The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh Page B

I have winkled out of her is that she thought the jewels would be pawned after her marriage. She did agree to that. She did not know that Reginald intended to take and pawn the king-stone beforehand. And although she is not very coherent on the subject I really think she suspected he had taken the stone. It seems that he entered her room to kiss her just before going off to change for dinner, and she left him there just for long enough to go along the landing and call to Ottalie.”
    ‘“It’s simple theft, then, Claire. The fellow is a thief. I shall call the police.”
    ‘Attenbury got up from his chair, as if he thought to do that at once. Lady Attenbury stopped him.
    ‘“Just wait a moment, Arthur. The police will not have the benefit of what I have just told you. Charlotte is adamant. She no longer wants to marry Mr Northerby but she will not give evidence against him. If he is prosecuted, she will tell the police, and a court if need be, that she gave the stone to him.”
    ‘“She’ll damn well do what she’s told!” cried Lord Attenbury.
    ‘“I’m not sure that she will, Arthur. And what are you going to do about it? Beat her?”
    ‘I chipped in: “Better not beat a witness, old friend. Suborning witnesses is a serious matter.”
    ‘“Suborning her? Getting her to tell the truth? What’s wrong with that, may I ask?”
    ‘“Once you start bullying a witness, leave alone beating her, nobody can tell if her evidence is the truth or not.”
    ‘“We shall all look like insurance crooks. Is that what she wants?”
    ‘“She wants to break off her engagement and be rid of Mr Northerby without a scandal. Without his going to prison. And, Arthur, that’s what I want, too. Can it be managed?”
    ‘“Who would have children,” he said, slumping down in an armchair.
    ‘“What can we do, Peter?” Lady Attenbury said, turning to me.
    ‘I was thinking it over. “You can simply ‘find’ the jewel, and tell the police that it’s all a terrible error, and the jewel has been found.”
    ‘“To do that we’d have to get it back,” Attenbury pointed out.
    ‘“You’d have to get it out of hock, yes. If you leave it where it is, and the marriage doesn’t go ahead, I think Northerby won’t be able to redeem it. So when the six months are up it will probably get sent off to Amsterdam to be re-cut. And someone is certain to recognise it.”
    ‘“You mean I’ve actually got to pay for it?” He almost howled, he was so angry.
    ‘“I think it is in pledge for around a third of its value,” I said.
    ‘“That would be still a tidy sum, Wimsey” he said. “Enough to hurt.”
    ‘“We can sell my diamonds to cover it, Arthur,” Lady Attenbury said.
    ‘His lordship got out of his chair, and went across to his wife, and patted her gently on the back of the hand. “No, no, my dear, wouldn’t hear of that,” he said. “When I see you wearing those, I remember the first evening I ever saw you…I’ll manage somehow. Sell a farm or two.”
    ‘“I wish you would, Arthur, I would be very grateful.”
    ‘“Wimsey, will you see to this matter for me?” Attenbury asked. “I’ll get you a banker’s draft when we know the exact sum.”
    ‘“I’ll be glad to, sir,” I said.
    ‘“And Peter?” said Claire Attenbury. “Your mother…your mother talks a good deal…”
    ‘“She does indeed,” I said. “But trust me for it – I don’t.”
    ‘And I didn’t, Harriet. I got the bauble back, though not from Mr Handley; I had it from his son. When I went to redeem it I found a timid and uncertain youngster in charge of the shop, and on asking for Handley himself I was told that he was dead. He had been struck down by a hit and run driver when crossing the road outside his house in Chiswick. His son was running the shop and trying to sell it as a going concern. He was still in a shaken state of mind about it, but he was able to find the transaction in his father’s records, and do the