The blonde woman stepped forward too quickly.
“Take it off her,” she snapped. “Now.”
But the older man did not move.
He stared at the crest on the necklace, his breath shallow, his fingers shaking as if the diamonds had suddenly become heavier than the whole ballroom.
“This crest was made for one child,” he said.
The girl looked up through tears. “I don’t understand.”
He turned the necklace gently and revealed a tiny hidden clasp. Inside was a miniature portrait of a young woman holding a baby wrapped in blue satin.
The girl stopped crying.
