"And did he show it to you?" Grenville asked.

"That he did, sir. He brought out a necklace. My eyes nearly popped when I saw it. Lots of stones all sparkling. Much nicer than anything in that shop. Out of place, like. I professed my doubts, saying my master wouldn't have truck with anything stolen. Proprietor grew angry, said he'd never buy from thieves. If a highborn lady wanted to bring her necklace to a pawnbroker's, why should he mind? He paid her a sum which near ruined him, he said, and would be glad to get it off his hands."

I exchanged a look with Grenville. "A highborn lady," I said. "Not her maid?"

"Highborn lady," Matthias repeated. "I couldn't ask him for a description, because he was already getting suspicious of me. So I thought I'd nip off and tell you."

Grenville snatched up his gloves. "Well, if this pawnbroker is anxious to have it taken off his hands, we will oblige him. You've done well, Matthias. Lacey, come with me?"

I went out with him to his sumptuous carriage, and the two footmen pushed aside their ales and followed, not about to let us finish the problem without them.

When we reached Manchester Square, Grenville was set to leap down and charge into the shop, but I persuaded him to let me have a look at the necklace myself. Matthias was correct-if the grand Grenville walked into a down-at-heel pawnbroker's, the news would fly around London and be picked up by every newspaper in the land. I, on the other hand, in my worn breeches and square-toed boots, could enter any shop I pleased without all of society falling into a swoon.

Grenville was disappointed, but he conceded that we needed to go carefully, and said he'd wait in the carriage around the corner.

I had little difficulty persuading the proprietor to show me the necklace. It was much as Lady Clifford described it-a large stone with three smaller diamonds on either side of it, all linked by a gold chain. When I'd asked Lady Clifford for more particulars, she'd looked blank, as though she could not remember anything else about it. I wondered what it must be like to have so many expensive baubles that the details of them blurred in the memory.