lady.” I tried to convey that she was being a little hasty, but I had to do as she said. The sergeant came round and true to form he started off with, “What’s her maid like?” It was always the staff that came under suspicion. I tried to explain that it was unlikely that she could have taken them because she’d have no means of getting rid of them, but he still wasn’t convinced.
‘“She’s the one most likely to have done it; I’ll question her first.” He interviewed her in the library. Poor Miss Samson, she came out blazing with fury and with tears running down her cheeks, just in time to hear her ladyship say, “We’ve found them.” Apparently her secretary, Miss Jenkins, had turned out the wastepaper basket in her room, and discovered that the pearls had dropped in there. When I next saw Miss Samson I thought it only right to express my sympathy for what had happened, and she told me her story. Apparently, that bullying sergeant had written out a statement for her to sign admitting that she’d stolen the pearls. When she wouldn’t he insisted on searching her.’ Then Mr Lee’s voice dropped to a horrified whisper: ‘Do you know, Miss Harrison, she told me that he had even put his hand inside her breeches.’ I must say I found it hard to keep a straight face, not at what the sergeant had done to Miss Samson, but because Mr Lee found it impossible to refer to her undergarment by its familiar name of ‘knickers’.
We did have a real burglary at Cliveden while I was there. It was during the summer; a painter had left a ladder at one of the bedroom windows and the thief managed to get into my lady’s room and take some small pieces of jewellery which were lying around. I think he must have been disturbed because there were a number of valuables left behind and none of her drawers had been opened. The police and the insurance people came and investigated but they weren’t able to find whoever had done it. A few days later his lordship called me in to see him. ‘We think it would be a good thing if we changed the safe, Rose. Instead of a combination we shall have an ordinary type of lock, and there will be two small keys, one for Lady Astor and one for you. They’ll be a gold colour and we’ll buy you a gold bracelet and you can carry it on that.’
I had to think very fast. ‘That won’t do for me at all, my lord,’ I said.
‘Why, what do you mean, Rose?’ He wasn’t used to having his decisions challenged and it was the first time I’d done it.
I said, ‘I’m the only person who knows the combination of the safe at present, but only you and her ladyship know that I’m the only one. If I’m seen carrying a key on my wrist everybody will realize what it’s for, and if a wrong ‘un finds out I may end up with my wrist cut off. Oh no, my lord, that won’t do for me at all.’ He laughed a bit but I could see that what I’d said had gone home.
‘All right, Rose, we’ll leave things as they are for the time being.’ He had to allow himself a loophole as regards time, but nothing further was ever mentioned about it after that. Now I don’t want you to think that I was a coward and that I was really afraid about my wrist, but I knew that if her ladyship had access to the safe I would never be able to keep track of where her jewellery was, and my life would have been made a misery. But I couldn’t very well tell his lordship that, could I?
Apart from the Sancy diamond and the pearls, the other special pieces of jewellery were the tiaras. Her ladyship had five. The most beautiful and valuable was the Astor heirloom, the second was a bandeau of diamonds and pearls, the third aquamarines and diamonds, the fourth she bought herself – it was of spiky diamonds – and the fifth was an imitation of the first. It was used by her for the less important occasions and she also often lent it to her friends. All her most precious jewellery was expensive to wear because from the moment it
‘“She’s the one most likely to have done it; I’ll question her first.” He interviewed her in the library. Poor Miss Samson, she came out blazing with fury and with tears running down her cheeks, just in time to hear her ladyship say, “We’ve found them.” Apparently her secretary, Miss Jenkins, had turned out the wastepaper basket in her room, and discovered that the pearls had dropped in there. When I next saw Miss Samson I thought it only right to express my sympathy for what had happened, and she told me her story. Apparently, that bullying sergeant had written out a statement for her to sign admitting that she’d stolen the pearls. When she wouldn’t he insisted on searching her.’ Then Mr Lee’s voice dropped to a horrified whisper: ‘Do you know, Miss Harrison, she told me that he had even put his hand inside her breeches.’ I must say I found it hard to keep a straight face, not at what the sergeant had done to Miss Samson, but because Mr Lee found it impossible to refer to her undergarment by its familiar name of ‘knickers’.
We did have a real burglary at Cliveden while I was there. It was during the summer; a painter had left a ladder at one of the bedroom windows and the thief managed to get into my lady’s room and take some small pieces of jewellery which were lying around. I think he must have been disturbed because there were a number of valuables left behind and none of her drawers had been opened. The police and the insurance people came and investigated but they weren’t able to find whoever had done it. A few days later his lordship called me in to see him. ‘We think it would be a good thing if we changed the safe, Rose. Instead of a combination we shall have an ordinary type of lock, and there will be two small keys, one for Lady Astor and one for you. They’ll be a gold colour and we’ll buy you a gold bracelet and you can carry it on that.’
I had to think very fast. ‘That won’t do for me at all, my lord,’ I said.
‘Why, what do you mean, Rose?’ He wasn’t used to having his decisions challenged and it was the first time I’d done it.
I said, ‘I’m the only person who knows the combination of the safe at present, but only you and her ladyship know that I’m the only one. If I’m seen carrying a key on my wrist everybody will realize what it’s for, and if a wrong ‘un finds out I may end up with my wrist cut off. Oh no, my lord, that won’t do for me at all.’ He laughed a bit but I could see that what I’d said had gone home.
‘All right, Rose, we’ll leave things as they are for the time being.’ He had to allow himself a loophole as regards time, but nothing further was ever mentioned about it after that. Now I don’t want you to think that I was a coward and that I was really afraid about my wrist, but I knew that if her ladyship had access to the safe I would never be able to keep track of where her jewellery was, and my life would have been made a misery. But I couldn’t very well tell his lordship that, could I?
Apart from the Sancy diamond and the pearls, the other special pieces of jewellery were the tiaras. Her ladyship had five. The most beautiful and valuable was the Astor heirloom, the second was a bandeau of diamonds and pearls, the third aquamarines and diamonds, the fourth she bought herself – it was of spiky diamonds – and the fifth was an imitation of the first. It was used by her for the less important occasions and she also often lent it to her friends. All her most precious jewellery was expensive to wear because from the moment it
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