“Then you are wishing to replace the stones in this necklace with paste, my lady?”
She looked at the necklace as if pondering that very thing. Of course, she had no intention of doing so. Even if she needed the money—which she didn’t—Papa would be livid if he knew she’d done such a thing.
Which brought her back to the reason for their visit to jewelers this afternoon. Why would someone as wealthy as Lady Carlisle sell her stones and replace them with paste? “I assume your work is brilliant, Mr. Oglethorpe, but would you have a customer that you did this for who I might speak with? As a reference?”
He appeared taken aback, her question apparently not one he’d received before. But if she were to confirm what Mrs. Miles had said, this information was vital.
“I have not done a replacement for some time, and it was in London when I had my shop there. Many of the gentlemen replaced their wives’ jewels with paste with the intention of buying the gems back later.”
“Did they ever?” William asked.
He shook his head. “No. I never had even one man return with the stones to have them put back into the piece. I’m afraid they found other uses for the money they received. In any case, I am afraid there is no one I can offer as a reference.”
“Well, thank you, Mr. Oglethorpe. I will consider having it done, but I need more time to consider it.” Amy scooped the necklace up and dumped it into her reticule. She and William left the shop.
“That was an interesting conversation.” William escorted her across the street and around the corner, where another jewelry shop was located. “It is quite disheartening to know that gentlemen give their wives jewelry and then turn around and have the stones replaced.”
She glanced up at him as they approached the next jewelry store. “That is not something you would do, my lord?”
He looked at her aghast. “Of course not. I think you would know that about me.”
“Yes. You are right. You are much too honest and decent to do such a thing.”
There was another series of throat clearing as he opened the door to the next shop and escorted her inside.
They visited six shops before they found one where the shop owner offered Lady Carlisle as a reference for switching out stones. They also confirmed it was her and not Lord Carlisle who had requested that the jewels be removed and replaced with paste. He also confirmed that she had asked about where she could sell the gems.
“Well, we have made some progress this afternoon,” William said as the carriage began the journey back to Amy’s house. “We now know that Mrs. Miles was correct and the jewelry Lady Carlisle wears is paste. The question that remains is, why would a woman married to a man who holds one of the oldest titles in England, and who is, by all accounts, quite wealthy, have need for money from the sale of her jewelry?”
“Based on what we’ve learned, most likely to buy drugs.” Amy fiddled with the reticule in her lap, the sound of the necklace stones rubbing against each other oddly soothing.
They remained silent for the rest of the short ride back to her townhouse. The carriage pulled up to the front door just as another gentleman climbed the steps. He turned at the sound of carriage wheels, and Amy groaned.
“What is it?” William looked with concern at her and then at the man on the steps. The driver opened the door to the carriage, and William stepped out and reached for her.
“The man glowering at us is my brother, Michael. The Earl of Davenport.”
William straightened and took her arm as they made their way up the stairs. “Should I be concerned?” he asked softly from the side of his mouth.
“No. The concern is all mine, I’m afraid.” They reached her brother, who had stepped into the entrance hall. “Good afternoon, Michael.”
“Do you have any idea how many other things I need to attend to in London? That the very last place I want to be right now is standing here?”
Amy removed her light jacket and handed it to Lacey. “Then why are you standing here?”
“Who is this?” Michael asked, his eyes narrowed.
William held out his hand. “William, Viscount Wethington at your service.”
The two men shook, and Michael looked him in the eye, “Are you the man who has been helping my recalcitrant sister get into trouble with the police?”
“Hardly,” William responded with a slight smile. “I find your sister has no problem whatsoever getting into trouble with the police all by herself.”
Amy glared at William. “Traitor.”
CHAPTER 26
Tuesday morning, William’s foot had barely made it to the top step when Amy flung open the door, grabbed his hand, and dragged him into the entrance hall. “I remembered what had been teasing me at the back of my mind the past couple of weeks.”