That got a small round of nods. The oldest woman considered, then pulled something out of her bag. “I have a set from my grandmother.” She pronounced it precisely, definitely from somewhere well south and more posh. “One earring is missing.”
“I’d be glad to look. Sometimes it’s possible to have a match made.” It only took Annice a minute to pull out a small table. She set it comfortably where all three women could look at it, and a cloth to set the jet on. “Here, that will let me see it to the best advantage.”
As soon as the woman pulled a necklace out, Annice knew it wasn’t jet at all, but some sort of simulant. Not vulcanite. That would be browning by now, if it were as old as the woman had suggested. The earring, though, that was jet, or seemed likely to be. Now Annice would have to go delicately.
“This is a lovely earring. And I could likely make a copy myself.” She added, because these women probably would find it amusing. “There’s a tradition that women carving jet is unlucky, but my da and grandad didn’t think so. Or if you’d prefer someone else, I could recommend someone reliable.”
“Oh, you seem much nicer.” That was the youngest of the women. “You really could?”
The oldest woman smiled benevolently. “I’ve told Alexandra they’re to come to her, or at least the single earring was. If you’d like it done here, I suppose that’s fine.”
“Annice Matthewman,” Annice offered. “That’s my name. I can give you a card.” She wanted to press on to the business arrangement. “There’s one thing I should tell you first, though. I’m afraid this necklace, here, the centre pendant isn’t jet. I think it’s likely some sort of horn, dyed. Can I bring out a few pieces so you can compare them?”
Annice kept her voice pleasant. The oldest woman froze for a second, and there was a moment when Annice was sure all three of them were going to be out the door. It was the youngest woman, again, who was a help. “Let us hear Miss - it is Miss? - Matthewman out, Grandmama.”
It gave Annice a chance to explain, at least. She gave them a moment, going to pull several pendants of the same size out of the display, and then one that was of slate, not jet. “Here, sometimes it’s easiest to feel. Jet is very light comparatively. If something feels heavier than that, it’s possibly glass, or it might be vulcanite. You can do some lovely jewellery with both, but if what you want is jet, obviously, that matters.”
“And this?” The oldest woman touched her finger to it.
“May I?” Annice didn’t dare touch it without permission.
The woman waved a hand. “Go ahead. We’re right here.”
Annice picked it up carefully, considering. “It’s easier to tell with a brooch - you can’t put screws for a backing into jet, it will fracture. If you see that, it’s almost certainly horn or vulcanite. But this is an older piece, you said, ah, see here. If you look along the edge, you can see how it’s flaking a bit, and those flakes are translucent? That’s horn. It’s well made, but it’s horn.”
Something in it intrigued them, and that got the middle woman, presumably the daughter, between grandmother and granddaughter, asking how else you could tell. After five minutes of it, she laughed in delight. “I’m going to have a grand time asking people to bring out their pieces and telling them. Is there a pamphlet or something of the kind, do you know?”
“Not that I know of, ma’am, but I could write something up, given a couple of days. I don’t know how long you’re staying in town, but I could send it through the post.” Annice liked the thought of that, some woman in some town or city somewhere south, telling her friends about jet.
“We’re here for four more days.” The grandmother tilted her head. “If Alexandra still wishes it, would you be able to do the earring by then?”
“May I take a closer look?” At the woman’s nod, Annice pulled a proper jeweller’s loupe out of her pocket and used it to inspect the piece, moving over into the light coming through the window. The part that was a trick would be matching the long oval shape, but she had a couple of pieces upstairs that would likely do.
“I’d need to do some precise measurements and see what pieces I have that would work, but I think so. I could tell you for certain in a couple of hours. Perhaps I could bring a note to your hotel?”
“Oh, the White Horse & Griffin, just around the corner.” Alexandra beamed. “Would you? And we want to look at some of your other pieces, definitely. Perhaps we might look now and make some decisions when we come back for the earring?”
It would make a nice bit of a sale, if Annice could manage it. She smiled - an entirely honest smile - and nodded. “Let me write up a few notes, your names and all that, and then I can bring over some more pieces for you to look at.”
Chapter5
MARCH 3RD IN TRELLECH
“Sir?” There was a knock on the door, the particular two then three that meant it was Charlus, even if the door muffled his voice.
Griffin called out, “Come in, please.” He considered his options for this conversation for the fifth time today.
His office was not the location he’d prefer for what would be, of necessity, a somewhat more personal discussion. But he had work he needed to do that evening, and he was not up to going home and back. Also, it was raining, and he decidedly wasn’t up for dealing with the way the wheels kicked up mud if he so much as looked at a puddle wrong. Whatever else happened today, Griffin did not much want to add changing his trousers twice to his list of tasks.
Charlus came in, looking decidedly windblown, which made the decision even easier. He’d have come back from Portal Square, so about twenty minutes walk. Griffin appreciated his gift for managing not to get soaked. It wasn’t the easiest charm set to learn, even if it came in very handy in the average month in Albion.
“Put the kettle on, please. It’s still brisk out there, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. But I was hoping to make it back while you were still in the office, so you could have all the information you needed.” Charlus took a moment to take off his hat and hang up his bag on the hook by the door.
“Oh, I’m here for a bit. We’re going to look at the courtrooms tonight and see what else we want to consider. Take advantage of the new moon alignments. But I’m glad you came back. A little more time to marshal my arguments never hurts.”
Charlus snorted. “Sir.” He settled down after he turned the kettle on to boil, letting out a long breath. “The warding?”
