“Charlotte hasn’t heard the story, Mom,” Spencer said, flashing his car-salesman smile.
“Oh, you’ve got to tell it. It’s so creepy,” Kara said with a shiver.
Charlotte smiled around a bite of salad. “I’d love to hear it.”
“Oh, it’s a fucking hoot,” his mother said. “One of those tall tales that gets handed down over the years—you know the type. You’ve probably heard your share of them growing up in New Orleans. Don’t they believe in witches, vampires, and voodoo down there?”
Charlotte swallowed her bite and gave a shallow laugh. “Among other things.”
“Okay, then you’ll find the humor in this.” His mother set her fork down and toyed with the emeralds on her neck. “All the way back in 365 AD, there was an earthquake in Crete and a fissure opened up in the land behind my husband’s ancestor’s home. Her name was Iris Diamandis, which means diamonds, but it was a misnomer. She was an orphan and a pauper with no husband, who was barely surviving by selling herself on the street. Legend has it that when she went out to the fissure, she saw a blind man in it, perched precariously on a stony ledge inside the fiery chasm.”
Charlotte’s face paled, and she set down her fork. Liam squeezed her hand, but it had gone cold.
“Well, the man begged for her help and Iris complied immediately, casting a rope down and helping him out. As the story goes, he was so grateful that he gave her this cornucopia, which was his only possession. He told her that as long as she and her descendants kept it and displayed it prominently in their home, they and their relations would experience abundance like she could only imagine. Afterward, the man disappeared, but Iris took his words to heart and saved the cornucopia. The very next day, she bumped into a man while fetching water. He fell head over heels in love with her and married her that week. He was a wealthy dignitary from Rome and moved her into his palace. Since then, the cornucopia has passed down from generation to generation, and it has brought with it abundant wealth. As long as it remains in the possession of someone in her bloodline, so will the money. Roger believed all our success was thanks to this cornucopia.” She laughed. “So we keep it in the china cabinet and pull it out every holiday. I suppose it fits in better at Thanksgiving, but the last thing I want to do is anger the god who gave it to her.”
Beside him, Charlotte swallowed. “Is that the legend? That it was a god who gave it to her? I thought you said it was a blind man?”
“He was! At least that’s the story. A blind Greek god, can you imagine? Don’t ask me how he got stuck in the chasm! Doesn’t seem very godlike to me.”
“My guess is it was Plutus, the god of wealth,” Charlotte said wistfully. “He was blinded by Zeus so that he couldn’t discriminate to whom he gave his gifts. Before then, it is said, he only gave wealth to the good, but blinded, how could he tell who was good and who was evil? Only, in your Iris’s case, he found a way. By saving him from the chasm, she proved her worthiness.”
Everyone at the table stared at her. “You seem very knowledgeable about the subject,” Kara said.
“She majored in Greek mythology,” Liam blurted.
Spencer tucked in his chin. “I thought you said she was working with you at the North Pole?”
“She was. She, uh, was a double major of course. Greek mythology is a hobby of hers.”
Beside him, Charlotte stiffened. It was an obvious lie. He could feel her retreating into herself. Maybe it was a bad idea bringing her here after all.
“I’ll take care of the cornucopia after you’re gone, Mother,” Kara offered.
Liam smirked. Of course she would.
“No,” his mother said flatly. They all looked toward the head of the table. His mother dabbed her mouth with a napkin and added, “It has to go to Liam.”
“What? Mom!” Spencer looked absolutely beside himself.
Liam spread his hands. “Mom, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but honestly, they can have it. I live in a tiny apartment. I don’t even have a china cabinet.”
His mom removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Beside him, Charlotte had gone deathly still, a grave look upon her face. “It has to be you, Liam,” she said slowly. “This isn’t about money—it’s about blood.”
His mother snorted. “It seems the blond bombshell is far smarter than she looks.”
He ignored his mother’s rude comment and glared at Charlotte, willing her to explain.
Charlotte gestured toward the cornucopia, her expression taking on an apologetic quality. “This is a magical object, Liam, and it requires Diamandis’s blood to work. You are the only child with your father’s blood.”
He glanced between her and his mother. But she wasn’t his mother, was she? Not really. His father had had an affair. But Spencer and Kara were also his children, weren’t they?
Charlotte squeezed his hand. He’d never stopped to consider that perhaps his father wasn’t the only one to have an affair. He looked at his brother; his mother’s sharp nose and blue eyes stared back at him. Kara’s features were similar. Only he had his father’s brown eyes and aquiline nose.
His mother replaced her glasses. “They’re not his, Liam. The future of the Morris fortune relies on you now.”
Chapter
