Birgitta and Linn agreed.
“Astrid took good care of that one, I remember her saying it was quite valuable,” Birgitta told them.
“Is there some sort of stamp on the bottom?” Linn asked.
Emelie found the name of the manufacturer, and something that could be the signature of the glassmaker. Linn walked over to her computer to see if she could find some information about the vase. After a couple of minutes of googling, she put her hand over her mouth and whispered to Emelie so that Birgitta wouldn’t hear them.
“Mum, take the vase and come over here.”
Emelie walked over to her, looking at the computer screen where she saw an image of a vase that was identical to the one she was holding. She leaned over and compared the stamps on the bottom of the vase with the ones on the image. Yes, it was the same. Linn pointed at the comment from the antique dealer under the vase. There were only five left of them in the world and it was designed by a famous glassmaker that died fifty years ago. Approximate value: 80 000 – 100 0 000 SEK. Emelie gasped, clutching the vase in her arms. Birgitta looked up.
“Did you find it?”
Linn and Emelie looked at each other. It was typical that nosy Birgitta would be here right now. They didn’t want the whole island gossiping about the vase. They heard a beeping sound and Birgitta’s hand went down into the pocket on her yellow cardigan. She sighed.
“I didn’t find anything in this box either and now I have to go,” she said, shoulders drooping.
Emelie smiled with relief.
“It’s okay, Birgitta, I’ll keep on looking and I’ll contact you as soon as we have found your papers.”
When the door had closed behind her and Birgitta had vanished down the stairs, Emelie and Linn started screaming and jumping around the kitchen table.
“It’s absolutely insane, almost 100 000 quid!” Linn yelled.
“It’s incredible, I don’t understand what is going on, we’re basically drowning in money, it’s too good to be true,” Emelie said, shaking her head in disbelief.
A dark thought had entered her mind; she didn’t deserve this. Something unfortunate was soon going to happen. She turned towards Linn.
“We’ll keep this to ourselves and next time I go into town I’ll bring the vase in and get it valued. If it’s true and it’s that valuable, it will have to be our safety net. In case the stove brakes or the roof needs fixing or…”
“Or if I need to buy a house for myself and my family or need some start-up capital for my own café” Linn said enthusiastically.
Emilie looked seriously at her; it was too good to be true. Linn winked at her and got on her feet.
“I know what you are thinking. But mum, you have deserved some luck in your life. With some extra money, maybe you can get some new clothes and a haircut and then maybe things will start looking brighter in your love life too,” she said softly.
Emelie grimaced and gave her a playful slap on the leg.
“So, I guess you think this island is full of interesting prospects?”
“You’d think one would be enough,” Linn mumbled and dove headfirst into the next cardboard box.
Chapter 21
“Are you really going out riding today?”
Emelie peeked out the window where the leaves were rustling. The wind played with the orange leaves on the lawn and tugged the barren branches of the trees.
“Yes, of course,” Liv shouted from the top floor.
“But isn’t it slippery outside? We had negative temperatures last night, you know?” Emelie said sharply.
Her middle daughter ran down the stairs and disappeared into the mud room.
“Where are my jodhpurs? And my riding shoes? Oh, everything is just gone!”
Emelie went out to help her and pointed at the shoes that were standing in the hallway and the trousers that were in the drying cabinet. She grabbed Liv’s shoulder, making her stand still for about ten seconds. Enough time to ask her about the slippery roads again. Liv rolled her eyes at her overprotective mother.
