asked.
Tom was already lifting the mattress, and when he’d retrieved the box he handed it to Stan, who removed the necklace and held it up to the light.
‘Oh, that’s pretty!’ Lily hadn’t seen it before, and forgetting her shyness of the man in uniform, she rushed forward. ‘Let me see it, please.’
Stan held it out for her. ‘See how it shines?’
‘Dora, look!’ Lily bounced with excitement, her expression animated.
Dora was so pleased to see her little sister smile again that she took the necklace from Stan and fixed it round Lily’s neck. Then she stood her in front of the mirror on the wardrobe door. ‘There, don’t you look beautiful.’
Lily giggled. ‘Look, Tom, look!’
He shaded his eyes as if blinded by the brilliance. ‘Who’s this dazzling girl? I don’t recognise her.’
Giving a shriek of delight, Lily launched herself at her teasing brother. ‘It’s me, silly.’
Tom lifted her up. ‘So it is.’
It was wonderful to hear laughter and see her brother and sister fooling around again. The scene brought a lump to Dora’s throat. And she couldn’t help noticing how big and strong Tom was now. He seemed to be growing every day. He was going to be a fine-looking man.
The search finished, and they let Lily keep the necklace on as they all went downstairs again.
‘Did you find anything to help you?’ Dora asked.
Reg tucked his notebook into his top pocket. ‘Hard to say yet. We’ll have to go through my notes at leisure, but thank you for allowing us to do this tonight. I realise how upsetting it’s all been. Everything will be done to find your mother.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘The name’s Reg. We’ll let you know the moment we have any news.’
Chapter Six
The moment they were back in Stan’s house, Reg swore, ‘Who the hell is Harriet Bentley? I’ve got a nasty feeling about this, Stan. I’ll see that Win keeps an eye on those youngsters. Can you believe it? They’re polite, well-spoken and completely innocent. They’ll never cope if we uncover anything unsavoury.’
‘Don’t be too sure about Dora.’ Stan sat down and gave a quiet groan, rubbing his leg. ‘She might seem shy, but there’s fire underneath that unworldly exterior. She cares deeply about some things, and shows it when she talks about them. But I agree that as far as the world goes they are innocent.’
‘Now you come to mention it, I did see her eyes flash in disapproval now and again. She hated us poking around her mother’s things, didn’t she.’
Stan nodded. ‘But she also knew it had to be done. Now about the mother. The letters didn’t give much away, but I got the impression there was something in her past. The man she married knew about it but loved her too much to care. Dora told me their parents had been happy together, and that Mrs Bentley was devastated when her husband was killed in the war.’
Reg paced the room. ‘And it looks like that was when she started lying to her children. I don’t suppose they noticed that some of their mother’s clothes were expensive. I’d swear one of her nightgowns was pure silk, but the label had been carefully removed. I wish we could have borrowed that necklace, but I didn’t like to make too much of it. They think it’s glass … Hell, I’m no expert, but I’d like to show it to someone who is.’
‘I’ve made a note of the name and address of the jeweller. It was in the lid of the box, and …’ Stan removed a sheet of paper from his pocket, ‘while they were fooling around with Lily, I made a sketch of the necklace.’
‘I didn’t see you do that.’ Reg sat beside Stan and studied the drawing.
‘I’m not surprised. You couldn’t take your eyes off the necklace.’
‘Hmm. That’s very good. What are you going to do with it?’
‘Visit the jeweller tomorrow, see what kind of a place it is and ask if he recognises it. Of course, it might be a cheap thing and been put in an expensive box, but I don’t think so
Tom was already lifting the mattress, and when he’d retrieved the box he handed it to Stan, who removed the necklace and held it up to the light.
‘Oh, that’s pretty!’ Lily hadn’t seen it before, and forgetting her shyness of the man in uniform, she rushed forward. ‘Let me see it, please.’
Stan held it out for her. ‘See how it shines?’
‘Dora, look!’ Lily bounced with excitement, her expression animated.
Dora was so pleased to see her little sister smile again that she took the necklace from Stan and fixed it round Lily’s neck. Then she stood her in front of the mirror on the wardrobe door. ‘There, don’t you look beautiful.’
Lily giggled. ‘Look, Tom, look!’
He shaded his eyes as if blinded by the brilliance. ‘Who’s this dazzling girl? I don’t recognise her.’
Giving a shriek of delight, Lily launched herself at her teasing brother. ‘It’s me, silly.’
Tom lifted her up. ‘So it is.’
It was wonderful to hear laughter and see her brother and sister fooling around again. The scene brought a lump to Dora’s throat. And she couldn’t help noticing how big and strong Tom was now. He seemed to be growing every day. He was going to be a fine-looking man.
The search finished, and they let Lily keep the necklace on as they all went downstairs again.
‘Did you find anything to help you?’ Dora asked.
Reg tucked his notebook into his top pocket. ‘Hard to say yet. We’ll have to go through my notes at leisure, but thank you for allowing us to do this tonight. I realise how upsetting it’s all been. Everything will be done to find your mother.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘The name’s Reg. We’ll let you know the moment we have any news.’
Chapter Six
The moment they were back in Stan’s house, Reg swore, ‘Who the hell is Harriet Bentley? I’ve got a nasty feeling about this, Stan. I’ll see that Win keeps an eye on those youngsters. Can you believe it? They’re polite, well-spoken and completely innocent. They’ll never cope if we uncover anything unsavoury.’
‘Don’t be too sure about Dora.’ Stan sat down and gave a quiet groan, rubbing his leg. ‘She might seem shy, but there’s fire underneath that unworldly exterior. She cares deeply about some things, and shows it when she talks about them. But I agree that as far as the world goes they are innocent.’
‘Now you come to mention it, I did see her eyes flash in disapproval now and again. She hated us poking around her mother’s things, didn’t she.’
Stan nodded. ‘But she also knew it had to be done. Now about the mother. The letters didn’t give much away, but I got the impression there was something in her past. The man she married knew about it but loved her too much to care. Dora told me their parents had been happy together, and that Mrs Bentley was devastated when her husband was killed in the war.’
Reg paced the room. ‘And it looks like that was when she started lying to her children. I don’t suppose they noticed that some of their mother’s clothes were expensive. I’d swear one of her nightgowns was pure silk, but the label had been carefully removed. I wish we could have borrowed that necklace, but I didn’t like to make too much of it. They think it’s glass … Hell, I’m no expert, but I’d like to show it to someone who is.’
‘I’ve made a note of the name and address of the jeweller. It was in the lid of the box, and …’ Stan removed a sheet of paper from his pocket, ‘while they were fooling around with Lily, I made a sketch of the necklace.’
‘I didn’t see you do that.’ Reg sat beside Stan and studied the drawing.
‘I’m not surprised. You couldn’t take your eyes off the necklace.’
‘Hmm. That’s very good. What are you going to do with it?’
‘Visit the jeweller tomorrow, see what kind of a place it is and ask if he recognises it. Of course, it might be a cheap thing and been put in an expensive box, but I don’t think so
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