“People who think don’t know for sure. This chameleon is stunning.”
The piece is tiny, and she’s used different precious stones in various colors for the body. When you tilt the pendant, they seem to ripple. It’s incredible.
“I’m not talented in many things,” I admit, “but I know jewelry well because women in my country love it, and I’ve never seen such refined craftsmanship.”
“Oh my God, you just gave me the pep talk I needed. I’ve practically pawned all my internal organs to pay for university, and even then, I’m broke every month.”
“Why?”
“I’m not known. No one buys what I make.”
“I’d love to see what you have ready.”
“Are you serious? My pieces are mostly silver and semi-precious stones. Nothing fit for a princess.”
“How do you know I’m a princess?”
“After all the scandal Ingrid stirred up in the news, the whole world kind of knows about your family.”
“All right,” I say, deciding to let the Ingrid topic die, because even now I still want to make good on my promise of burying her in the Rheadur desert. “As for not being ‘fit’ for me, I own silver pieces too. I want to see what you’ve made, Josephine. And if I like them, I’ll order a few, but in gold and precious stones. You just need to tell me what materials you’ll need.”
“Are you for real?”
“I hope so,” I say, smiling as I pull a business card from my purse. “Just in case we don’t run into each other at school, as the campus is huge, here’s my card.”
“I don’t have business cards, but I can type my number into your phone.”
I unlock the device and hand it over. When she finishes typing and returns it, she asks, “You said you want a pendant?”
“Yes.”
“Something specific?”
“A cat.”
She furrows her brow. “Do you have one?”
“No, but my mother has three. I adore them.”
“All right. You want a cat. Can I ask why?”
“Cats are very independent. And that’s what I want for myself, to be free and in charge of my own life.”
“Want to trade lives? You have siblings, if what the news said is true. Both your parents are still alive. I only have my godmother in the U.S.”
“I’m sorry, Josephine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about my family. I just want to stand on my own two feet.” I feel awkward, realizing I might’ve sounded ungrateful, so I change the subject. “Are you American?”
“I am, yes. You didn’t notice before? My English is totally different from the way people speak here.”
“My ear isn’t that sharp. My English has a strong accent, as you’ve probably noticed. So aside from me, I just assume everyone in London speaks perfectly.”
“I think your accent is beautiful, but sometimes I can’t understand what locals say.”
“You came to the UK just to study?” I ask.
“That too. But mostly to actually live a little.”
“I guess we want the same thing, then. Have you been in Europe since that yacht party?”