Charlotte's steps quickened as she made her way back to her chambers, her pulse beating wildly in her throat. The image of the golden heart-shaped pendant, glimmering in Vanessa's jewelry box, burned in her mind. It couldn't have been a coincidence. It simply couldn't.
As soon as she entered her room, she shut the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood as she caught her breath. Her eyes darted across the room, her desk, the partially opened wardrobe, the drawers left slightly ajar. She had to find it. She had to be sure she hadn't imagined it.
She rushed to her wardrobe first, flinging it open and tossing aside folded dresses and shoes in search of the envelope. When it wasn't there, she spun toward her drawers, yanking them out with little care, clothes spilling onto the floor in her frantic search.
"Where is it? Where is it?" she muttered, dropping to her knees as she reached beneath the wardrobe, her hands searching desperately through the small and dusty space.
