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Who were the members of the Guild? Anyu wondered, walking beside Isaac down the train-shaped hall.

They arrived at a dark oak door, and she stopped and fitted her ring into another brass plaque as Isaac instructed.

It opened, and she stepped into what looked to be a lounge furnished with sofas and tables.

Four people sat there, studying a tray of diamonds on a coffee table. She recognized one of them.

Mrs. Brown. She was not wearing her tiara or her gloves, and Anyu noticed her signet ring, a plain gold ring with a moonstone cabochon on her middle finger, identical to Isaac’s. “Miss Anyu, I see you made it here. Please come and join us.”

“Mrs. Brown,” Anyu said. “I didn’t realize you were a member. I thought Mr. Walters was a member.”

“He works for the Guild.” Mrs. Brown introduced her to the three men at the table: Mr. Petrov, a man in his sixties, dressed in a black tuxedo and a top hat; Mr. Lebedev, a middle-aged man wearing a suit in a fire opal color, a matching hat, and matching leather shoes; and Mr. Tang, an old man with his arm in a sling.

Mr. Petrov, Isaac added, was an original member of the Guild, the oldest surviving workmaster as far as they knew. The rest of the Guild were presumed dead, their rings lost.

Anyu remembered their faces. She had met them at Mrs. Brown’s soiree. They looked rather haughty, studying her in silence.

Finally, Mr. Tang said, “She’s only a kid.”

“She’s eighteen,” Isaac said.

“And she thinks she deserves to be here,” Mr. Tang said.

“Yes, I do,” Anyu said.

Mrs. Brown raised her eyebrows.

“I do, too,” Isaac said. “I wouldn’t have chosen her as my successor otherwise.”

“We’ve already had one woman, our leader, no less,” Mr. Petrov, the oldest member, said in Russian. “Must we accept another one? The original Workmasters Guild only had men, who were required to be master jewelers.”

“Must we bring this up again, Mr. Petrov?” Mr. Lebedev, the man in the matching fire opal outfit, sighed. “Mrs. Brown may not be a jeweler, or a master jeweler, for that matter, but she’s a capable leader. Thanks to her, we’re doing well in Shanghai.”

“I didn’t say Mrs. Brown shouldn’t lead us because she’s not a master jeweler.”

“You’ve been implying that for four years, Mr. Petrov,” Mr. Lebedev said.

“All I mean is that the rule of the Guild was broken when Mr. Brown died, and it’s our responsibility to honor it moving forward. Are we going to?”

“I kindly request you, gentlemen, to save small talk for later and make a decision.” Mrs. Brown looked unfazed. “Isaac has appointed his successor and asked to transfer his membership. Do you accept his appointee or object? Raise your hand if you accept.”

“Before you object,” Anyu said. “I just want to gently remind you that the Workmasters Guild, despite their best intentions, never predicted the exit from Russia. And yet, here you are, in a different country—such are the unpredictable turns of life. As for me, I am young, yes, but I’m also a talented master jeweler.

I hope my age doesn’t count against me.”

There was a long silence; Mr. Petrov was frowning, and so was Mr. Tang. Mr. Lebedev looked at her curiously.

“You heard her. And?” Mrs. Brown asked.

A hand was raised—Mr. Lebedev’s, and then Mr. Tang’s. Everyone turned to Mr. Petrov.

“What are we getting here? She’s not going to give up, is she?” Mr. Petrov sighed and raised his hand.

“Very well, then. I appreciate your vote. We’re all grateful for Isaac’s dedication to this Guild, and we’re sorry we won’t see him in this place again. Miss Anyu, welcome to the Guild. We’re delighted to have you as one of our members,” Mrs. Brown said.

Mr. Lebedev said, “Did Isaac tell you about our Guild? As a member, you’ll learn the code for meetings and the ethics of the Guild.

You are entitled to borrow the gemstones and gold and other minerals at a discount.

So you see, you join the Guild as a jeweler, but you’ll be backed by a huge network linked to the collectors, dealers, diamond mine owners, and the elite of society. ”

Anyu nodded. “What is my responsibility to the Guild?”

“There are no responsibilities; there are only benefits. However, there’s one binding oath we’d like to request from you.”

“What is it?”

Mrs. Brown said, “You must never tell anyone it exists.”

Anyu looked at the ring on her finger. “You have my oath.”

Later, Anyu and Isaac stepped out of the tunnel and into the garden with the Goddess of Peace. The garden was submerged in darkness; by the faint moonlight, she could see the walls of the courtyard and the shop, lit by a single lamp near the window.

The wind blew in her face. She sat on the plinth of the statue and felt the statue’s hard ivory press against the small of her back.

It was late, but she didn’t want to go anywhere, fueled by something inexplicable.

She couldn’t help thinking that she had been only a girl living by a train station and an orphan when she came to Shanghai, and now she was a master jeweler, the protector of a priceless egg, a member of a secret group.

She would never have imagined such a life; she felt as if reborn.

“When we return to the workshop, you can resize your ring.” Isaac sat next to her.

In the dark, she couldn’t see his face. “Does anyone else know about the vault?”

“No.”

“Not even Esther, Uncle David, or Samuel?”

“They know about the egg but not the Guild.”

“What will you do now that you’re no longer a member?”

“I won’t attend any more meetings or come to this place, but the Guild will have my loyalty until my last breath.”

She chuckled. “What guild? It doesn’t exist.”

“Indeed.” He laughed.

“I still can’t believe you’d give me the treasure.”

“But my dear Anyu, you are the most precious treasure of all.”

She turned to him and did something she had never done before, something she had longed for during all these months—she reached out to hold his hand.

For a brief and thrilling moment, she felt his skin, warm, dry, calloused, his strong fingers lingering, encircling hers.

Her heart swelled with happiness. Now she was holding his hand.

Would he kiss her? She was a master jeweler of the House of Mandelburg, but she was his.

There was a moment of silence. “Are you cold, Anyu?”

“No, yes, no. No.”

He struggled for words, his silhouette a dark muse, and then he said, “I want you to know you’re an extraordinary girl, Anyu. I’ve never met someone like you, and I’m proud of your accomplishment.”

“I love you.”

There. She said it. And she was glad. She had loved his smile, loved the way he looked at her, the way he took out his loupe and studied the designs. She loved him, for no one had loved her the way he loved her, and no one else would.

“Let’s go home, shall we?”

His fingers slipped away, and for a long, cold moment, she held nothing. Confused, she didn’t ask, but for the next two years, waiting with hope, her eyes tracing his arched back, her lips waiting for the kisses that never came, she wished she had asked: Do you love me?