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“Helen, what’s wrong?” Pen asked quietly. “I thought you were quite taken by it! Why, you gasped when we first saw it and couldn’t walk away!”
I do love it!She and Pen had spied it in one of the premier shops in Hatton Garden, London’s jewelry district, when she accompanied her friend to search for jewels for an upcoming wedding ball.
Shaking her head, she took a step back, though her eyes kept returning to the luminescent pearls. “They’re spectacular. But ofcourseI can’t accept such an extravagant gift! No, they’re too much.”
“You said in the shop they’re fit for a queen.” Pen lifted her chin. “They’re perfect for you. You must—”
Sirena silenced her daughter by lifting a hand in the air. “Helen, do you like the necklace?”
“Like?” Helen breathed the word, an absurd laugh bubbling in her throat. “How could anyone apply such a tepid word tothisnecklace?”
Clucking her tongue, Sirena sailed to the jewelry case. She lifted the necklace, holding it near the neckline of Helen’s gown, and she and Pen murmured sounds of approval. Looking down at the natural gloss of the pearls that paired so well with the fabric, Helen couldn’t help but join in the sounds of approval.
Smiling, Sirena met her gaze. “May I?”
“Just—just for a moment,” Helen relented.
The older woman expertly opened the bejeweled clasp. “You were both right. This necklace is for a queen. Foryou.”
Helen shivered and closed her eyes as the weighty necklace settled around her neck.
Sirena spoke quietly as she re-clasped and adjusted it. “Pen took me to the shop, and I was so happy when I saw it.” She placed a careful knuckle against the green gem. “Emerald, it suits you, eh? The color of the hills in your mother’s homeland. And Aphrodite’s stone.”
“Aphrodite?” Helen searched her memory. “Is she who the Romans called Venus?”
“No!” Vassilis objected. “She is Aphrodite. The Romans may have stolen the idea, butAphroditeshe remains!”
Smiling indulgently and ignoring her husband, Sirena moved her hand to Helen’s cheek, cupping gently. “Goddess of love, she is. The emerald not only fastens the necklace, my dear. May it bringeverythingtogether!”
“Everything?”
“You wear a brooch from your mother. Do you know the meaning given to the lily of the valley? It means rebirth. A return to happiness.” Her gaze moved to the green gemstone glowing against Helen’s pale chest. “Love. Your mother’s wishes for you, surely. And mine for you. For my own child.” Never lacking in subtlety, the woman looked at Nicholas.
“As soon as Elijah returns with that fortune in leaves, you’ll berich!” Vassilis interjected. “This necklace is perfect for a rich woman!”
Pen stomped. “Oh, Papa, no! That is not the point. Look at how it matches her gown! Her complexion! Helen, you’re exquisite! Nicholas, what doyousay?”
Sirena melted back, and Nicholas stepped closer. “I say that our family is overwhelming, and Helen could use a moment of privacy. I’m escorting her to the mirror in the hallway to admire the exquisiteness.”
“And I say that today having been declared Christmas, we must open sometsipouro!”
Helen and Nicholas didn’t look away from each other even as Sirena reacted to Vassilis’s idea, their voices and footsteps fading as they removed to the settees some distance away. Pen added that at eighteen, she ought to be allowed a small glass in honor of the holiday.
Nicholas stepped even closer, flicking his gaze to the necklace. “Happy Christmas, precious Helen.”
Immersed in feelings so glowing and warm, Helen couldn’t help but smile even as she fought tearsandthe urge to run away. It still didn’t feel right to have received such an outrageous gift, and she said so.
Nicholas took her hand. “What is more difficult to accept, Helen? The pearls? Or the love?”
Her breath caught in her throat. Whatever impulses the two of them were indulging with each other, whatever affection was swelling between them, she didn’t want to speak in these terms. Experiencing what they shared—thatshe wouldn’t deny herself. But it seemed foolhardy, dangerous even, to utter their feelings aloud or speak of the future.
She couldn’t. It felt wrong even to contemplate such matters until her mission was completed with the tea.
“Please don’t,” she begged.
“Then let us speak only of the necklace. Accepting it runs counter to your pride, but you’re a clever and wise woman, and I have four excellent reasons for you to consider before returning the gift.”
She laughed quietly, shaking her head. “Very well, Nicholas. Try to persuade me. What are your four reasons?”
