Time Will Tell by Fiona McCallum Read Free Book Online Page A

watched, stunned, struggling to form thoughts or words.
    â€˜Wonder if it was mined in India or South Africa,’ he muttered.
    â€˜India,’ Emily said. ‘Golconda, India. They’re from India.’ She had no idea why she was sounding so calm; she felt anything but. Jake was staring at her wide-eyed.
    â€˜They’re!? They’re from India? Emily, how many are there?’
    â€˜There were originally seven of them – but that was back in the forties.’
    â€˜Seven! Jesus Christ, Em! You knew about them?’
    Emily nodded. ‘Yes and no. There was always a family myth that Gran had chosen Grandpa over an Indian prince. But there was never any more detail than that. After she died I was going through her recipes and found a letter. It was from an Indian prince, and it said he was giving her “seven of Golconda’s finest” as a wedding gift. When I Googled Golconda, I found out diamond mining was big in the 1940s, so guessed that was what she’d been given.’
    She remembered how excited she’d been as she’d waited for the pages to load, and the overwhelming urge she’d felt to rush off on a romantic crusade to India to find this man her grandmother had known. When the page revealed he had died five years before, she had been quickly brought back down to earth. That was the end of it. Or so she’d thought.
    â€˜I figured the diamonds must have been lost or sold, or even sent back. I can’t imagine Grandpa being too thrilled with another man giving his wife a gift like that. Even Mum pooh-poohed the idea. So I just thought it was an unsolvable mystery. Wow! My head is spinning.’
    â€˜I’m not surprised. You know, if there are six more just like this, your money worries are over, my friend,’ he said, starting to earnestly pick through the pile of buttons.
    Emily knew she should be getting out the letter to show him, but she couldn’t make herself move. And then the lightness she was feeling was suddenly replaced by a realisation that if she proceeded, everything would change, and not necessarily for the better.
    If the diamonds mentioned in the letter were real, then technically they’d belong to her mother and aunt – they were Gran’s next of kin. Neither Enid nor Peggy were sentimental or romantic; they’d cash them in at the first opportunity. Emily would never see any of the proceeds.
    On the other hand, if she did keep them a secret and somehow sold them herself, she’d never be able to use the money without serious probing from her mother.
    And if some of the diamonds had survived unsold this long, then perhaps that’s how they should remain. She owed it to Gran to keep her secret, didn’t she? After all, Gran had asked her to take good care of the button jar when handing it over.
    Emily’s heart was beating so slowly she thought it might stop.
    â€˜Come on, Em, you could be rich; give me a hand here, will you?’
    Emily remained where she was.
    Jake looked up from the towel. ‘Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Don’t you want to find them?’
    â€˜Honestly, I’m not sure I do,’ she said, shaking her head.
    Jake stopped what he was doing, collected the cups Emily had prepared for them and joined her at the table.
    â€˜I’m sorry; I’ve come in like a bull in a china shop. They’re your diamonds to find or not. No pressure.’ He smiled kindly at her. ‘Though, I can keep a secret if you need me to. Scout’s honour,’ he added.
    Emily didn’t know what to say.
    â€˜Seriously, if you don’t want to take it any further, that’s up to you,’ he said, taking a long sip from his mug. ‘But you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty bloody exciting,’ he added, grinning mischievously. ‘And here I thought I was coming to the country for a nice quiet weekend away.’
    Emily rolled her eyes in