Queen of Hearts (Royal Spyness Mysteries) (9 page)

“So he would also have been present on each of the occasions that a burglary took place?” I asked.

Darcy grinned. “I can’t see him climbing through a window or up a drainpipe, can you? And burglary is not in his nature. I’m sure he has ruined plenty of men. I’m sure he could kill with his bare hands, but nothing sneaky. Everything he does is larger than life.”

“You say the thief attempted to rob the princess in Paris. Why did that not succeed? Was the thief seen?”

“No, unfortunately. The princess had a visitor who had brought her little dog. The dog started yapping and they found the bathroom window had been forced open. The burglar must have come around the side of the building on a ledge. I tell you, the chap has nerves of steel, I’ll grant him that.”

“So what are you going to do now?” I asked.

“Search passengers when they disembark, but I suspect it’s easy to hide a precious stone. Apart from that we can only hope that the thief is encouraged to strike again.”

“Encouraged, how?”

Darcy gave me a long look. “I thought we might use you as bait.”

“Oh, I say. Steady on,” the captain interrupted. “You can’t do a thing like that.”

“Me? I’m known to be penniless. I have nothing worth stealing.”

“You are related to the richest people in England. What if you let slip that Queen Mary has given you a special piece of jewelry, a rare old family piece and you really should have left it in the bank, but it’s so pretty that you wanted to bring it with you?”

“And you think the gentleman thief will believe that? Having never seen me wear anything more startling than a strand of garnets or pearls?”

“It’s worth a try. The royal connection might be irresistible.”

“But shouldn’t I be flashing this piece around?”

“Hint that you’ve left it safely in your jewel case in your cabin. Then see if the thief comes to take the bait.”

“And you want me to stay in my cabin to catch the thief? What about when I’m asleep?”

“Have your maid stay in the cabin when you’re not there and we’ll have it watched at night. It is the last night before we land. We don’t have much time.”

“Queenie? You want Queenie to do something brave and responsible?” I had to laugh.

“She’s been pretty brave before, Georgie. Hopeless in many ways but certainly she has spunk. Didn’t she try to clobber me once when I was sneaking into your room?”

I went pink again and nodded. “It’s worth a try, I suppose.”

Darcy stood up, patting my shoulder as he did so. “Good, then chat freely to your fellow passengers, especially at dinner, and we’ll see.”

I was about to get up too when someone banged on the captain’s door. A worried young officer came in. “Captain, sorry to barge in like this, but a Mrs. Waldeck has reported a diamond ring missing. She knows it was in her jewelry case as she took it off after the ball last night. And when she went to put it on, after the lifeboat drill, it was gone.”

“So your thief has not been idle after all,” the captain said, looking at Darcy.

O
N
THE
B
ERENGARIA

S
TILL
J
ULY
15

I followed the captain and Darcy as we made for Mrs. Waldeck’s cabin. She was a skinny, almost gaunt, American woman with a beaky nose that made her look like a bird of prey. And at this moment she looked ferocious enough to pounce on any of us.

“What kind of ship are you running here?” she demanded. “You hire crew members who are criminals and thieves—send us up to the top deck for a completely unnecessary lifeboat drill, insist that our servants also leave their posts and then wonder that valuable jewels get stolen. What did we need another drill for, I’d like to know? We are not children. We learned our lifeboat stations on the first day out. And now here comes this stewardess saying, ‘Hurry up. Everyone wanted on deck,’ as if we were a flock of ducks.” She paused for breath then wagged a threatening finger at us—a finger dripping with rings. “I expect you to search every cabin and have my ring restored to me before we dock in New York or there will be hell to pay. Believe me, Mr. Waldeck is not a forgiving sort of man. He will be furious. The ring came from his mother and is valued at over ten thousand dollars.”

“Mrs. Waldeck, I assure you we will do everything within our power to find your ring. Are you sure you didn’t just drop it or mislay it?”

Those birdlike eyes glared at him. “Captain, I am a most careful woman. I do not drop or mislay things.”

“I do apologize, Mrs. Waldeck. As I said . . .”

“Mrs. Waldeck,” Darcy interrupted, “have you had any visitors to your cabin, apart from the steward? Anyone who could have noticed where you kept your jewel case?”

“Nobody—except that movie actress woman, Stella Brightwell. She did come in here one evening but I didn’t let her in.”

“Stella Brightwell?” the captain said. “Is she a friend of yours?”

“Never met the woman in my life. I heard someone trying my door handle when I was getting undressed. I opened it and there was Stella Brightwell. She was a bit tipsy, I think. She apologized and said she had an identical suite one floor above ours and she had come up in the elevator and must have pushed the wrong floor button.”

“Easy enough to do, I suppose,” the captain said.

“If one has consumed too much alcohol. I was in favor of prohibition, myself. And these actresses—they may look pretty but not a brain in their heads. In the old days it used to be the true upper classes who traveled on ships like this. Not so-called Hollywood royalty. I don’t know what the world is coming to.”

The captain escorted me back up the stairs while Darcy and other crew members searched Mrs. Waldeck’s cabin. Having instructed Queenie that she was to stay in my cabin until told that she could go out, I went up on deck. Queenie had not been happy. “But what if you don’t come back and I miss me dinner?” she demanded.

“Until recently you were groaning that you could never face food again,” I pointed out.

“Ah, but I got me sea legs now and me appetite has come back. And bloody good food they serve here too.”

“I’ll make sure you don’t miss your dinner, I promise,” I said. “But stay unobtrusive. Keep the curtains partly drawn so that nobody can see you’re in the room. And if anyone tries to come in, call for help right away.”

“What exactly is this in aid of?” she asked.

“You are not to say a word to anybody, but someone may come to steal my jewels.”

This made her convulse in laughter. “Gorn!” she said. “You ain’t got nothing worth stealing with yer.”

“I know that, but the thief may not. Try to get a good look at him.”

“What if I’m in danger and he clobbers me?”

“I don’t think that will happen. If he sees you, he’ll simply disappear.”

“Bob’s yer uncle then,” she said.

I worried a little as I went out onto the deck. I worried whether she’d spill the beans, or whether she might get hurt. But first I had to do my part and spread the word about my valuable jewel. It seemed that the ship was buzzing with rumor. I saw Algie Broxley-Foggett with Tubby Halliday and a group of young men. Algie waved. “Did you hear there has been a daring robbery?” he asked.

“I heard there had been several. All jewels,” a young American said. “Rather stupid not to keep the good stuff in the ship’s safe, I’d say.”

“But such a bore if you want to wear it in the evening,” I said. “I’m borrowing a divine bracelet from my cousin Queen Mary and I’m not keeping it in the safe. She said to me, ‘My dear, jewels are to be worn and enjoyed, not locked away,’ so I’m obeying. But my cabin is locked and my maid keeps an eye on it, so why worry.”

“Presumably this woman who had the diamond ring stolen has a maid and a locked cabin,” Tubby Halliday said. “I do hope they catch the blighter.”

My opinion of him rose a little until he added, “It will make a terrific scoop for me. Burglar caught red-handed on luxury liner. Your correspondent witnesses arrest—or better still aids in the capture.”

“Then you’d better start prowling the halls to see if the thief strikes again,” Algie said, “not wasting your time playing quoits with us loafers.”

D
ARCY DID NOT
show his face all day. Nothing untoward happened and the only visitor at the cabin was a stewardess who knocked on the door with a pile of clean towels, asking if I had telephoned to request extras. I said I hadn’t and she went again. Evening came, my last evening on the ship. It should have been a romantic occasion—a final ball at sea and my beloved on board to dance with me. But my beloved and I were both occupied with trying to catch a thief and this would be a last chance for that thief to strike. I had butterflies in my stomach as I told Queenie to lay out my white silk evening pajamas. There was to be a black-and-white ball after dinner and for once I’d be dressed in something fashionable. I put them on and added a jet ornament to my hair and a jet bangle. Then I went the whole hog and put on a touch of bright red lipstick and a little rouge.

Mummy nodded in approval when I went to find her. “The duckling is finally growing into a swan,” she said. “The outfit suits you. Did you hear about the burglaries? I’ve been closeted with Stella and Cy all day and my maid has only just told me. Thank God I never travel with my good jewels. How stupid can you be to bring valuable stones on board a ship?”

She was wearing a backless black evening dress that accentuated her still wonderfully slim and boyish figure and sported long white gloves and a delightful little white feather cap on her head. Over one glove she wore a sparkling bracelet. Seeing it gave me an idea. “Mummy, can I possibly wear that tonight? The jet is a bit drab.”

“It’s only costume jewelry, darling.” She pulled it off. “Here, have it.”

I slipped it on. Hoping but not hoping that the thief would think it was real. Off we went to dinner and for once I enjoyed heads turning as we passed. Still no sign of Princess Promila. Mrs. Simpson wore the black beaded dress again, proving that she had nobody on board she needed to impress. The talk was naturally all about today’s robbery.

“They called us all on deck, and of course the robber took that opportunity to strike,” Sir Digby said. “Thank God Lady Digby leaves her good jewelry in the bank when we travel.”

“I can’t imagine anyone traveling with real jewels,” Mrs. Simpson said. “I have paste copies made and leave the real ones at home.”

“Exactly what I do,” Mummy said. “I mean, whom does one need to impress on a ship?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Mrs. Simpson said.

The two women looked at each other, for one rare occasion on the same side and in agreement.

At a table close by we heard Mrs. Waldeck loudly lamenting her stolen diamond. Dinner ended and we made our way up to the ballroom for the black-and-white ball. Everyone looked rather splendid and seemed to be having a good time. I looked around, hoping that Darcy might have come out of hiding. Instead I saw Algie, heading toward me with a look of determination on his face.

“Care to hop around the floor, old bean?” he said. “It’s a slow number so I won’t tread on your toes too often.”

Pity overtook regard for the safety of my feet. Off we shuffled onto the crowded dance floor.

“So where will you go when we step ashore?” he asked me.

“A couple of days in New York, I gather, and then a train across the country and ending up in Hollywood where my mother might be persuaded to take part in a film. Who knows what she’ll do?”

“Crikey,” he said. “Whiz bang, what? It will be dashed exciting, watching a film being made. I don’t suppose they’ll need any good-looking young British extras, will they?”

“I doubt it,” I said.

“No, of course not. Dashed stupid idea as usual.”

“So where will you go?” I really was feeling sorry for him now. How would someone so hopeless survive in the cutthroat world of America?

“Not sure, actually. Where they have ranches, I suppose. Where is that? Texas? Kansas? I really have no idea. And frankly I’m not sure any ranch would want me. I do ride rather well, so that might be in my favor.” He sighed. “Oh well, if nothing works out, I’ll come and visit you in Hollywood.”

Oh golly. I couldn’t very well say, “Not if you were the last man on earth,” could I?

The dance ended and the slow fox-trot turned into a fast-paced jive.

“Oh jolly good. The jive. My favorite American dance. I’ve been practicing,” he said.

“Oh, no, I don’t think . . .” I started to say when my partner started flinging me around the floor. I became a lethal weapon, hurtling toward other couples like a bowling ball toward ninepins.

“Algie, stop. Do stop,” I tried to shout over the blast of trumpets.

“You’re doing fine, old bean,” he yelled back. “Isn’t this fun?”

Since I had just knocked an elderly couple off the floor I could hardly agree, but Algie had turned into a wild thing and kept grabbing me and hurling me before I could collect myself. When someone equally uncoordinated careened into Algie’s back he did let go of me and I went flying across the floor, out of control. The doors out onto the deck were open and I hurtled toward them, past surprised faces and out into the night.

“Whoa, Georgie, what are you doing?” Darcy appeared from the darkness of the deck and grabbed me before I could bounce off the ship’s rail.

“I’m so glad it’s you,” I said, feeling his arms around me. “That idiot Algie Broxley-Foggett was dancing the jive with me. He’s quite lethal.”

“Then let’s hightail it away before he comes looking for you.” Darcy put an arm around me and shepherded me toward the prow of the ship. Suddenly we were alone in the darkness. Strains of music floated out across the water.

“This is nice.” I beamed up at him.

The music turned into a slow waltz. “Would you care to dance?” Darcy said and took me in his arms.

We waltzed together in the darkness and although I usually had to think of the steps when I danced, suddenly my feet weren’t touching the ground. I was conscious of the warmth of his body against the thin silk of my outfit and his arms holding me so close that I could feel his heart beating. I nestled my head against his chest, enjoying the feeling of safety and contentment. I was sad when the music ended.

“I shouldn’t really be out here.” Darcy looked around, but the foredeck was deserted, apart from us. He went over to the railing and looked out. I followed him and he pulled me close to him again. “But frankly at this moment I don’t care. If the gentleman thief doesn’t know I’m on his trail by now then he’s not as smart as I thought he was.”

“Princess Promila wasn’t at dinner again tonight,” I said. “She must be very upset.” Then another thought struck me. “I suppose she really is Princess Promila? The burglar couldn’t have snuck on board, killed the real Princess and dumped her body over the side?”

I felt Darcy holding me a little tighter. “You’re suggesting that my jewel thief is a woman and has killed the real Princess Promila?”

“It’s a possibility,” I said.

He frowned. “But the princess’s faithful retainer would surely notice the difference.”

“Unless her faithful retainer is also a fake?”