The Rose Stone by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788633529
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2018-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The exhibition in which Anna took part was an enormous success and for her something of a personal triumph. Her work was noted and discussed with enthusiasm, and she found herself to her own astonishment the centre of some very flattering attention. So sheltered had she been in the comparatively small world of her father’s workshop that it had never occurred to her that the wider world of artists and of craftsmen might be interested in her work. The biggest surprise of all, however, came upon the last day, when she had accompanied Beth, who had also done well and gained several commissions, to the exhibition rooms to take a last look at some of the lovely and inspiring pieces. Anna was inspecting a fascinatingly beautiful piece of stained glass when Beth bounced up to her. “Mr Spencer’s looking for you. He’s got someone with him who wants to meet you. Awfully impressive gentleman.” She rolled her eyes irrepressibly.

“Oh?”

“A Russian no less. And a prince to boot. Aren’t they all?” She waved an airy hand. “Shuvoski or Shuveski or some such—”

Anna stared. “Shuvenski? Prince Shuvenski? Surely not?”

“You know him?”

“Why no – but the name – Papa once cut and polished a wonderful diamond that was bought by a family of that name. But – surely – it can’t be the same man?”

Beth grinned. “Only one way to find out—” She waved a hand in the direction from which she had come.

Prince Vassili Shuvenski was a man of distinguished middle age, moustachioed, handsome, autocratic, and with the assurance of wealth and position charmingly disguised by perfect and attractive good manners. To Anna’s astonishment, she soon discovered that he knew a good deal more about her than she did about him, and he openly admitted to having inspected not only her pieces in the exhibition but many examples of her work that were in private hands. “I hope you are not offended.” His English accent was impeccable, better in fact, she noticed with wry amusement, then either her husband’s or her father’s. “I intended of course to contact your father and introduce myself formally, but when Mr Spencer informed me that you were here – well, it seemed absurd not to take advantage of a fortuitous situation. May I offer my congratulations. Your work is exquisite.”

Anna blushed with pleasure at the forthright compliment. “Thank you.”

Shuvenski watched her in pensive silence for a moment, one long finger stroking his luxuriant moustache. “I am right, am I not, in believing you to be the daughter of Josef Rose?”

“Yes.”

“And you know of the connection that exists between our two families?”

“You mean – the stone? The diamond my father cut twenty-five years ago?”

“Exactly. It is of the stone that I wish to speak to you. And to your father, of course.”

She waited.

“The stone – the Shuvenski diamond – is to be reset. I have never cared for the present piece – the Princess’s tastes were—” he paused, delicately “—not my own. However, now my

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.