Summary

Chapter 21 picks up with Conn still looking at the jewel. He notes it is “as big as the palm of my hand, and leaf shaped and leaf colored” (228). Conn can’t help but feel that the jewel is “calling” to him (228). Rowan tells Conn that the woman wearing the necklace is the duchess. Someone calls Rowan back into the party, leaving Conn alone. He decides to wait until the party is over, then he will sneak into the Palace and steal the jewel.

When the time comes for Conn to break in, he does so with stealth and skill. He finds a guard standing in front of the room he needs to enter. The guard moves when another guard warns him that there is an intruder; footprints have been found in the snow leading to the castle. Conn takes advantage of this...