Explore "The Councillors of Falconhoe" by Fred M. White on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Inez Salviati accepted the Duke's offer of the family emeralds more in a spirit of adventure than out of vanity, or at least the natural vanity that goes with successful youth. Had she fully realised the value of the loan she might have been more chary of accepting it. That they would be something out of the common she knew, but that the Lombaso emeralds were historic and known all over the world as quite the best of their kind was beyond her knowledge. Neither had she been particularly impressed when the Duke informed her that they were part of the Spanish regalia.
Perhaps she did not quite understand precisely what that meant. At any rate, she was only going to wear them once, and after that great night they would be restored to their rightful owner again.