Leonard retrieved the bracelet from beneath the counter, carefully laying it on a dark blue velvet tray. Its silver links and clasp shone under the light, looking like new.
Emotion swelled in Greta’s chest. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said, touching it lightly with her fingertips, choking back a tear. Memories of her mum trickled back, of the bracelet dangling on her wrist when she read bedtime stories or did the washing up. ‘It’s perfect.’
‘Life’s little treasures are always worth caring for,’ Leonard said gently. He laid the bracelet in a long box and snapped the lid shut. ‘Jewellery reminds us of the stories that shape us. Wearing it helps to keep them alive.’
Greta liked the sound of that. She thought that her mum would, too.
‘I’ll pay for this, I insist.’ Nora delved into her handbag. She batted Greta’s hand away when she tried to protest. ‘I have a couple other things that need your magic touch, Leonard. If you’re up for the challenge?’
He dipped his head. ‘As always, Ms Noakes.’
Greta whispered thanks to Nora, stepping away to give her some privacy with Leonard. She circled the store, taking time to admire all the displays properly. There were engagement rings to mark the beginning of love stories, and memorial pendants holding locks of hair to honour their endings.
On the back wall there was a timeline of the shop’s history, displaying dates, photos and snippets of information. Greta started at the beginning, reading how the shop had been established by a husband and wife 150 years ago. It had since passed through the generations of their family.
Her eyes landed on a photograph of a much younger Leonard standing next to a woman, his mother. Her hair fell in soft copper waves, and she sported a chunky pearl necklace.
Greta blinked at the photo. Then she peered closer, barely able to believe her eyes.
Millie?
Blood whooshed in her ears, and she spun around to stare at Leonard as he finished his conversation with Nora.
Greta returned to the timeline and quickly read the rest of the history.
Apparently, Millie had been born in 1945, the granddaughter of the shop’s founder. She’d only had one child, Leonard, and had never married.
So, Millie is eighty?
An uneasy sensation crept over Greta, making her feel a bit woozy. The room seemed to spin on its axis. How could this be true? She looked at the photograph again to check, and it was definitely her.
‘Okay, darling?’ Nora called over. ‘You look a bit washy.’
Greta’s legs wobbled as she approached the counter. How could she tell Leonard she’d met a younger version of his mother, in a magical place that shouldn’t exist?
Leonard stood with his hands resting on the counter, a hint of quizzical concern in his eyes.
Greta stood before him. ‘I think I know your mother, Millie Maxwell,’ she said in a shaky voice.
For a split second, Leonard froze, his glasses slipping down his nose. He pushed them back up deliberately. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s not possible . . .’
Greta shook her head, glancing back at Millie’s photo. ‘I really don’t think I’m mistaken.’
Leonard smiled tightly. ‘I’m afraid you must be.’
‘No, really, I’ve met her. I recognise her first name . . . her hair, the pearls. Everything. Iknowit’s her.’
Leonard’s eyes swept away. ‘Sorry, but you’re wrong,’ he said in a clipped tone that seemed to disguise deep hurt. ‘My mother’s name is Millie Moss, not Maxwell, and she vanished in 1985. No trace, no word. And I haven’t seen her since.’
Chapter 28
NORA USHERED GRETAout of the jewellery shop while uttering embarrassed apologies to Leonard.
‘It’s Millie in the photo. I know it is,’ Greta insisted. She glanced back into the shop, where Leonard stood staring at the timeline.
‘I understand youthinkit’s her, darling,’ Nora said. ‘It’s not the same thing.’
Greta shook her head and stepped in front of Nora, spinning on her heels to face her. She opened her mouth to explain that Maxwell could be Millie’s married name, but she stopped, realising how deluded she might sound.
