‘No,’ said Jane, ‘of course not. Emmeline would have wanted you to be married and I am so much looking forward to your wedding. And Father, I have been thinking, Emmeline has left me some very fine jewellery and I would love Clorinda to choose a beautiful piece as my wedding gift to her.’

‘Oh jewellery, good heavens above!’ said Clorinda. ‘No indeed, that must all stay with you, Jane. I couldn’t think of taking it.’

‘But I will be so sad if you don’t. There is far more than I will ever wear. Why do we not leave Father to fall asleep by the fire and go and look at it, at least?’

‘I truly cannot take jewellery from you,’ protested Clorinda, but Jane laid a gentle finger on Mrs Morrissey’s mouth to silence her and Sir William said, ‘I advise that you do as she suggests, Clorinda, for you know how vexed Jane can become if her commands are not followed.’

So the two women went up to Jane’s room and she tugged from under her bed a large wooden jewel box. She set it on the floor and they knelt down beside it. Once the lid was opened, it was possible to pull out two little drawers, delicately hinged in brass and inlaid with black velvet. On the velvet rested a quantity of gems of every form and colour and Clorinda let out a gasp of wonder as the collection was revealed.

‘You see?’ said Jane. ‘What a surfeit there is. How my aunt came by all this I am not entirely certain, but I know she had a weakness for sapphires, as you can see. Perhaps she could not pass a shop in Piccadilly without buying a sapphire as other people buy candied fruit? Perhaps she paid the jewellers with portraits of their wives and children? But now tell me what pleases you …’

Jane picked up a sapphire necklace and held it against Clorinda’s white neck. ‘What about this?’ she said. ‘Or is blue the wrong colour for your wedding dress?’

‘Well …’ stammered Clorinda, ‘I had my eye on green and cream silk …’

‘Emeralds, then,’ said Jane. ‘There is no emerald necklace, but what about this brooch – emeralds and diamonds? Would that not be perfect for you? Or would rubies look very fine against green and cream silk?’

At the mention of rubies, Clorinda found herself blushing an embarrassing red and put a hand to her face to hide it. As soon as the box had been opened, her eye had alighted on a double-stranded ruby bracelet which had flooded her mind with temptation, but she knew that she should not even touch it. She fancied that if she laid her hand on it, there would occur some terrible painful burning. ‘To tell you the truth,’ said Clorinda, ‘I am not very fond of rubies.’

‘No? I believe I am not either,’ said Jane. ‘Perhaps it is their affinity with blood, is it? I think I will have to give them to Julietta, or perhaps just drop them down some convenient Chelsea drain! But do you like the emerald brooch?’