.”
    Banda tied the reins to a hitching post without comment and went inside the store. Jamie followed him.
    Salomon van der Merwe was waiting on a customer. The little Dutchman looked up and smiled, and Jamie knew that somehow Van der Merwe had already heard the news. No one could explain it, but news of a diamond strike flashed across the continent with the speed of light.
    When Van der Merwe had finished with the customer, he nodded his head toward the back of the store. “Come, Mr. McGregor.”
    Jamie followed him. Van der Merwe’s daughter was at the stove, preparing lunch. “Hello, Margaret.”
    She flushed and looked away.
    “Well! I hear there is good news.” Van der Merwe beamed. He seated himself at the table and pushed the plate and silverware away, clearing a place in front of him.
    “That’s right, sir.” Proudly, Jamie took a large leather pouch from his jacket pocket and poured the diamonds on the kitchen table. Van der Merwe stared at them, hypnotized, then picked them up slowly, one by one, savoring each one, saving the largest until last. Then he scooped up the diamonds, put them in a chamois bag and put the bag in a large iron safe in the corner and locked it.
    When