"People can be terribly unkind."
"Sometimes people are so frightened of losing their position that they forget everyone else has a story."
Emily sat beside her for a moment.
"Do you really know something about the diamond?"
Margaret looked toward the main hall, where attendants were preparing the display case.
"My father knew it better than anyone."
Before Emily could ask another question, Victoria returned with a message from her chief appraiser.
The handwriting on the note appeared consistent with Arthur Harrington's known correspondence. The paper was also likely authentic. Although further verification was necessary, there was no immediate evidence of forgery.
Victoria looked at Margaret again.
"Mrs. Ellis, I will allow you to remain while we investigate. However, I cannot guarantee that you will receive a bidding number."
"That is fair."
Victoria expected gratitude, but Margaret simply returned to her tea.
At eight o'clock, the auction bell rang.
Guests filled the main hall, and the auctioneer began presenting the evening's first items. Antique brooches sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Emerald necklaces attracted competing bids from collectors in London and Dubai. Every sale was accompanied by applause and the occasional satisfied smile.
Margaret watched from the back.
She seemed less interested in the other jewelry than in the large portrait hanging above the stage. It depicted Arthur Harrington as a young man, standing beside a display cabinet containing several magnificent gemstones.
When the first intermission began, Margaret rose and approached Victoria.
"May I speak with you now?"
Victoria looked around, then led her into a small office.
Margaret placed the yellowed note on the desk.
"I do not want special treatment," she said. "I want the opportunity to bid fairly, and I want the original records examined before anyone decides who owns that diamond."
"Are you claiming that the diamond belongs to you?"
"I am claiming that my family was never properly compensated for it."
Victoria stared at her.
"Your family?"
"My father was Daniel Ellis. He was a jeweler."
The name meant nothing to Victoria at first. Then she remembered a brief reference in an old inventory to a European craftsman whose work had been associated with the diamond.
Before she could respond, an attendant appeared at the doorway.
"The Star of Aurelia is ready, Ms. Harrington."
Victoria looked at Margaret, then at the invitation on her desk.
"Wait here for a moment."
Margaret nodded.
As Victoria left the office, the elderly woman reached into her coat pocket and touched a small gold ring engraved with a star.
For seventy years, she had carried it with her.
Her father had placed it in her hand shortly before his death, telling her that one day the truth would matter more than the lies people had told about him.
Tonight, she had finally come to test that promise.
Across the hall, the auctioneer announced the next lot.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the stage. We now present the extraordinary Star of Aurelia."
The lights dimmed.
The blue diamond emerged beneath the glass case, catching the light like a fragment of the night sky.
Margaret closed her eyes briefly.
Then she stood.
She was no longer merely an old woman in a faded coat.