Books of a Feather Read Online Free Page A

the same thing for your brother?”
    â€œNo. Again, like my ancestor Sheng, my brother has a gift for painting. My parents wanted him to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. It is quite possibly the finest and most selective art school in the world. My brother was quite proud to be accepted to the academy, but at the same time, he wanted to get out of China. He insisted he wanted to see the world. My being sent to Eton intensified his demands. He was very spoiled and reacted badly when he didn’t get his way.”
    â€œSo Crane’s parents relented and sent him to Eton,” Derek explained.
    I frowned. “And something tells me it didn’t go well.”
    Crane made a face. “You guessed correctly. Besides harassing Derek, Bai was in constant trouble and was finally kicked out. It was a source of great embarrassment for my family.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    â€œIt upset all of us much more than it ever bothered Bai. And now he bounces around the world, enjoying himself. He still has a tendency to get into trouble, but he’s a wealthy man and trouble never seems to cling to him for long. He’s also a talented artist and has many connections in the art world, which makes my mother proud. Her family trust allows Bai a generous allowance every year, so he’s free to do as he wishes. But now my mother is ill and wants me to bring him home.”
    â€œI’m so sorry,” I murmured again.
    â€œSo that’s the family business you were referring to,” Derek said.
    â€œYes.” Crane took a sip of wine. “It seems I am still my brother’s keeper, as they say. But along with my mission to convince Bai to come home, I am also conducting company business while I’m here. I’ll be meeting with the Chinese consul general this week to discuss opening up markets to bring new business to my country. And of course I wanted to see you, my friend, and meet the woman who captured your heart.”
    I couldn’t help smiling. “Why does Derek call you Crane? Is that your real name?”
    â€œIn a manner of speaking.”
    I shot a quick glance at Derek, who was watching his friend expectantly. I had a feeling Crane had been asked this question before.
    â€œMy actual name is Sheng Li,” he explained, “named after my honorable ancestor. But from the time I was born my mother calledme Hè.” He pronounced it
hua
with a raspy whisper, almost as if he were growling the name.
    â€œOkay,” I said slowly.
    â€œChinese mothers are very fond of nicknames,” Crane said. “
Hè
is the Chinese word for a type of bird, which in English is called a crane.”
    â€œYour mother’s nickname for you was a bird?”
    â€œOh, not just any bird,” he insisted, grinning, “but the most revered of all birds. In Chinese mythology, the crane is thought to be immortal. There is often some magic connected to any story involving cranes. My mother can be fanciful at times.”
    Understanding dawned. “She sounds like my mother. I have a sister whose middle name is Dragonfly.”
    He held out his hands. “Ah, then you can relate. I believe my mother was a free spirit in her younger days.”
    â€œA hippie,” I said with a laugh.
    â€œExactly.”
    â€œSo, did you always call yourself Crane?”
    â€œNot until I went to school in England. When I started at Eton, I was a sad, scrawny thing. And Chinese, of course. The other boys were relentless in their ridicule of me for so many reasons. My name, my ethnicity, my physique. Derek was already on his way to becoming the titan he is today, and as my roommate, he took it upon himself to threaten the others with fates worse than death if they continued to bully me. When he found out what my nickname meant in English, he started calling me Crane. It sounded so cool. The rest of the boys seemed to agree and the harassment was