"Your father looks very proud of his work," Victoria said softly.
"He was proud of his work," Margaret replied. "But he never believed it made him more important than anyone else."
Victoria lowered her eyes.
"I wish I had known about this when I was younger."
Margaret studied her.
"Would it have changed anything?"
Victoria considered the question.
"I cannot promise that it would have. But I would have wanted to know."
"Then perhaps you should begin by finding out why nobody told you."
Victoria accepted the criticism without defending herself.
Across the table, Leonard opened another ledger. The pages contained detailed records of gemstones received by Daniel's workshop, including dates, measurements, and the names of the people who had commissioned his services.
The entry for the Star of Aurelia was especially thorough.
It included photographs of the stone before restoration and a technical drawing showing a tiny natural inclusion near its lower edge. That inclusion, Daniel had written, made the diamond identifiable even if its setting were replaced.
Leonard compared the drawing with the official catalog photograph.
"The details match," he said. "This is almost certainly the same stone."
Margaret leaned forward.
"Does that establish that my father worked on it?"
"It strongly supports that conclusion. We will need independent experts to authenticate the documents, but the measurements and photographs are consistent with the diamond's known characteristics."
Daniel Foster examined a second notebook.
"There's a record of the original owners commissioning the restoration. It includes a payment schedule, but the final payment is marked as outstanding."
Margaret felt a familiar anger rise within her.
"My father was never paid for his work."
"Not according to this ledger," Daniel replied.
Victoria opened the letter from Arthur Harrington again.
The paper had yellowed with age, but the handwriting remained legible.
The diamond was obtained without a completed transfer of ownership. The original records must be preserved until the matter can be resolved. No statement should be made that might expose the interests of the parties involved.
Victoria read the paragraph aloud.
"Why would he write this if he intended to steal the diamond?"
"Perhaps he believed he could correct the situation later," Leonard suggested.
Margaret looked at him.
"Or perhaps he wanted to make certain that no one could prove what he had done."
Leonard nodded slowly.
"That is also possible."
Daniel Foster turned to the final page.
There, Arthur had written the name of the financier who had apparently instructed him to acquire the diamond.
Beneath the name was a reference to a private agreement dated October 1947.
Daniel examined the date.
"This is significant. If the agreement exists, it could explain why Arthur considered himself entitled to keep the stone despite the absence of a formal sale."
Victoria looked alarmed.
"Where would such an agreement be kept?"
"Possibly in another archive, or in the records of the financier's estate."
Margaret remembered the information from Samuel Whitmore's letter. The financier's descendants had donated a large collection of jewelry to Richard Caldwell's museum, but the original documents might still exist in private hands.