Free Beyond Compare by Candace Camp Page B

the carvings, then over the almost-black gem, peering closely at it. There was something compelling about the box, a beauty that drew her.
    Rafe moved nearer to see it, coming up so close behind Kyria that he was almost touching her. Kyria swallowed, very aware of his presence. She could smell again the scent of him, feel the warmth of his body, and it seemed as if all her nerve endings were suddenly alive and tingling, as if they could reach across the inch that separated them and touch Rafe.
    “What is that?” he asked. “Is it glass?”
    “No, I don’t think so,” Kyria replied, smoothing her fingertip over the jewel. “I think it is a black diamond. It’s very rare.”
    “A diamond?” Rafe asked in amazement. “They come in colors?”
    Kyria nodded. “There are yellow diamonds and brown ones, blue ones, even pink. Black diamonds are unusual, though, and they are often found in areas where one doesn’t normally find diamonds. Primarily they come from Brazil and parts of Africa. This one is huge, which is, of course, extremely rare.”
    Rafe looked at her, intrigued. “You certainly seem to know a lot about diamonds.”
    Kyria gave a self-conscious laugh. “Well, jewelry is an interest of mine. It is a little frivolous, but…” She shrugged. “I love the beauty of gems and precious metals.”
    “Beauty isn’t frivolous,” Rafe replied, his gaze resting on her face. “Beauty is what humans have always strived for. In art, in music, architecture—and jewelry.”
    Kyria smiled faintly. “Yes, but jewels and dresses are not exactly serious. Not like science, say, or the treatment of workers or the vote for women.”
    “Ah, I see. Like the things that some of your family are involved in.”
    Kyria nodded. “I fear my mother sometimes finds me rather shallow. Thisbe looks for great discoveries. Theo explores uncharted territories.” She shrugged. “I design necklaces and earrings.”
    “Do you really?”
    Kyria nodded. “I designed the pearl necklace Olivia wore today. It was made from an old necklace that had been in the family for generations, but it was much too old-fashioned to wear. So I had the pearls reset.”
    “I noticed it,” Rafe said. “I thought it was beautiful. You are very talented.”
    Kyria smiled, a blush staining her cheeks. “I’m not really. It’s just something I dabble in. There is a jeweler in London who does all the work for me.”
    “But the design was lovely to begin with. He could not have done the work without your idea.”
    Kyria had received compliments before on her jewelry, but rarely had she admitted to anyone outside her family that she had designed a piece. Society, she knew, would have found it another oddity in her, no matter how attractive they thought the jewelry was. Jewelry-making was not a suitable occupation for a member of the nobility. In fact, society found no occupation suitable for a noblewoman. And while her family always praised the pieces she had made, she felt sure, deep down, that they considered it pretty, but notimportant in the way that the matters that occupied other members of her family were important.
    She was faintly surprised that she had told Rafe about her hobby, and she suspected that she probably would not have if her nerves had not been shaken by what had happened. She was also a little surprised that it pleased her so that Rafe liked her work. She was accustomed to men complimenting her looks, but not something she had done.
    “I designed the necklace for myself originally,” she went on. “But then I realized that it would suit Olivia much better. The pearls have such a soft luster, and they are, of course, perfect for a wedding.”
    Rafe smiled, and his eyes drifted over Kyria’s face. “You are right. Pearls would not suit you. Not brilliant enough. You are a woman for diamonds.” He reached out and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “Or maybe emeralds to match your eyes.”
    A shiver ran through Kyria at the