“Very true,” Bess agreed. She had been twenty-three when she had wed, though she had been carrying on an affair with her future husband since she was twenty-one. Most of her friends who had married very young were unhappy. They had thought they were in love, but as they matured, they realized they had nothing in common with their spouses. “I would like to meet her if she wishes to visit the shop.” If she knew more about the young woman, she and William might be able to come up with a man who would be compatible with her.

“It sounds like he would be perfect for the job. William should be home soon. Send him by and we’ll talk to him. He won’t be able to start right away as we need to renovate the upstairs rooms.”

Bess scooped the rest of the rings into her hand and smiled at Aslan. “Real gold does bend and scratch easily. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that.” She chuckled. “But that works in our favor as we repair jewelry too. Do you mind waiting a few minutes while I examine these more closely?”

Bess agreed. Bess was a woman. Maybe he wasn’t wasting Nisa’s time by not marrying her off. Allah knew she hated it the first time.

Which raised a problem: he liked Bess (even if she seemed to look down two floors every time she met him in the eye), and he wouldn’t want Bess to miss one of her friends or her husband’s friends.

“She has impeccable tastes,” he said, glancing down to some of the necklaces on display, “and if fortune smiles upon us, I see no reason to not smile back upon it.”

Aside from the whole, well, hoping Nisa didn’t take out her rages on any of his friends and friendly acquaintances (and even most of the not so friendly ones).

Aslan smiled politely as she remarked on his gold knowledge. He hadn’t known that either, until he cashed in on a desperate mother’s wedding band.

“Not at all,” he answered. “Take your time.”

He probably should have checked if there was a customer-side chair before he said that.

“Well, tell your sister that she is welcome to come by anytime. You’ve helped us so much that I will give her a discount if she sees something she likes.” Bess was beginning to think that Aslan was more well-off than he seemed. It appeared that tracking down stolen goods was a lucrative profession. Or perhaps he had wealthy parents.

Most families couldn’t afford to send their daughters to finishing school. She remembered how she had envied the girls who got to go. There was no way her own family could afford it, and there had been no point in bringing the subject up. At least her boys would be able to go to good schools, and if the baby growing inside her was female, a finishing school was in her future.

“There are some chairs over by the wall if you would like to sit.” Secluded from view by a tall display case, three chairs sat on a pretty rug in front of a round table covered by an embroidered tablecloth. Some of the shop’s customers were elderly and others liked to have jewelry shone to them privately.

Bess took the rings to the back room and examined them thoroughly. As she had thought, they were pure gold and of excellent quality. She would let William decide what to do with them. Most likely, they would be melted down to be used in new designs.

About ten minutes later, she returned with the rings in a small box. “Thanks for waiting, Mr. Koç. If you’re absolutely sure you want to part with these rings, I have an offer for you.” The price she named was reasonable, but there was room for negotiation.