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“Oh, I couldn’t.” I placed the bracelet down on the folded scrap of velvet in my hand and offered it back to Uncle Oscar, even though I longed to hold it again, to wear it.
“Nonsense. It’s a family heirloom, and I’d like you to have it.” He closed my fingers around the bundle and gently pushed my hand away.
I opened my fingers and gazed down at the bright-yellow gold. “It belongs in a museum, not on my wrist.” But, at the same time, I wanted to sit and study it for hours, translate the writing, examine every detail.
“Never fear, there will be plenty for the museums when I’m gone. They don’t need this little bauble as well.” He waved a hand at me. “Go on, then. Put it on.”
I lifted the bracelet and placed the velvet and cord on the table. When I slid the bracelet over my wrist, a sensation of warmth traveled up my arm, like I was dipping my arm into a bath. I stared down at my wrist, but the sensation disappeared, leaving only the expected feel of cool metal against my skin.
“Yes, just so.” Uncle Oscar smiled and puffed out his chest as he slipped his hands into his pockets.
“I agree, dear. It looks lovely on her,” Aunt Vivian said.
I held my arm out and admired the beautiful craftsmanship wrapped around my thin wrist. “But it’s so special. I’d be afraid to wear it. What if something happened to it? I’d feel terrible.”
Uncle Oscar shook his head. “It’s survived this long. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to harm it.”
Aunt Vivian smiled and clasped her hands at her chest. “And you can wear it when you go out this evening.”
“Do we have plans for this evening?” Uncle Oscar asked.
“No, dear. We don’t, but Eve does.” She gave Uncle Oscar a quick kiss on the cheek and then walked over to the low table where she’d left the teapot and scones. “She met a charming young man in town this morning, and he’s taking her to dinner.”
“Well, then. I’m glad you’re making friends.” Uncle Oscar followed Aunt Vivian toward the sitting area.
Aunt Vivian looked up from pouring the tea to wink at me. I lingered for a moment longer, admiring the bracelet. Liam hadn’t seen this yet. I wondered what he’d think of my uncle giving me a centuries-old bracelet to wear about town. He’d probably hate it.
“Are you coming, Eve? The tea’s getting cold.” Aunt Vivian and Uncle Oscar were already seated in the armchairs Liam and I had been sitting in last night.
“Yes, Auntie.” I pushed the memories of last night out of my head and focused on my uncle. This was my first chance to talk with him about history, and I wasn’t going to waste it.
“Uncle Oscar, I’ve been reading a lot about the woman in the tapestry.” I sunk into one of the armchairs and helped myself to tea and scones. “Which of the stories do you think is true?”
He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of tea. “According to my family, Edric had been out hunting and came across a cabin in the woods. Through the window, he spotted the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She was dancing with her sisters. He rushed in, captured her, and took her back to his manor.” He paused and scratched his beard. “This was back in the middle of the eleventh century. Things were a bit less civilized then, you understand.”
I smirked. “I suppose that’s how he got the name Sauvage?”
“Quite.” He chuckled. “Though, come to think of it, I think he might have earned that name before he kidnapped his wife… He’s known to have been a superb hunter.”
“So you think it’s true that he kidnapped Godda and convinced her to marry him?”
“Well, not immediately. The stories handed down say she observed him for several days and wouldn’t speak or eat. Finally, just as he was growing desperate, she spoke. She told him she was a Faerie Queen and he’d stolen her away from her people, but she’d decided he was worthy of her love. She promised to stay with him so long as he never said an unkind word about her sisters or her kin. If he ever did, she would leave him. He agreed, of course, and they were married.
“They lived happily for many years, had a son, and were frequent guests of the king, who thought Godda to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But one day Edric forgot his promise. In a jealous rage, he said she spent too much time away, with her family. And that was it. Godda just disappeared. He searched for her as long as he lived but never found her. They say he died from a broken heart.”
“That sounds like a fairy tale, Uncle.”
He nodded. “Quite.”
“I still don’t believe it. I think she was just a beautiful human woman, and she’s buried out there in some unmarked grave like so many other women of her time.” My fingers strayed to the gold band around my wrist, caressing it as I spoke.
Uncle Oscar nodded. “I understand. I found it a bit hard to believe at first, myself. But I’ve reason to believe there’s some truth to the stories.”
“Based on your research?” Something about that tapestry haunted me. My uncle giving me this bracelet made me even more determined to discover the truth of her life, and her disappearance.
He placed his teacup on the table and stood. “Yes. But I have to admit, the details in the stories handed down in my family have done the most to convince me.” He scanned his shelves and selected a small, dusty leather-bound volume with no markings on the binding. “This is an account book kept by the steward of Edric’s estate.” Then he selected a thin hardbound book. “And this text is from a series of lectures I did, years ago. You might find something interesting here.”
I reached for the books he offered me and ran my hand over the covers, thrilled to learn more about this house and its original owner and the mystery surrounding his beautiful wife. “Uncle Oscar.” I hesitated, staring down at the book covers as I formed the question I dared to ask. “Is there anything I could do to help you? You know, while Liam’s gone?” If I didn’t ask, then he couldn’t turn me down. But now it was out there, and he had the power to squash my dreams.
