Barbara Bradford - The Cavendon Women

As they hurried down the lower staircase, Daphne asked, ‘When was the last time you were in the jewellery vaults, Papa?’

‘Not recently, that’s a certainty. We haven’t been having parties, so no one thought of taking jewels out to wear. I’m puzzled, I truly am, but we must solve this mystery and reclaim the pieces. My father, my grandfather and my great-grandfather always called these vaults our safety net. The pieces were bought for investment purposes, as well as to be worn and shown off. A lot were bought by the 1st Earl when he was a trader in the West Indies and in India. He purchased diamonds from the famous Golconda mines, and those pieces are unique.’

When they arrived at the iron door, Charles unlocked it and stepped inside the huge vault, turning on the light. ‘It’s a good thing my father put electricity in down here, otherwise where would we be today?’

‘Putting it in ourselves,’ Daphne muttered, and followed her father over to one of the larger safes; it sat against a wall at the far end of the vault.

Charles opened the safe and lifted out a worn, red leather case. ‘There were diamond earrings in this. From Cartier. As you can see, it’s empty. This other one held a single strand of diamonds, also from Cartier.’

Daphne nodded, and reached into the safe herself. Her fingers curled around a blue leather box, stamped with gold edging, and as she took it out she said, ‘This is the brooch I wore at my wedding, Papa.’

‘I’m afraid not, darling, that one is empty, too.’

‘I can’t believe it!’ she cried, and lifted the lid. ‘It is empty, and it was one of my favourite pieces. I wore it on my wedding dress, and then later Mama wore it at the dinner we had in January 1914, after Alicia was born—’ Daphne cut herself off, swung to face her father, and cried, ‘I know who took the jewels.’

Charles stared at her, frowning. ‘Are you about to point a finger at your mother?’

‘I most certainly am, Papa! She was the last person seen wearing the diamond bow brooch.’ Placing the empty jewel case on the table that stood in the middle of the room, Daphne looked in the safe again and pulled out two more cases. ‘In here should be a small diamond and ruby tiara, and in this one a matching diamond and ruby bracelet.’

When she opened them, she nodded. ‘Papa, she took these pieces, I know she did. They were her favourites, and so were the Marmaduke pearls. They’re in the other safe, aren’t they?’

‘Yes, they are. We’d best investigate, ascertain what’s missing from there.’

The pearls, dating back to the eighteenth century, were highly valuable, and had been treasured by the Inghams over many years. They were large, had been carefully matched, and were of opera length, long and elegant. The single string was so precious it was hard to evaluate. Daphne had come to believe the pearls, if auctioned, would go for a lot of money.

The box was heavy, and she knew at once the pearls were safe, that they were inside. When she lifted the lid, she nodded, smiled in relief. ‘At least she didn’t grab these, Papa.’

‘I was sure they were here. Pearls have to be taken out from time to time to, sort of … well, be allowed to breathe. And I’ve taken the box upstairs quite frequently for that reason,’ Charles explained.

‘I just know Mama took the other jewels. She knew where the key was, nobody else did, except for me and Miles. And we didn’t steal them. She did it. Your former wife and my mother, and I am going to get every single piece back from her. She’s met her match in me. I won’t rest until the Ingham jewels are back in their rightful place.’

‘How are you going to do that, Daphne? And how are you going to prove she has the jewels? Your mother will never admit she took something she shouldn’t have from Cavendon.’

Daphne was silent for a moment or two, and then she confided, ‘I have an ally. Someone who will help me. I know that for an absolute certainty, Papa.’

He frowned, and a sudden look of concern settled in his blue eyes. ‘And who is that? Who is going to help you?’

‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you, Papa. It’s not that I don’t trust you, because obviously I do. Nonetheless, I simply can’t tell you. At least not now. When I’ve done it, and given the jewels back to you, I will explain everything.’

Charles let out a deep sigh. ‘When are you planning to confront Felicity?’

‘In the next few weeks, when you are away. And I shall force her to hand them over. Obviously we cannot take any steps right now. Nevertheless, I have no worries. She can’t possibly sell them, not ever.’

‘That’s right. We would know immediately if they went on the market.’

‘So, let’s lock these safes, and the vaults, and forget about the missing jewels for the next few days. And I will make the list next week and check every box in all the safes, I promise.’

‘It is a little worrisome,’ Charles murmured, and closed the safe door.

‘I know it is, Papa, but we must not let this problem affect the … family reunion. It wouldn’t be fair, would it?’

‘No, it wouldn’t. As usual, you are making perfect sense, Daphne. Whatever would I do without you?’

There was no doubt in Daphne’s mind that the moment her father had seen the empty cases, he had known at once who had taken the jewels. But he had waited for her to make that very obvious connection.

Daphne sat back in the chair in the conservatory, thinking about her mother, a woman who had changed so drastically she seemed like a stranger. Daphne blamed Lawrence Pierce. It was his fault. He had been a bad influence on Felicity, and no doubt he still was.

She sighed to herself. There was nothing much any of them could do about their mother. She was married to Pierce and, seemingly, he ruled the roost, as Miles so aptly put it. Her mother had created a scandal when she had run off to be with the surgeon in London. But somehow her father and the family had managed to weather it all, and their standing was still intact. Anyway, almost every family they knew were having some problem or other, whether marital or financial.

It seemed almost inconceivable to her that their mother had just pocketed the jewellery, as if it were her own, and gone off to London to join her lover, without giving it another thought. Not about the jewellery she was taking, which was not hers to take. Or the children she was leaving behind. That had happened twelve years ago.

Little Dulcie had been only six, and baby Alicia, her mother’s only grandchild, was not even one year old.

But Felicity’s children had managed. They had not only had each other, they had had their extraordinary father, a very loving man, who was the personification of decency.

And she herself had also had her darling Hugo, and their first child. And all the Swanns. Whatever would they have done without the Swanns? Most especially Charlotte.

Normally, Daphne would have run straight to Charlotte today, to tell her about the missing jewels and ask for her help. But she could not do that. Charlotte had her hands full, and she didn’t need this worry to cope with.

Closing her eyes, Daphne wondered what she could do. She had told her father she had a plan, but she didn’t really. Her only thought was to go to London to confront Felicity.

But her mother would deny having the jewels, wouldn’t she? Obviously that would be Felicity’s only course. And how could Daphne prove otherwise, without ransacking her mother’s house? That wasn’t a possibility, under any circumstance. She did have an ally, as she had told her father. That at least was the truth. But just how much could that ally do?

What she really needed was a reason to invite herself to tea with her mother. But it would have to be a genuinely good reason, because they had all shunned her, off and on, over the years.