‘And then you ran home, booked a flight, and started packing?’
She knew how impulsive that sounded, especially for her. ‘Correct on all counts.’
‘How about I research him while you finish packing then?’ Sam asked, lying back down on the bed and taking out her phone. ‘Also, I think you need to pack a dress or two. What about that little black dress you wore out for my birthday earlier in the year?’
‘Why would I need a dress like that?’ Georgia asked.
Sam turned her phone around and sat up, holding it out to Georgia. ‘Because this is Luca Kaufmann.’
Georgia dropped the jumper she was folding and took a few steps closer to inspect the photo. Handsome would have been an understatement. He had eyes that were such a light blue she wondered if they were grey, and dark hair that was just a smidge too long, curls almost brushing his collar. And he was tall, with broad shoulders that suited the jacket he was wearing.
‘Just because he looks like Henry Cavill doesn’t mean I have a reason to take the dress.’
‘What if he asks you out to dinner? Wouldn’t you want to have that in your arsenal?’
Georgia laughed. ‘You’re being ridiculous. Now tell me something about him, other than showing me photos of how gorgeous he is.’
‘It says here,’ Sam said, lying back down again as Georgia resumed her packing, ‘that he worked as a curator for a museum for some time, specialising in gems and jewels, before taking over the business that he currently owns. It sounds like a family business, but I’ll have to?—’
‘The Christie’s man said something about this Luca taking over the search from someone else, perhaps his father. It sounded to me very much like a family business.’ She mulled over this information. ‘Does it say exactly what he does? I had the impression he was a collector, but perhaps not.’
‘Hang on,’ Sam said, as she continued scrolling. ‘It says here that in addition to running the family business, he also manages some significant collections on behalf of investors. Perhaps he’s carrying on the search on behalf of one of those investors?’
Georgia shrugged. ‘Maybe. All I know for certain is that I’ll be able to ask him any questions I have tomorrow. He’s asked me to come straight in to see him when I land, so I’ll take a taxi from the airport.’
‘Are you excited?’ Sam asked.
‘About meeting Luca Kaufmann?’
‘Well, yes, that, but I mean are you excited to learn more about your family? I know it was a shock being given this box, but?—’
‘Yes,’ Georgia said, not waiting for Sam to finish her sentence. ‘I went from not wanting anything to do with it at all, to thinking that it would be nice to have that connection. I mean, if my family truly was connected to this stone, if it is the missing sapphire…’
‘Then you might meet a relative you never even knew existed,’ Sam said softly.
Georgia nodded. ‘Exactly.’ She looked away and blinked back tears. It had been a long time since she’d been emotional about her parents, but the last week seemed to have brought everything to the surface. It was as if she were fifteen again, coming to terms with being an orphan. But rather than the grief she’d experienced then, this time she felt a sense of hope. If there were other family members out there, or even simply a family mystery to be solved, then it was something she knew she had to do.
Sam stood, leaving her phone on the bed as she crossed the room, gently touching Georgia’s shoulder as she passed before taking out a short black dress from the wardrobe. ‘Please take this?’ she asked. ‘For me?’
‘You truly think I need that dress?’ Georgia laughed as she dabbed at her eyes. Sam always had a way of knowing how to make her feel better.
‘I do. If you get asked out for dinner, you can wear this and let your hair down. You deserve to have the time of your life on this trip, G, so please, say yes to every opportunity. Donotstay in your hotel room.’
Georgia’s eyes flitted between her friend and the dress she was holding.
‘You do realise that I’m meeting him strictly in a business capacity,’ Georgia said, ‘and I’m not sure that dress is necessarily appropriate.’
‘Then ask him out for drinks and dinner!’ Sam said, her eyes sparkling as if she were about to meet the handsome jeweller herself. ‘Because this dress is definitely appropriate forthatpurpose. He’s gorgeous, you’re gorgeous, so just see what happens. And if not him, then another gorgeous Swiss man. The place is full of them.’
‘If he didn’t look like a Hollywood actor, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation.’
‘Fine,’ Sam said, holding up her hands in surrender. ‘But if you don’t want to talk about the handsome man you’re flying to another country to meet, how about you tell me what the two women were like? The ones you had a drink with? Did you find out anything useful?’
‘Nothing specifically about my clues, if that’s what you mean, but they did encourage me to find out more,’ Georgia said. ‘And it also made me realise just what the clues in my box must have meant to the woman who left them behind. Whether I liked my grandmother or not, I feel an obligation to see this through.’ She sighed and closed the lid on her case, turning to face Sam. ‘I mean, imagine leaving a baby behind and trying to decide what to place in a little box that the child may or may not find one day. It’s heartbreaking.’
Sam took out another dress and folded it, putting it into her luggage. ‘You know, if it truly is worth some huge sum, don’t you find it interesting that this woman left it behind? I mean, if you were penniless and had to give up your baby, wouldn’t you sell it?’
‘I’ve thought that, too,’ Georgia said. ‘Which made me wonder if she wasn’t penniless at all. Perhaps there were other reasons she had to give up the baby?’
