Page 1 of Emerald Rising
Chapter 1
EMMY
I laughed. It was a joyless sounding thing that crept out of my mouth as I stared down at the envelope with my name written in an elegant, strong, firm hand. The thick black ink was stark against the crisp white paper as it sat on the mahogany desk in front of me.
“What the Hell is this?”
Mother Superior scowled at me. In my shock I’d forgotten my manners and the severe frown the cantankerous old lady I loved like a mother sent my way was enough to chastise me back into silence.
“Emerald, my child, I believe this is a letter from your parents.”
Her face softened as she spoke and the lines on her face went from making her look severe, to a sweet old lady. It always amazed me how she could look formidable one minute and like butter wouldn’t melt the next.
“But why now?” I asked, the steadiness of my voice wavering.
“I imagine you’ll have to read it to find out,” she replied with a mischievous smile curling her lips. She knew that I’d longed to know who I was and where I’d come from. I’d been left on the doorstep of the convent with nothing apart from a letter that detailed how I was to be taken care of up until I turned twenty-one, which was today.
I knew my parents, whoever they were, were wealthy. Every month, on exactly the same date, money was deposited in an account for me. Way more than I could ever spend, but it turned up without fail. I’d even tried to trace the money to find some answers, but no answers were forthcoming. The money was routed through various offshore banks, owned by various shell companies which were registered to various holding companies. In other words, it was impossible to trace.
A shiver crawled up my spine as I stared at the crisp, white rectangle with my name on it in the most beautiful handwriting I’d ever seen. It was such a simple looking thing, but I knew it had the power to change me in an instant. I wasn’t sure I was ready to find out the answers to the questions that had haunted me for so long.
“Has it been with you all this time?”
Mother Superior looked at me with something akin to confusion in her watery blue eyes. “No. It arrived with the morning’s post.”
“But there’s no stamp on it. How is that possible?”
She shrugged her shoulders and leant back in her chair. “One of life’s mysteries. We aren’t meant to understand everything, Emerald, but we can accept the gifts we are given with grace.”
I looked back at the envelope and my heart thudded in my chest. “What if this isn’t a gift? What if it’s just a doorway to pain and suffering?”
“I don’t believe, that after all this time, your parents’ intentions would be to hurt you. You know as well as I, that there must be a reason you were placed here.” She reached out and took my hand in hers, her frail-looking fingers wrapping around mine with a surprisingly firm grip. “The Sisters of Saint John and I were blessed to have you as part of our family. You’ve brought so much joy to us, and we are all so proud of the lovely young woman you’ve grown into. We’ve missed you since you’ve left us, but we know that here isn’t where you belong. You were never meant to be a nun.”
A soft laugh escaped my lips. “You’re right. I’ve got far too many vices to be pious.”
I felt the tears fill my eyes as I thought about what might be in that letter. Would it tell me why I was abandoned? Would it tell me why they didn’t want me? Why I had an empty house and more money than I could ever spend but no one to share it with?
I had so many questions and so much fear about the answers I might get that I was tempted to just burn the letter and forget about it.
But that wouldn’t do me any good, would it?
My hands shook as I picked up the envelope. “It’s heavy,” I murmured, more to myself than Mother Superior. I wasn’t expecting it to have such a hefty weight to it. I guessed there must be more in here than a short note. That was at least a little comforting.
“I’ll leave you the room, but just know I’m here if you need anything.” Mother Superior’s voice was soft as she spoke and before leaving me alone to face the ghosts of my past, she placed a tender kiss on the top of my head. “You are loved, precious child. Don’t forget that.”
And then I was alone. Just me, and the letter and a world of possibility.
Okay, Emmy. Deep breath.
My fingers trembled as I opened the envelope and reached inside to pull out some folded sheets of paper that matched the envelope. I could tell it was fancy paper because it was so thick, and it looked like something that had stepped out of history. I mean, who even wrote letters anymore?
The paper creaked as I opened it and I jumped as something fell from between the sheets. I looked at my lap where the item fell and gasped. The most beautiful necklace twinkled up at me against the dark denim of my trousers. I picked it up and found myself staring at a flawless round emerald set in a circle of diamonds. It was small, unassuming, and clearly very expensive. I’d probably have to get it insured and wearing it in public was probably incredibly stupid but—
My eyes widened as they looked at the back of the gorgeous gem. There was a small inscription on the back. Just two letters nimbly engraved on the small surface.
M&A
Were they my parents’ initials? It certainly looked like the sort of gift a husband might give his wife. Did my mother wear this?
