Chapter 1 #3
I hadn’t noticed her limp before and wondered if she’d been born with it or if she’d injured herself.
I’d been too in awe of her elegance that afternoon—and the Hope Diamond around her neck—to notice it earlier.
Instantly, my eyes sought the stone as if drawn by a magnet.
And there it was again. This time, the diamond looked midnight blue in the candlelight.
“What is it?” the man named Ned replied. “I was just offering our guest a drink.”
“John Whitehall is looking for you.” Evalyn glanced at me.
“Wait a minute, aren’t you that jeweler?
” Her tone was gay, and she held one of the beautiful coupe glasses of champagne that I’d rejected.
She jerked her hand to her lips too quickly, splashing the sparkling wine on her glove.
Her eyelids were heavy, her pupils dilated, leaving little room for doubt that she was enjoying the party. “Elisabeth, was it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What are you doing here, young lady?” she said and giggled at the faux-stern tone she’d taken with me. “Lord, I sound like my mother.” She hiccuped and giggled again. “We’ll call you Lizzie, and you will call me Evie. And this is Ned, my husband.”
Ned was actually Edward McLean, owner of the Washington Post, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the New York Morning Journal. I remembered reading about him when his father had passed away. Ned had inherited the family businesses. If rumor was to be believed, he ran them rather poorly.
“Hello, sir. Mrs. McLean, if I may show you something? I’ve brought a sketch to share with you of a stunning necklace I think you’ll love. I—”
“Ned, John’s waiting.” Evalyn interrupted me without preamble.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lizzie.” He smiled again. “I’d better see what John wants. If you’ll excuse me.” He snaked through the guests until he disappeared from sight.
A servant approached, consternation stamped on his brow. “Ma’am, the champagne has gotten warm. Should we refresh the ice bath, or did you have something else in mind?”
His southern drawl was thicker than most of those who lived in the DC area.
He’d likely come from the hills of Virginia.
I wasn’t certain where I’d come from—I’d never known my mother or the small town in northern France where I was born.
All I knew was that my father had immigrated to America, carrying his children through Ellis Island and onward to Washington, to go as far from the memory of his lost wife as possible and, I learned later, to put as much distance as possible between him and the Cartiers, the family who dominated the jewelry market, in Paris and New York City.
“The Moet?” Evalyn asked.
“Yes, ma’am, and the Dom Pérignon,” the servant said. “There are eight opened bottles left.”
“Pour it down the drain,” she replied. I didn’t realize my eyes had widened until she laughed.
“Appalling, isn’t it? All that liquid gold ruined.
But that’s the beauty of champagne. When it’s first opened, it sparkles over the tongue like fireworks, but the fizz doesn’t last so you can’t hesitate, or the moment is lost.”
I thought of all the moments I’d lost these past months and the hundreds of future moments I would never have with Julien. And yet I couldn’t accept that my twin brother was gone for good.
“Goodness, here,” Evalyn said. “Have a sip of mine. You look like you could use a drink.” Her tone was jaunty, her eyes bright. She didn’t seem to mind that I was a virtual stranger, and her snub from earlier seemed entirely forgotten. She’d also said nothing about the sketch.
“Ma’am, I’d really like to show you a one-of-a-kind piece my father designed.
It’s so unique, I thought only one woman should own such a necklace.
” I watched as she fingered the Hope Diamond at her neck.
She didn’t need a unique necklace; she had one.
Inwardly, I berated myself for the blunder but continued anyway.
“Ma’am, I know that my father didn’t return your call, but he’s ill and we’d value your business tremendously.
” I held out the sketch of a masterful rendering of an opal and diamond necklace.
“Don’t call me ma’am,” she corrected me. “Call me Evie. And let’s not speak of business tonight. We’re at a party!” She sipped from her glass and grinned. “Ah, that is better.”
“Why don’t I leave the sketch with you so you may look at it another time?
” Offering my father’s designs was a gamble.
He would have my head if he knew I offered to leave his precious compilation of drawings, especially should the book go missing by accident or be discarded.
But it was a risk I was willing to take.
“You’re awfully persistent, aren’t you? Maybe your father should have sent you to do the work in the first place.
” She read my expression and laughed. “Don’t look so forlorn, darling!
How about I call you tomorrow. Leave your first and last name and your address with Jerry on your way out.
We’ll talk then.” She flagged down a member of her staff.
“Jerry, bring Lizzie a pen and paper and a drink. She looks parched. Now, no more talk of business tonight. Enjoy the party,” she said, sauntering away.
Relief crashed over me. She was giving me an opening at least, and I wouldn’t have to leave Father’s drawings behind.
“I see you’ve found your way to the party after all,” Jerry said curtly.
“I’m sorry, sir. Really I am, but I am desperate for the work.”
His round face softened into an almost smile. “It’s wise you returned during a party. She’s always in good spirits when her house is full of people. And persistence with the mistress often pays off.”
“Thank you,” I said with sincerity.
“Now that you’re a guest, what may I bring you, ma’am?”
“It’s kind of you to offer, but I’ll leave my information with you and be on my way,” I said, my eyes following Evalyn’s form as she stopped briefly to speak to a guest. She clinked her glass against the woman’s and they both laughed.
“All right, ma’am,” Jerry said. “In that case, let me show you out.”
As he escorted me to the door, something stirred in my chest. A sensation I thought I’d never feel again.
One treacherous autumn night six months ago, I’d fallen into a chasm so deep, the light in my world had diffused until I could no longer see.
But as I walked away from the McLean mansion for the second time that day, a tiny fleck of hope glimmered in the darkness.