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They sat down on the sofa together. Violet placed her hand on Clare's left thigh as a show of affection. Obviously, Clare squirmed a little under the heat of Violet's palm but at the same time, she tried to stay in character and smiled. The Duchess gestured at the two large boxes before them. One of the suited merchants put on a pair of white glows and lifted the lids open.

It was the first time Clare had seen so many bright sparkling things in one place, a myriad of finely cut jewelry lining in rows, almost dazzling her to bl