‘OK, well in any case, thank you. I’d love to come. Only problem is, because I thought we were having it at mine, I invited someone. A friend.’
Holly stopped breathing. No, her mother wasn’t seriously … She couldn’t comprehend Eileen seeing another man.
‘I know what you’re thinking and don’t even go there!’ her mother trilled. ‘It’s a girlfriend. She doesn’t have any family left so—’
‘Well then bring her along,’ Holly said before she could stop herself. ‘The more the merrier.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Yes, why not?’ Although how the hell five of them were going to fit in the tiny living space was a mystery. Especially alongside the Christmas tree that Danny had been asking for. He was so excited by the prospect that she couldn’t turn him down.
As Holly pondered over the complexities of fitting guests into her apartment, let alone those related to preparing Christmas dinner, her cell phone rang inside her pocket.
‘Hello?’
‘Ms O’Neill?’
‘Yes.’
‘This is Jessica Edwards calling on behalf of Margot Mead. I’m returning your call from yesterday. You said in your message you’re from Tiffany’s?’
Holly straightened. For some reason Jessica’s tone made her feel as though she should be standing to attention. ‘Not quite, but a lovely man from there pointed me in Ms Mead’s direction.’
‘And this is concerning a piece of jewellery?’
‘Yes.’ Holly went on to explain about the bracelet she’d found, and Samuel’s belief that Margot Mead might be able to help track down the origin of the jewel-encrusted egg charm.
‘Really, I’m just hoping she could give me some more information about the egg charm and where it might have been purchased. The bracelet may even belong to Ms Mead herself, who knows?’ This was a long shot, but Holly was trying to get the assistant on side.
‘You do realise that Ms Mead is not a directory service?’ the assistant said snippily, and Holly reflected that navigating the world of the Manhattan elite was truly like living on another planet. After all, at the end of the day, people are just people, and she was pretty sure that Margot Mead put her pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.
But all at once, Holly felt sure that –whatever her love for jewellery – Margot Mead wasn’t the owner of the bracelet. Even without meeting her, Holly understood that Margot had to be the type of woman who allowed assistants and stylists to dictate the shape and style of her life. A charm bracelet like the one Holly carried in her handbag was too full of whimsy, and too unpredictable, to belong to someone who had a third party do her bidding. She just knew it.
‘Of course I understand that. But I just wondered if she could possibly take a look at the bracelet to see if she recognised it. The egg charm I mean,’ she added. ‘I believe Ms Mead is quite the jewellery connoisseur.’
‘Well, she certainly buys a lot of jewellery, Ms O’Neill.’
‘Please, call me Holly,’ she insisted pleasantly, noting that the invitation to familiarity was not returned.
‘You said that this was found in a jacket where you work?’
‘Yes, I work at a vintage store in the Village. I found it in a Chanel jacket, a lovely one, and really, I just want to return it to its rightful owner. You see, I have one myself and – ’ she automatically jingled her own bracelet at no one in particular – ‘I just figured if I could follow the breadcrumbs, so to speak, it might lead me back to the person who is missing this.’ She chuckled self-consciously. ‘I’m sure you’re thinking I just read too many fairy tales.’
‘No, it’s a nice thing to do.’ Jessica’s voice softened a little. ‘I’m sorry I was rude earlier, I apologise.’
‘It’s no problem, it’s the holidays – everyone is busy. But listen,’ Holly continued, hoping to make the most of the slight chink in Jessica’s armour. ‘Do you think Ms Mead might be able to take a look at it for me?’
‘Well, it’s like this,’ Jessica replied, her brusqueness returning. ‘Margot Mead serves on the board of about thirty different charities in the city. She has something going on almost every night, and barely has time to take a look at her own husband, never mind a … ’ She trailed off and sighed. ‘Wait a minute, did you say it was an jewel-encrusted egg charm?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, it’s the strangest thing, I think I might have come across something like that a while back – at one of our benefits. Like I said, Ms Mead is involved in a lot of charities, benefits, auctions, that sort of thing. And those prizes are often jewellery.’
Holly’s heartbeat quickened. ‘So you’re saying the charm might have been picked up at one of those auctions or given out as a prize?’
Nice prize …
‘Perhaps. Obviously we keep records of such things for tax purposes. Could you possibly email me over a picture of the charm in question and I can see if it rings any bells?’
