“These belong to you.”
There were three in the box, each as beautiful as the next. One had large, clear emeralds set between diamonds. The next one was large and flashy—it would make Cathy proud. The last one was small and had been worked to look like vines. It was simple but breathtaking. It was intricate, but not over-the-top, and I knew it was the one I wanted immediately.
“Do you know anything about them?” I lifted the tiara out of the box and watched as the light played along the jewels.
“I had a feeling that would be the one you chose.” Chadwick took it from my hands and nodded toward the chair. I sat down and let him place it on my head before securing it with a hundred pins. “This one was designed in the seventeen hundreds for the marriage of Duke Rousseau to the Duchess of Minsington.”
Cecil, the photographer, entered the room with a large smile. “Duchess Rousseau, you look lovely.”
“Thank you.” I stood up, trying to ignore the priceless heirloom tucked into my hair. “What would you like me to do?”
“Have a seat right here on the stool. That’s it.” He grabbed a camera from a small worktable. “Now, there are a few basic shots we have to get and then we can try a few different things.”
I let him tell me how to sit, which direction to look, and when to hold my breath. I smiled big, small, with teeth, without teeth. I made serious faces, thoughtful faces. He put a table in front of me and told me to prop my face in my hands. I did as he said and tried to not laugh as images of glamour shots flashed through my mind.
I heard the door open quietly, but I couldn’t tell who it was that had snuck in. The lights focused on me were so bright I couldn’t see much past the table. The shadowy figured moved toward the corner and Chadwick joined whoever it was. I squinted but still couldn’t make the newcomer.
“What kind of face is that?” Alex’s voice rang through the room. I scrunched up my nose, but couldn’t help the smile that pulled at my mouth. I heard the camera clicking, but didn’t care. My heart felt a little lighter.
“This was wonderful, Samantha. I think we have some great images.” Cecil set his camera down and walked toward me.
“Thank you.” I hopped off the stool and shook Cecil’s hand. “I hope some of them are useable.”
“I think I have some you’ll enjoy.” Cecil gave a short bow and grabbed his camera off the table before leaving the room excitedly.
I made my way over to Chadwick and Alex. “Well, how’d I do?”
“I think you deserve the night off.” Chadwick smiled at me.
“Excellent!” I rubbed my hands together. “I saw a little bookstore on the ride to the zoo. I think I’ll make a run over there and poke around. I promised I’d send Jess some souvenirs. Oh! I can wear jeans for something like that, right? Please tell me I don’t have to wear another pantsuit. They’re giving me hives.”
“Not so fast.” Alex narrowed his eyes. “You need to have a lesson in Lilarian.”
“You’re going to deny me the chance to wear jeans? I miss them.” I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes.
“You’re getting better at the anime eyes. Have you been practicing with Cathy?” Alex smirked when I frowned. “I rearranged my schedule so I could help you with Lilarian. Besides, I thought you hated to shop.”
“I hate shopping for clothes. Books are something else.” I widened my eyes, empowered by my close freedom. “Come with me. You can teach me Lilarian in the car.”
Alex shook his head. “You’re definitely getting better at that look. Okay. We can practice in the car. I need to buy a gift for someone anyway.”
“Thank you!” I threw my arms around him without thinking. His hands slid around my back with no hesitation and pulled me closer for just a moment.
“Well, I’m going to go unless you need anything else, Samantha?” Chadwick cleared his throat. “Let me help you with the tiara first, though.”
“Of course! You need a night off, too.” I pulled myself away from Alex and smiled at Chadwick. “Sorry, you’ve been just as busy as I’ve been.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He made quick work of the pins holding the tiara in place before locking it back into the wooden box. Chadwick picked up the chest and ducked a small bow. “Good night, Alex. Samantha.”
“Good night, Chadwick.” Alex slapped him on the back as Chadwick made his retreat.
“I’m free!” I smiled up at Alex and did a little dance. “Free!”
“Has this week been that bad?” Alex looked down at me with sad eyes.
“It hasn’t been torture.” I frowned, remembering him telling me that I was a bad liar. “Okay. It wasn’t peeling-your-eyelids-off bad, but I need a break. I need to be Sam, not America’s Duchess or the weird, long-lost cousin.”
“Peel your eyelids off, American duchess, and creepy cousin.” Alex shook his head. “I think I followed that.”
“Why are you here, anyway?” I ran a hand through my hair and found another pin.
“I came to bring you this.” Alex held his hand out, revealing a small black box.
“What is that?” I looked up at him. Jewelry? Why would he give me jewelry?
“I saw this the other day and thought of you.” He held the box out a little farther and I picked it up off his hand gently. “When Cathy offered to lend you a necklace, I decided to get it for you. I know Cathy’s style wouldn’t really fit your personality. Unfortunately, it took a little longer than I had planned and wasn’t in time for the shoot.”