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When they’d finished and were sipping their decaf, Nick suddenly stood and walked over to where his coat was hung on the coat tree. He withdrew what looked like a black velvet pouch from his coat pocket.
He sat down again and placed the large pouch on the table. “This is for you. I stopped at The Pines on my way back to Harbor Town and picked it up.”
“What is it?” Deidre asked, eyeing the pouch.
“It’s something Linc asked me to give you in his letter,” Nick replied gruffly. She met his stare. He frowned. “I’m sorry for not giving it to you until now.”
Deidre loosened the drawstring on the bag. She reached inside and withdrew a smaller pouch.
“I took everything out of their storage boxes and put them in these bags for easier transport,” Nick explained as she poked her fingers into the small pouch.
Deidre gasped.
“It’s gorgeous,” she whispered, gaping wide-eyed at an exquisite diamond and sapphire pavé ring. Something occurred to her and she twitched her hand beneath the larger velvet bag, feeling numerous hard items within. The pouch was filled with jewelry.
“I can’t accept any of this,” she said, stunned.
Nick grasped her wrist when she went to set the pouch and ring on the table.
“Yes, you can. Linc left it to you as a separate request in the letter. This jewelry used to belong to Lily DuBois. These were her finest pieces. There were several other pieces that were left to the entire estate, but Linc handpicked these items for you to have exclusively. They were locked in a safe at The Pines.”
Deidre stared at him in amazement. He released her wrist. After a pause, she once again picked up the bag. She set all of the smaller pouches in her lap and smoothed the larger velvet bag onto the table. Nick said nothing, just watched, as she withdrew all of the separate pieces. By the time she’d finished, a breathtaking display lay on the black velvet—a sapphire and diamond set, including necklace, earrings and ring; a stunning pair of diamond earrings and matching wreath necklace; a pair of sunflower earrings that included large center diamond studs and a matching necklace with row after row of large, sparkling diamonds; a ruby, diamond and platinum set that included a flower motif with the ruby as the center and diamonds forming the petals and leaves; and, lastly, a diamond and platinum brooch of a horse in midstride. The artistry of the items was unlike anything Deidre had ever laid eyes on—exquisite in detail, unapologetically lush but delicate at once, luxurious without being ostentatious. Deidre ran her fingers over the running horse in wonder.
“George had that brooch made for Lily when Gallant Hunter, one of their horses, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.”
She glanced up at Nick mutely.
“I apologize again for not bringing them when I first came to Harbor Town,” he said quietly.
“I understand why you didn’t,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have brought them now. Maybe after we hear about the genetic testing, but—”
“They’re yours, whatever happens,” Nick said gruffly. “It’s one of the few specific bequests Linc made. I’ve thought about it, and he would want you to have these things no matter what the outcome of the testing. I’m convinced of that.”
She shook her head, overwhelmed by emotion, and began to put away the priceless jewelry. “Take it,” she entreated when she’d replaced all the items in the bag.
“They’re yours, Deidre.”
She swallowed with difficulty, but it didn’t work. She felt choked with emotion. “I don’t know what’s mine and what’s not anymore.”
He assessed her soberly. “What do you mean by that?”
She shook her head and stared out the window
blankly. She was having difficulty meeting his eyes for some reason. Was it guilt?
“I’m not so sure anymore that I deserve anything from Lincoln. He didn’t even know me, not really. It was you he knew and loved for a lifetime.”
“There’s no official timetable on love. Lincoln believed you were his.”
She narrowed her gaze on him. “Do you believe that, Nick?”
He inhaled slowly. Was he striving for caution in his answer? Deidre wondered. “Belief isn’t as important to me as it is to you in these circumstances. I know that Lincoln believed.”
“I wish I knew what to believe,” she said, giving Nick a desperate glance. “I’m so happy Lincoln had faith that I was his child. I want so much to be Lincoln’s biological daughter. But every time I imagine it being true, I feel so sad and mad because he’s gone. Derry’s gone. I’m right back where I started, without a father.”
“I’m not so sure about that. You have a mother, Deidre.”
She met his stare, remorse spiking through her. “You must think I sound so ungrateful.”
