In 1910, Marcella Porter, heiress to a coal fortune, is on her way back to New York from London. A headstrong young woman, she refused her mother’s efforts to marry her off to a third rate royal. After she rejected him, she became persona non grata with the Brits and, because the scandal received coverage in the U.S., stateside as well.
On the cruise, her companion, Anneke, spent most of her time seasick in their cabin, leaving Marcella to wander the ship and find her own entertainment. She meets Lord Wallace Kentworthy, who insists she call him Wally. They enjoy drinks and several dinners together. Marcella is impressed by his good looks and manners. But it’s when he asks her for help that she must make a decision to trust him.
He tells her he is bringing a diamond to New York to sell it for a friend. Marcella is awed when she is shown the gem, a perfect oceanic drop in deepest blue and clear as ice. Wally says the owner wants to build an orphanage with the proceeds from the sale. He fears, however, someone is trying to steal the gem from him and asks if she would keep it safe, hiding it in plain sight among her pother jewels. By this time, Marcella is entranced with the diamond and readily agrees.
They make plans to meet after the ship docks, but he doesn’t show up. She and Anneke make their way to the Porter mansion in the Bronx. Having fallen under the spell of the diamond, Marcella has no intention of turning it over to Wally. Whenever he turns up at the mansion, he’s turned away. Meanwhile, Marcella tucks the diamond under her bodice, afraid to have anyone actually glimpse the jewel.
While Marcella has heard tales of the Hope diamond carrying a curse, she doesn’t believe this one, called the Midnight Diamond, will bring her anything but good luck. And for a long time, everything she does seems to be successful, even having her father forgive her for what happened in London. But at some point, her luck will run out.
In 2010, Jennie has graduated with an MFA from Pratt, but is having trouble making a living as an artist. When a family friend, Peter, helps her obtain employment with a diamond dealer, she’s quick to accept. Lee Dabrowski needs someone to work as her courier, since every shop in New York’s diamond district is constantly making deliveries. Her first day on the job, Jennie meets another courier, Miles, who is more than happy to help her navigate the maze that makes up one of the city’s most famous and at times dangerous areas.
Unfortunately, Peter dies of an apparent heart attack while Jennie is in his shop. When cleaning out the shop, she finds a jewel box decorated with a sparrow, her deceased mother’s favorite bird. Jennie is determined to figure out what jewel once was kept in the case. She’s not the only one looking for that diamond, however, and across time she and Marcella will have their lives intersect and experience the full impact of what the Midnight Diamond doles out.
The Cursed Diamond
Anna Rasche
Top Shutterstock photo by Retouch man
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