rounded. “Is that a lot?”
“In a year’s time? It’s more than the kingdom of Limbo is worth.”
Chapter Twenty-six
With Robin’s good-night kiss still lingering on her lips, Theo carefully took off the earrings he’d given her and put them back into their box for safekeeping. She took one long look at them before closing the lid. Starstones really were beautiful.
Then she shucked her evening clothes and shoes, scrubbed her face and teeth, and slipped into her nightgown. Not a moment of that time went by without her thinking about what he’d told her.
His share of the mine’s profits for a year were more than the kingdom of Limbo was worth.
The idea of that kind of money was staggering. Not because of how much it was but because of how it could change their lives. It could absolutely pay off her father’s debts. More than that, it could buy him the kind of care he desperately needed. And it could allow him to live in comfort for the remainder of his days. He’d be worry-free, too, knowing that Theo had the means to take care of herself.
But only if she was willing to give up the most precious thing of her mother’s that she had left.
She stood at the bathroom sink, staring at the necklace. She hadn’t taken it off since the day after her mother had passed.
Her father had told her it should be put away in a safe (like they even had one of those), that it was too valuable to be worn every day, that she was too young to look after such a thing. Maybe that was all true, but she’d worried if it left her neck, she’d never see it again. He’d sell it, then gamble the money away. Or maybe he wouldn’t even bother to sell it, just toss it on the table as his bet. She loved her father but hated his addiction. And so she’d stubbornly argued with him and kept the necklace with her at all times.
Looking back, she wondered if he realized what would happen to the necklace if he ever got his hands on it. If he understood his own weakness. Maybe that was why he hadn’t tried harder to take it from her, because he could have if he’d really made an effort.
Whatever the reason, she was glad the necklace had stayed with her. On that day after the worst day of her life, it had made her feel like she had a part of her mother with her.
She flattened her hand over the pendant, pressing the gems into her skin. It still made her feel that way. But she was an adult now, and in the scheme of things she understood it was just an object. Her memories wouldn’t suddenly disappear because the original starstone was gone. She could certainly replace that with glass.
She also had to consider what her mother would want her to do. Theo took a long, deep breath. The answer to that question came easily.
Take care of her father.
A tear slid down Theo’s cheek. She knew it was the right thing, but why did the right thing make her so upset? Why, once again, would she have to sacrifice? It wasn’t fair. But then, not much of her life had been.
The truth was, she was smart and capable and able to take care of herself. She could live the rest of her life without all that money. But her father couldn’t. Not for long, anyway.
She brought the pendant to her lips and kissed it. “Tomorrow, Mama.” She’d tell Robin in the morning that she would give the pendant to Amelia. Maybe by then she’d have found some peace about it.
A yawn suddenly hit her. She was tired. Being social was exhausting. So was the weight of responsibility. She turned the light off and headed for bed, ready to sink into that luxurious mattress and forget everything for a while.
But a knock on the French doors stopped her in her tracks. Robin? With the darkness outside and the sheers over the glass, she could only assume. She glanced down. She had no robe, and this nightgown was a little too threadbare to be decent. She grabbed the throw off one of the chairs and wrapped it around herself.
Then she opened the door to see what he wanted. “Robin?”
“Does he often call on you late at night? And do you always refer to him with such informality?”
Theo gasped as she saw who’d just spoken to her, then