Star of the East: A Lady Emily Christmas Story (3 page)

“She is indeed, Lady Bromley. If you ask her, I am certain she will point it out to you.”

“I would not want to ask her to—”

“Nothing would give her greater pleasure than to show it off,” Ranjit said. Almost before the words were out of his mouth, she had crossed the room to where Sunita was standing with Colin, my father, Mr. Benton, and the maharaja. My mother gestured for Lady Ackerman to follow her. Lady Ackerman obeyed at once, leaving her husband to finish his conversation with the maharini. Two of the Ackerman girls, both just out in society, were giggling in a corner about something while their elder sister, the most elegant of the three, was standing just slightly away from the gentlemen surrounding Sunita, looking less than pleased. She seemed disappointed not to be able to distract them from the princess.

“I hardly know what to say.” I smiled at Ranjit and looked him straight in the eyes. “Do you really believe the diamond is cursed?”

“My family takes it most seriously, which I find vastly amusing. At the same time, however, I should be very concerned if I ever suspected my sister would wear the diamond without the bangle.”

“So you do believe the story?” I asked.

“Only one woman has dared wear the Star of the East without the bangle since the prince’s second wife died. It was more than a hundred and fifty years ago, and she met with the same fate as her predecessors. Much though I would like to consider myself above the sway of superstition, I am in fact paralyzed by it.”

“Paralyzed?” I asked.

“Perhaps I exaggerate. Just a bit,” he said.

“Now that you’ve rid us of my mother, I should like to ask a question about your sister—” I stopped as a gentleman I did not recognize entered the room.

Ranjit broke into a broad grin and shook hands enthusiastically with the newcomer. “Drayton, at last. Are you already acquainted with Lady Emily?” Without waiting for his friend to reply, he continued. “Ned Drayton is the best man I know at Oxford. He will tell you his late arrival this evening is due to the weather, an excuse no one shall have cause to question save myself. I know all too well that he is late because he is always late, and he makes a practice of missing at least two trains before boarding one to any destination.”

“I swear I am not quite so bad as he claims,” Mr. Drayton said. “I never require missing more than a single train.” He was a nice-looking young man with easy manners and a ready laugh. He apologized profusely to my mother for his tardiness, charming her with little effort. Ned, as he insisted I call him, and Ranjit seemed to spend very little of their time at Oxford pursuing their studies, but they took great pleasure in university life, and the stories of their escapades kept me in an almost constant fit of laughter until the butler announced dinner. I hesitated before taking the arm Ranjit offered me, knowing that my mother would be paying close attention to the order of precedence.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Let’s see … your father, the maharaja, escorts my mother. My father, the earl, escorts your mother. You, a prince, escorts the earl’s daughter. I can’t remember Lord Ackerman’s title.”

“Fear not, he’s only a baron. You take precedence over his wife. The real question is who will take her in? Lord Ackerman will be with my sister, of course, but the other gentlemen are not titled. I think she will—ah, yes—she has your husband’s arm. I should have made the same choice. He’s far better looking than the rest.”

We dined in spectacular fashion that night. For each course, my mother had ordered two sets of dishes—one traditionally English, the other traditionally Indian. At least that was her intention. I am not certain that curried boar prepared in the bizarre manner in which it was presented to us could be described as traditionally anything, but the maharaja and his wife appreciated the effort as a nod to their culture, and were full of compliments for the turkey and roast beef that my mother explained were essential for an English Christmas. The meal, other than the size and range of the menu, was unremarkable. Lady Ackerman fawned appropriately over my mother and the maharini. Sunita, seated next to Colin, spoke quietly, giving off every appearance of being a demure, dutiful daughter. Ranjit and Ned regaled the table with stories that captivated the Ackerman girls while my father, Mr. Benton, and the maharaja discussed all manner of issues concerning the Raj. When we had finished our final course, I, in an effort to ensure that my mother would not suffer for my actions, retired to the drawing room with the other ladies, leaving the gentlemen to their port and cigars. By the time Colin and I went up to our room, the evening had been declared an unmitigated success.

All seemed well until my mother appeared in our room the next morning, without so much as knocking and more irate than I had ever seen her. Fortunately, we had already risen from bed, as the boys had descended upon us nearly an hour earlier to say good morning—a bad habit that had started after it proved all but impossible to keep Henry away—and we were now sharing a pot of tea at the table by our window.

“Colin, my dear man, I am desperate for your help,” she said. “Someone has broken into the house and stolen the jewels Sunita was wearing last night. The whole set is gone.”

“The Star of the East?” I asked.

“Yes, of course, what else did you think I meant? Please, Colin, you must come at once.”

“Tell me exactly what you know, Lady Bromley,” Colin said, pulling his dressing gown more closely around himself. “Was Sunita disturbed during the robbery?”

“No, she was unaware that anything had happened. Rose noticed the jewels were gone,” my mother said. “She is the maid I have assigned to serve the princess during her stay with us.”

“I think you mean Sally, not Rose,” I said.

My mother waved her hand as if to silence me. “Rose, Sally, call her what you will. The situation is utterly intolerable, and I am relying on you, Colin, to take on the matter as your own.”

“I will, of course, do whatever I can,” Colin said, “but it would perhaps be sensible to inform the police without delay.”

“Absolutely not. I forbid it. It is bad enough that the maharaja and his family have been violated in my home. I will not have them subjected to police interrogation as well. Surely you will be able to recover the jewels?”

“I shall try, Lady Bromley. Emily—”

“It will not be necessary for her to be involved,” my mother said. “It is obvious the culprit is one of the servants. Who else would have known what was in the girl’s room? If you would just quietly search their rooms …”

“Have you spoken to the maharaja yet?” Colin asked. My mother glowered at the question, but was wringing her hands. I knew—and was certain my husband did as well—that she hoped he would find the jewelry and return it before the maharaja even realized it was gone. There was no point arguing with her now. “Right. I shall be happy to conduct a search of the house, but will not limit myself to the servants’ quarters if I find nothing there. Was the lock on the princess’s bedroom tampered with? Or the window?”

“Heavens, no,” my mother said. “Do you think I would allow such a thing in my house?”

I curbed my urge to ask her if she allowed the theft of priceless ancient stones in her house. “Are you quite certain nothing disturbed Sunita while she was sleeping?” I asked.

“She heard nothing, and I implore you, Emily, not to trouble her with the matter. We need only recover the jewels—as quickly as possible—and move forward as if nothing has happened.”

Colin shot out of the room almost immediately, going to dress and leaving me behind to pacify my mother, whose anger was now starting to fade as worry crept into its place. “Whatever will they think of us?” she asked. “What will they say to the queen? I wanted them to feel welcome here, and now—”

I almost felt sorry for her. “Colin will find the jewels,” I said. “I am going to speak to Sunita. We have become friendly—she asked me to help convince her mother to allow her to marry, and—”

My mother snorted. “You? What a silly girl. I should have expected better from her. What on earth will you be able to do? I have already spoken to the maharini—” She waved her handkerchief in front of her face as if it were a fan and sighed. “I can hardly bring myself to address her in more familiar fashion now that this awful event has occurred. What was I saying? Oh, yes, you, Emily, can be of no use to her daughter. You are hardly a shining example of wifely—”

I left the room before she could annoy me further, pleased that she had freed me from the feelings of guilt that might have accompanied me had she spoken to me in a different manner. As soon as I had slipped into a tea gown, I went in search of Sunita, whom I found in the Blue Room, alone. She confirmed that she had not been disturbed during the night and that nothing other than the Star of the East
tika
and its accompanying gold bangle was missing from her extensive collection of jewelry.

“You were wearing at least two dozen bangles last night,” I said. “Are you quite certain the rest of them are still here?”

“Yes, I checked carefully after Sally told me the diamond was gone,” Sunita said. “She did not mention the missing bangle.”

“Your brother told me the story of the curse. Presumably, our thief knows it as well.”

“It is hardly a secret,” Sunita said. “Ranjit told you, and the subject was raised at dinner.”

“The servants are also bound to know,” I said.

“I did not tell Sally.”

“The footmen would have heard it being discussed while they were serving dinner. I have no doubt it spread through the Servants’ Hall at breakneck speed.”

Sunita pressed a hand to her forehead. “My mother will take this as proof that I ought not be married. The Star of the East is a jewel for a bride.”

“She will think no such thing,” I said. “Do not despair.”

I rang for Sally and spoke to her in the corridor outside Sunita’s room. She explained that she had only noticed the diamond was missing when she was helping Sunita dress. Not being familiar with the princess’s jewels, she had opened the wrong case when Sunita had asked for her pearls and, finding empty the beautifully carved wooden box she had inadvertently chosen, had shown it immediately to Sunita.

“It was awful, milady,” Sally said, her voice low and her eyes wide. “She shrieked and cried and started saying things about never being able to marry now. She was well near insensible.”

“Did you notice anything awry last night?” I asked.

“Not with Her Highness.”

“And below stairs?”

“You think it’s one of us that done take it?” Sally asked.

“I have no reason to suspect any particular individual at this point,” I said. “Did you hear anything unusual? Was there anyone out of the ordinary in the servants’ hall?”

“No. Lord Ackerman’s driver and footman were with us until the party broke up. Your father had sent the carriage for Mr. Benton, so he came unattended.”

“I assume there was much talk about the diamond’s curse?”

“Yes, Lady Emily, there was. But if anything, that would have put us all off the bloo—excuse me, milady—none of us would want anything to do with a diamond that kills everyone who wears it. I will confess to you that I was nothing but relieved when I came to the princess this morning and found her still breathing.”

“The gold bangle protects the wearer from the curse.” I frowned and shook my head. “If, that is, one believes in such things at all, which I do not, and neither should you, Sally. Bring the princess some more tea, and if you notice anything strange or remember anything else from last night that you think might be of import, come to me at once.”

I went up the back stairs to the long corridor lined with the servants’ bedrooms. Colin, accompanied by the housekeeper and butler, was just finishing his search.

“There is nothing here,” he said.

“I am most relieved.” Mrs. Fitton blotted her face with a neat linen handkerchief. “I was telling Mr. Jones that I simply cannot believe that any of our staff would conduct him or herself in such despicable fashion. We do not hire thieves in this house.”

“No, my mother would never tolerate it.” I saw my husband suppress a smile as I spoke.

“Is there anything else we can do for you, sir?” Jones asked.

“You have been most helpful,” Colin said. “I shall be certain to inform Lady Bromley that things below stairs are shipshape. We shall need to speak to the earl, but I do not require anything from either of you at present.”

“We are at your service, sir,” Mrs. Fitton said. “And madam, of course.” She gave me a little smile. “It is good to see you again, Lady Emily. The house lost a great deal of brightness when you left to be married.”

“You are very kind, Mrs. Fitton, and I shall never forget all the times you slipped biscuits to me when my mother had sent me to bed without my supper.”

“Mrs. Fitton!” Jones looked down his long nose at her. “I am shocked to learn you would do such a thing. I believed I was the only one supplying her with surreptitious treats.”

“Yours always came from the sweetie shop in the village,” I said. “You were both extremely kind.”

After leaving the leaders of my mother’s beleaguered servants, we found my father in his book-lined study, where, in anticipation of Christmas, he had put a festive wreath of holly and ivy on his marble bust of Pliny the Elder. He listened intently as Colin explained the situation—my mother had neglected to so much as mention the missing stones to him while they were breakfasting.

“She is very good to me, your mother, in her way,” he said. “Doesn’t want me bothered with anything, or so she says. I know it really is due to her preferring to have absolute control over the household and all its inhabitants, myself included when she can manage it, but over the years I have come to find that I very rarely miss being embroiled in domestic intrigue.”

“This goes a bit beyond that, Papa,” I said.

He patted my hand. “Yes, yes, it does, my dear child. We must speak to the maharaja at once, of course. You will, I imagine, need to search the rest of the house?”

“Yes, sir, we will,” Colin said, and my father nodded. “I can assure you that I will handle the matter in as discreet a way as possible.”