He took her phone and studied the image. “When was this taken?”
“Her twenty-first birthday.”
“Can’t be Dad’s hand she’s holding. Mum graduated Yale before she met Dad. Talk about a whirlwind romance. Met, married, and conceived John in like eight months.” He handed back the phone. “Mum was a beauty.”
“Still is.” Daffy tucked the device away. “Adelaide told us the gown was designed by Taffron Björk, the same designer of thePrincess Louisa.”
“Which means?”
“Björk died nearly forty years before the queen would wear this gown.”
“Perhaps the person who had the gown before gave it to Mum? Or she acquired it through, say, one of her designers?”
“A designer giving the Princess of Lauchtenland another designer’s gown. A dead one to boot? I doubt it.” She looked weary to him. Like more than the dress weirdness bothered her. “Even so, how did the gown end up in a box in a vintage shop?”
“Mum often gives her gowns to charity or for auctions.”
“True. Then the person who bought the blue gown donated it out of hand? It doesn’t make sense. Unless the person didn’t understand the dress’s value. Still, I can’t quite piece together why Adelaide gave it to me. Or why Emmanuel had anything to do with it.”
“I have no idea but I’m starting to think we’ve been tricked. Emmanuel is no ordinary man. No ordinary carpenter.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Coral
Madison Avenue, New York
A lot had changed in the last two years. Since she’d gathered her courage and ran from Clouver Abbey without a word to the man waiting at the altar.
She’d joined a story society that had nothing to do with books and everything to do with hearts, and healing, and true human stories. She’d made new friends, rescued her company from ruin, and fallen in love. From a prince to an Uber driver—who would have ever guessed? Her American version of the would-be princess and the pauper.
The haunting of what she’d done to Prince Gus had eased, even faded some, but in the deepest parts of her being, she knew their story was not done.
Gus refused to talk to her after, well, everything. She’d kept silent until an appearance onGood Morning New Yorka year ago. Even then, she spoke mostly of her new faith. So when Lady Holland called and invited Coral and her new husband, Chuck, to the wedding—a personal, heartfelt invitation—she’d accepted. Of course she wanted to celebrate her friend’s wedding, a friend who was also a business associate. But Holland was marrying into the Family Coral fled.
But oh, this was her chance to right things with Gus.
When the official invitation arrived two months ago, she and Chuck began earnest, nightly prayers for Gus, for Coral, and an opportunity for repentance.
And now she and Chuck were leaving New York on Monday for three weeks. A week in CCW Cosmetics’ London and Port Fressa offices, after which they’d go on vacation, launching their two-week delayed honeymoon with a royal ball and wedding.
The timing was a bit off. Chuck had just won a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife. This was their first weekend with the seven-year-old twins. Coral was now a stepmom. Wow! As much as the notion warmed her heart, it panicked her. She’d read ten books on the matter already.
“Did you see the quarterlies on ourfabulouspreteen lip gloss?” Coral had been staring at her computer screen lost in thought when Lexa Wilder entered with her tablet in hand. “Pink Coral still leads the tweenie market.”
“Thanks to your genius ad campaign. You’re a marketing guru—and a brilliant CEO.”
Who knew that the same story society where she’d met her husband would be where she’d find Lexa, now one of her best friends, and CCW’s CEO?
“I don’t know about brilliant but thank you. By the way, it’s three o’clock. Didn’t you want to leave at three?”
“Is it three already?” Coral glanced at her watch, reaching for her handbag and laptop case. “The car will be waiting. Lexa, I’m so nervous yet so excited.”
“Your first weekend as a stepmom. You’ll be amazing. The kids are going to flip over their bedrooms.”
“You should’ve seen Chuck last night. He woke up every hour to make sure nothing had changed. Like the paint peeling off the wall or the beds collapsing.” Coral laughed at the image of her big teddy bear of a man sneaking out of their room with his phone flashlight aimed at the floor.
After the custody decree gave him possession of his children again, he spent a week emailing Coral bedroom designs from Pinterest. Who knew the burly man even knew what Pinterest was let alone opened an account.
