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‘What is this?’
‘This is where we keep Byzenmaach’s crown jewels.’ Cas opened the door wider and gestured for her to lead the way.
Trepidation at entering a vault warred with deep curiosity as to what she might find on the other side of that door. Curiosity won.
‘So how does it work? The acquisition and use of crown jewels?’
‘First of all, they don’t belong to me; they belong to the monarchy. This, for example, is the crown.’ He stopped in front of a crown behind a glass case. ‘I’ll wear it at my coronation. It’s a ceremonial piece and likely won’t be seen again until my successor is crowned. We have sceptres, orbs, daggers and rings—each of them a cultural icon with a specific purpose.’ He steered her towards another glass case, this one filled with daggers. ‘And then there’s the jewellery worn by the women of the royal family. Want to see it?’
‘Oh, come on, stop torturing me. My appreciation for fine jewellery is alive and well. Of course I want to see it.’
The women’s jewellery was kept in steel trays that slid out at the touch of Casimir’s thumbprint on a wall pad. There were trays of rings, trays of necklaces. Tiaras.
‘Normally, the royal consort would also have a personal collection held elsewhere but after my mother died, all her jewellery was rolled into the royal collection. Brooches, earrings.’ He pressed his thumb to another wall pad and four more trays slid out. ‘Bracelets, pendants.’
‘Do these have to be worn at specific times?’
‘Some do. And of course the more formal pieces are more suited to more formal functions. All have a history that the wearer needs to acknowledge.’ He picked up a diamond ring and held it up to the light until it flared a brilliant white. ‘This was my mother’s engagement ring. Given the state of her marriage and her subsequent suicide, I doubt any monarch will choose to offer it to their future bride.’
‘You’re superstitious?’
‘Maybe a little.’ He held it out towards her. ‘Would you wear it? Assuming you had agreed to marry me, of course.’
‘Which I haven’t,’ she said. ‘But no. I wouldn’t wear it.’
He returned it to its velvet-lined spot and picked up another ring. ‘What about this one?’
It was an old-fashioned emerald-cut diamond, with a baguette either side. ‘It’s lovely.’
He picked up her hand and slid it onto her engagement finger. ‘It was my great-grandmother’s. Sixteen carats and flawless.’
‘Uh huh.’ She couldn’t help but admire it. ‘Pretty.’ She took it off and gave it back to him.
He put it back, only to put yet another ring on her finger. This one was a brilliant cut stone that flashed intensely pink in the light. ‘My grandmother’s pink diamond. A gift from her husband on their fiftieth wedding anniversary.’
This one was beyond beautiful. The pink colour giving it a warmth that the others, for all their brilliance, simply didn’t have.
‘Which do you prefer? This or the one before it?’
She looked at him sharply. ‘Are we shopping for an engagement ring?’
‘Of course not. Apparently I’m not getting engaged.’ His wry smile could have cut these diamonds. ‘I’m showing you the royal collection.’
She studied the ring again and couldn’t help but admire the way it flashed and the elegant simplicity of the design. ‘It’s very beautiful,’ she said and then took it off and handed it back to him. ‘Thank you for the tour.’
He moved to another tray and picked up a necklace set with diamonds and large sapphires, with the biggest sapphire of them all hanging pendant style, as the centrepiece. ‘Try this.’
‘What? No!’
‘C’mon. I’m offering. Your appreciation for fine jewellery is alive and well, remember?’
He took her hand and led her to the end of the row and turned her around so that she stood directly in front of a full-length mirror. He stood behind her while he fastened the necklace around her neck, and the stones were cold but his fingers burned.
‘Oh, wow.’
He dealt deftly with the first button of her shirt and then the next, before pushing the collar aside with his fingertips. By the time he was done and her shirt was half hanging from her shoulders, her nipples were erect and his heated gaze was not on the sapphires.
