Maybe she was referring to its sentimental value. But what if she wasn’t?
Without warning, the back of the cameo came loose. Veronica cried out in dismay as part of it rolled along the floor at her feet. Now she was done for. The brooch was an ancient, delicate thing, and in her excitement she’d handled it too roughly.
Miss Helen would be furious, as would Joshua. But as Veronica examined the cameo closely, with shaking hands, she realized that, no, it wasn’t broken. A tiny button on the side had popped it open, revealing a space inside for a keepsake.
A keepsake that had fallen out. She got down on her knees and felt along the floor with her fingertips. It couldn’t have gone far, whatever it was; the sound of the rolling hadn’t lasted long. She touched something hard and picked it up.
Rising back to her feet, she held it up to the window.
A large blush-colored stone gleamed brightly in spite of the darkness, as if it were a source of light itself. The brilliance was undeniable. This was the item of value that Miss Helen had referred to, not the cameo itself. A pink diamond, a very large one.
The Magnolia diamond.
She’d found it.
The diamond had lain inside the cameo, tucked away in a secret compartment, for almost fifty years.
Veronica heard Joshua’s tread. The doorway to the gallery filled with a dim glow—he’d been successful in his hunt for another lamp. She imagined showing the diamond to him, the joyful expression on his face when he realized what they’d stumbled upon.
But after that, what?
Veronica thought of Polly, waiting for her return to London, waiting for her to fulfill her promise to break her out of Kent House. This diamond could solve all of Veronica’s problems: she could bring Polly home and hire an aide to care for her, Veronica could go to university instead of going back to work at the pawnshop, her mother could stop having to worry about every small expense. Uncle Donny would know how to handle this sort of transaction, how to discreetly arrange for it to be broken down so the stones could be recut and sold without raising suspicion. She could tell her mother that the money came from her photo shoot.
It would be easy enough to hide.
She clicked the cameo closed and placed it back in its secret compartment. As Joshua grew nearer, she rolled the stone between her thumb and index finger, unsure. In the pawnshop, Uncle Donny would sometimes touch his tongue to a diamond to test it. “It’ll feel cold,” he’d said. Veronica lifted the stone to the tip of her tongue. It was like tasting an ice cube. Then again, it was freezing inside the Frick mansion, so no surprise there. Maybe it was a fake. Maybe the last laugh would be on her.
But right before Joshua entered the room, she tucked it deep into the front pocket of her jeans.
Chapter Twelve
1919
What’s going on in here?”
Lillian and Mr. Danforth pulled apart, the stolen kiss hanging between them like an invisible, intricate spiderweb, just as Miss Helen poked her head around the doorway into the organ room. “I thought I might find you in here! You’ve been scavenging, I see.”
Mr. Danforth carefully turned around in the cramped space. “Miss Helen. You’re back. A day early.”
“And you’ve been cheating on me.”
Lillian swallowed hard, grateful Mr. Danforth blocked her employer’s view. Her body was still warm from Mr. Danforth’s kiss, her knees shaking.
“Cheating?” His voice cracked, but Miss Helen didn’t seem to notice. From downstairs came the sounds of the servants milling about. Mr. and Mrs. Frick must be right below them, handing over hats and coats, trailed by trunks and luggage. And here she was, caught kissing Miss Helen’s suitor.
“Yes. I told you that you had to do the hunt on your own, but you’ve clearly enlisted Miss Lilly. You’re a bad boy.”
“Sorry?”
“Not you, this little love.” She reached down and picked up a spaniel puppy with big brown eyes who had been mouthing at her skirts. “We have a new addition to the family. Meet Wrigley.”
Mr. Danforth stepped forward and gave the dog a pet on the head, before Miss Helen twirled around, calling out, “Follow me!”
Outside in the hallway, Lillian closed the door to the organ chamber behind her and leaned on it a moment. She was certain her legs might give way any minute.
“Well? What do you have to say?” Miss Helen demanded of her.
She had to pull herself together or everything would be lost. “About what?”
“About the dog, of course.”
Miss Helen’s excitement for her new acquisition had left her oblivious to Mr. Danforth and Lillian’s discomfort and nervousness. Then again, Miss Helen was never one for examining the vagaries of human behavior, apart from those of her beloved father.