Chapter 5

"First of all I know you're all dying to know the value. To me the value means nothing, since the necklace goes way back to a story told by my great-great-grandmother. If I was to lose it or heaven forbid, someone would steal it, the three million dollars the insurance company would give me would not be enough. It's irreplaceable as far as I'm concerned. I think the jewels alone are worth far more than that. Maybe as much as five or even ten million. Not that I'll ever sell it."

Our eyes must have gotten very big as she gave out this enormous laugh. "Yes, the value of this necklace could be way over three million dollars. Three million was the maximum I could get it insured for if I wanted to travel with it."

We all became even more interested than we were before, and as we ate, we listened.

"The story I'll tell you is about three hundred years old. So somewhere along the way some instances have been left out and some probably have been added. My great-great-grandmother wrote down that it was given to her by, I think, her great-great-great-grandmother around the year seventeen hundred by the king of Stannoba, a small state somewhere in Eastern Europe that no longer exists, and hasn't for at least three hundred years. No one seems to know anything about it. It's like a country in a fairy-tale that never was . . . almost like Brigadoon.

"My great-great-grandmother believed that her great-great-great-grandmother was a commoner who fell in love with the king." Maria laughed. "I may be out by one or more 'greats' there. Anyway, despite the family's resistance, they married. And the people of Stannoba also fell in love with her. They reigned together for over ten years. There was an uprising and a take-over by a powerful neighboring country at that time. We don't know what country that was, but somehow Stannoba was never heard of again. This necklace was given to her from the king on their wedding night.

"So the king and queen fled to Denmark with their two children and lived back in a remote country area. They ended up working for a kindly couple who were sheep farmers. The only thing they had with them was this necklace, which was like their security blanket. They worked for this couple for about five years; he as a shepherd and she as a maid doing all of the cooking and cleaning. Just imagine, once they were royalty and now they were servants.

"Then the sheep farmers died, and as they had no children or family, my ancestors inherited the flock of sheep. They were very successful and the village people, we understand, fell in love with them. They settled there with their children, and the story was passed down from generation to generation that they were descended from royalty. When my great-grandmother was about twenty-four she fell in love with a young man who was visiting the area where they lived. He was from America.

"They married, and with her parents' blessings she and her new husband moved to the United States in 1888. Just before she left for America, her mother gave her the necklace and reminded her of the story of how it had been given by the king of a small country that no longer existed, and that she must always remember that she was descended from a king.

"They came to the United States and settled in New York City, had three children, the first being a girl, my grandmother. Since that time, the necklace has always been given to the first-born, male or female, usually on their marriage.

"After seven years in New York they moved to Texas and started a cattle ranch. If you ever get to Texas you'll see many signs directing you to 'The Clegmann Ranch, the largest cattle ranch in Texas, if not in the world.'

Maria took a deep breath. "When my grandmother was twenty-two she also married a rancher. He owned a very large horse ranch, but not as large as her parents' cattle ranch. After her mother and father passed away they bought out the other siblings' shares and joined the two ranches together. This necklace was given to her as a wedding present, and again she was told this same story. Whenever the necklace is given to the next generation, the story is always told, so it will never die.

"My grandmother and grandfather had one child, my father. When he married my mother, he gave the necklace to her. It was given with one condition, that she could never sell it unless it was to save a Clegmann's life, either by marriage or born a Clegmann. I was their only child.

"When I married Marcy's father, the necklace and story were given to me. Charlie, my husband, died fifteen years ago. When Marcy here gets married, or when I die, the necklace will go to her." Maria nodded to her daughter and gave her a smile. "Somewhere along the way we know the necklace will be sold, as there'll be no stipulations or restrictions after it leaves me.

"Well that's the story. Whether it's all true or not, no one knows for sure. There were even rumors that one of my ancestors stole it and fled the country they were living in, and made up the story of the king and queen of Stannoba, and there was never such a place. I believe there was, perhaps a little kingdom in what is now Russia, and that my ancestors were truly a king and queen."

Chad asked, "What about the diamond earrings, Maria?"

"Oh, I had them made. I found a jeweler who did a great job. They look like a set, don't they?"

We all nodded. They were beautiful, but the necklace was indeed breathtaking, with a quality about the diamonds that I had never seen before.

"Tell us about the necklace," Nick said. "I mean the diamonds, and I think, emeralds."

"Well there are three strands as you can see." Maria held the heart-shape pendent in her hand. "There's one strand of all diamonds, the middle strand is all emeralds, and then the outer strand is another row of diamonds. The pendent that hangs down is two rows of diamonds and emeralds, outlining the large emerald shaped heart. It takes my breath away each time I put it on.

"It was difficult for the insurance company to appraise it because there's nothing else like it anywhere. It's an original, and they say that only the absolute best diamonds and emeralds were used. That's why I'm sure the story is true. It was without doubt a gift from a king to his queen."

"I've been told its value is much higher now than when I had it appraised. Anyone who stole it could easily break it down into single stones and sell them a few at a time. So we plan to have it reappraised, and try to adjust the insurance right after the cruise is over. But I do like taking it with me to wear on special occasions like this. As I said before, the value means nothing. It's the sentiment that's important to me."

We all left the table fascinated by the fairytale story. True or not, Maria had kept us spellbound for over an hour as we dined.

After thanking her, Kat and I went out on the deck. The night was beautiful with the moon shining on the water. We found two lounge chairs, but decided to sit in only one. We held each other and thanked the Lord again for putting us together. We must have both dozed off at about same time.

We were awakened by the loudspeaker. "Will the group of guests that were sitting at table nine please return to their table. No one else will be allowed in the dining room at this time. For the rest of the guests, please enjoy the casino, dancing at the disco lounge on the top floor, or games throughout the ship. Thank you and have a pleasant evening."

Kat and I got up and hurried to the dining room. Everyone was already there, including the Captain of the ship.

Maria was pale and sitting down. Her husband, Jason, stood next to her, holding her hand. Everyone else was standing, all with a look of bewilderment on their faces.

Finally Mark, who had been with us on the table at dinner, said, "What's wrong, Captain? Is Maria sick? Is it something she ate at dinner, and should we also expect to be sick?"

"No," the Captain said, "no one is sick."

Before he could tell us why we were all called there, Maria finally spoke up. "Someone has stolen my necklace."

Great big tears started to fill her eyes and splash onto her dress. After she regained her composure, she began to tell us what had happened, occasionally stopping to wipe away her tears.