Page 25 of Cursed

Chapter Nine

“Well, that’s intriguing.” Simon’s words sounded overloud in the hushed room, but Edeena could barely focus on him with the way her head was suddenly pounding. What . . . how . . .?

The jewelry in the case wasn’t expensive, she could tell at a glance. The stones were all semi-precious, and not high grade at that, no matter how attractively they were set into the bands of gold or draped on long gold chains. They were large—large enough for the seal to be obviously stamped into each, a crown beneath an arc of three stars. It was a simple enough seal, and easily copied, but she didn’t think these were copies.

She looked up at Simon. “Where did you get these?” she asked, only barely keeping the accusation out of her voice.

He didn’t seem to mind the baldness of the question. “I didn’t know they were Saleri jewels,” he said thoughtfully. “All this time we’ve referred to them as the Contos Collection. They were given to my . . . let’s see, great grandfather, in the mid 1930s,” he said. “The Contoses owned Heron’s Point then as well as now, though they didn’t live there full time. Instead they paid a caretaker to keep up the grounds, and housed immigrant families there on occasion as I recall. That all changed in 1919 when an entire contingent from Garronia moved to Sea Haven for an extended visit.

“The war,” Edeena said, turning back to the case. “They were fleeing World War I.”

“Most likely, yes,” Simon nodded. He was watching her closely, but Edeena didn’t mind. She was used to being stared at, whether by the press, the public, even her own family. She’d avoided a lot of that scrutiny by coming to Sea Haven, but even that respite wouldn’t last long. The shock of seeing the Saleri seal in a public case of trinkets and relics from this island’s history sent a wave of obligation surging through her. She was the head of her family in this generation. She had obligations to fulfill.

She glanced back to Simon. “But how did these . . . how did Saleri jewels get all the way to Pearl Island?” Even as she asked the question, she remembered the financial records citing the endless luggage and bric-a-brac the Saleris had left behind. Could the Contos descendants have pawned off the jewelry out of spite when they found it, rather than returning it to Garronia? She probably would have.

“It’s an interesting question.” There was a wisp of good humor on Simon’s face, but the man sobered as he realized she wasn’t in a joking mood. “There’s some doubt as to where the jewels originated, but the prevailing theory is that they’d been stored at the house since the Contoses had first bought the property in the late 1800s. I see now we were a bit mistaken on that point. No one knew where they came from, however, and even at the time, they were considered little more than costume jewelry. With the Depression still hitting the area hard, my own great grandfather’s museum was failing, and the Contos family offered up the jewels on permanent loan, as a way of drumming up business for us.” Simon gave her a grave nod. “It worked. Despite the war hitting a few years later, tourism kept trickling into the low country, and the jewels were quite a draw. There were any number of stories that sprang up around them. If my grandparents were here, they’d be the first to tell you all about them.”

“I’m sure,” Edeena said. She could sense the question coming next, and held up her hand to forestall it. “You can keep the jewels, Mr. Blake. You’ve cared for them better than we would have at Heron’s Point, I suspect, and if they bring attention to your lovely little museum, then so much the better.”

She managed a smile for both men, but her heart churned at the reminder that even on this tiny, remote island, she couldn’t escape her responsibility to her family. “What’s next to see?”

It took another half hour to finish the viewing of the museum, then to take a tour of the beautiful old house on the dunes, Simon remaining courteous but distant throughout, apparently a loner who’d been well-trained in the art of managing surprise visitors with a maximum level of efficiency. They returned to the front of the house as the sun went behind a thin brace of clouds, and the immediate change to the heat level was a welcome relief.

“Thank you so much for your time,” Edeena said, turning once more to Simon. “I’m sorry we missed your grandparents.”

“I probably won’t tell them you were here, to be totally honest,” Simon said with a rueful grimace. “They’ll be devastated to know they missed you, and if you’re not careful, they’ll hijack the bus from the Grove Senior Citizen’s Center and take a road trip to Heron’s Point.”

“Oh!” Edeena laughed, but the sudden image was a welcome diversion. “Well, you’ll be glad to know my younger sister is our family’s unofficial ambassador, and she’s loved nothing more than exploring bits and pieces of island lore since she arrived at Sea Haven. I’ll tell her she simply must visit—just not on a Wednesday.”

Simon’s return smile looked almost strange on his taciturn face, but it was authentic. “They’d like that very much,” he nodded. “They have all sorts of tales attached to the items in this old museum, and they’ll take great pride in telling her every single one.”

“Then we’ll have to ensure they get the chance.” She shook Simon’s hand and turned again to Vince, allowing him to lead her back down the steps toward town. It was a beautiful day, and she couldn’t remember enjoying herself quite so much, even with the unpleasant reminder the jewels had afforded her.

“Did you recognize those pieces specifically?” Vince asked. His steps had also seemed to slow as they strolled back toward the little town.

“I didn’t,” Edeena shook her head. “Not that I would, necessarily. They were pretty pieces, but they weren’t valuable.” She shrugged. “I’m sure my predecessors wouldn’t have left them behind, otherwise. It’s one thing to be forgetful; it’s another to cut into your own family fortune because of it.”

“They seemed to have been valuable enough, though, if they saved the museum.” Vince gave a short laugh. “Hard to believe that’s been operational since the thirties. The house doesn’t even have adequate parking. No way would it pass business inspection today.” He rubbed his hand over his chin. “Maybe they don’t charge anymore.”

“Or maybe it’s been grandfathered in? Or in this case, great-grandfathered?” She smiled as he grinned back at her, and her heart gave another hard twist. She had serious responsibilities, but the day was so warm, the breeze fragrant with sea grass and wildflowers, and they were separated from the world by a band of glittering water. She sighed, and Vince’s grin faltered.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, searching her face. “What is it you’re worried about? Something to do with that jewelry?”

“Oh, not specifically that, no,” she said. He’d stopped now and was peering down at her, so she managed an offhand smile. “Could we have another coffee, or an iced tea perhaps? Something at that one shop?”

“Of course,” he said, and he reached for her hand again, resuming their walk. He didn’t speak though, and after another minute, Edeena continued. There was no real reason not to confide in Vince, after all, and he was so attentive, in his way. Granted, she was paying him to be attentive, but at least she knew without question that he had her safety and security as his top priorities.

“The seal of the Saleri family is what did it, I think,” she said. “Seeing that mark made me realize that the future of my family isn’t merely an inconvenience for me. It’s something I must take seriously. If I don’t, it will fall to Caroline or Marguerite, and neither of them are as familiar with the politics and personalities of the Garronia nobility as I am.”

“Because you’ve been protecting them from it.”

“It hasn’t been that much of a hardship,” she laughed. “The extended Saleri family hasn’t come together in generations, so there were only a few hard-nosed curmudgeons to endure. But yes, better me than them, especially after my mother died.” She sighed, finally willing to acknowledge the truth. “Even before my mother died, if I’m honest. She traveled as much as she could, especially toward the end. I don’t think she and my father much cared for each other, though she would never admit it. Of course, I was only ten years old. I’m sure there’s a lot she didn’t wish to tell me when I was so young.”

Vince said nothing at first, merely squeezed her hand. They’d reached the coffee shop, and within a few minutes were sitting on the quaint screened porch, overlooking a shady back space. They were the only customers there, and she realized how grateful she was for that. This time on the island had been an unexpected idyll, and she hadn’t understood how much she needed that until today.

“So,” Vince said, after she’d taken a long drink of her iced tea, “if you could wave your magic wand, how would you resolve the issue of the curse?”

Vince watched Edeena closely, not missing her grimace. She’d already given up, he suspected. At barely twenty-seven years old, she’d seen everything she’d decided she needed to see and was going to allow herself to marry some bozo with a pedigree in the vain—and frankly insane—attempt to satisfy the strictures of a made-up curse.

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