Sarah had been feeling brave, but suddenly felt out of her depth in the lavish house and began tapping her finger and thumb. She walked past Henry and into a large room where Mrs Alderton-Steele was sitting on the largest sofa Sarah had ever seen. She quickly scanned the room, taking in a grand piano, the oil paintings framed in gilt, and the foreign-looking vases. She thought the place looked how she imagined Buckingham Palace to be, and Mrs Alderton-Steele was like royalty. It even crossed her mind that perhaps she should curtsey.

‘Henry tells me you know something of my late husband’s missing watch,’ Mrs Alderton-Steele said.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘You had better sit down then, girl. Henry, bring us tea … oh, and a slice of Dundee cake. I’m sure Miss … Miss …’ Mrs Alderton-Steele looked at Sarah with a furrowed brow.

‘Jepson. Sarah Jepson.’

‘I’m sure Miss Jepson would enjoy a slice of cook’s cake with her tea.’

Sarah’s eyes followed Henry as he left the room, then came back to Mrs Alderton-Steele. Jenny had warned her the woman was a bit eccentric, but she hadn’t expected her to be dressed like a mourning Queen Victoria. She was even wearing a black hat with netting. The woman looked frail, and through the netting, Sarah could see she had deep wrinkles and thin lips.

‘I rarely see visitors, so I do hope you have information of importance for me?’

‘I do, Mrs Alderton-Steele. I have more than merely information,’ Sarah said, and smiled at the old woman.

‘Do tell. That watch is very precious to me.’

Henry entered carrying a silver tea service on a tray, and fine china cups. He placed the tray on a low table between the sofa and Sarah.

‘Leave it, Henry. I believe Miss Jepson is about to tell me something very interesting,’ Mrs Alderton-Steele said, and began to daintily pour the tea while Henry retreated and stood against the wall with his hands behind his back.

‘As you can probably tell, I’m not from round these parts. I’m from across the river in Battersea, and where I grew up it was … well … rough. There were lots of shady people around and it’s given me a nose for sniffing out when something ain’t quite right,’ Sarah said, forgetting her attempt to speak nicely. ‘I was walking across the bridge and I saw this bloke throw something over. I waited ’til he was out of sight, then I went down to the banks and found this bracelet.’ Sarah took the bracelet from her handbag and placed it on the table.

Mrs Alderton-Steele’s bony hand picked it up. ‘My bracelet! But how did you know it belonged to me?’