The second-hand section of the shop boasted a few Cartier or Tiffany items, and hand-written notes invited visitors to ask if they were looking for anything in particular, as there was also a select number of Chopard, Vogue and Bulgari items in the back. Jack assumed they were family heirlooms that had been exchanged for more practical cash. As Jack moved around the shop, he could feel the thick maroon carpet sliding beneath the shiny soles of his new shoes.

‘Let me know if you have any questions.’ Jack looked towards the female voice, expecting to see the young woman peering over the top of her book; instead, he found himself looking at Betina Barro.

She was of medium height and slender in a skin-tight, off-the-shoulder dress with three-quarter sleeves. Her coily black hair sat neatly on her bare shoulders. The only jewellery she wore was a pair of large diamond stud earrings. Up close, Jack thought she was less sexy than in the airbrushed images he’d seen on social media. She wasn’t unattractive by any means; she simply wasn’t a goddess, with a slightly longer face and more prominent nose than the glossy images suggested. Jack thought that trying to be someone you’re not was a shame, until he reflected that he was doing exactly the same thing. But he wasn’t doing it out of vanity; it was just part of the job.

The feature that Betina had no need to alter, however, was her eyes – they were astonishingly wide and dark, with large irises. Betina raised her eyebrows and tipped her head to the side in a silent repeat of her question, as Jack looked at her.

‘Just looking,’ he said, and she smiled, clearly assuming he was referring to her as much as the jewellery in the display cases, and went back to working on her laptop, which sat on the black velvet and red leather jewellery examination block. Her long, slender fingers barely seemed to move as she typed for a few moments.

‘Actually . . .’ Jack began. Betina closed the lid of her laptop and gave him her full attention. ‘I’m looking for something for my girlfriend.’

Jack assumed Betina would instantly show him the most expensive item in the shop, but instead she asked him to tell her about his girlfriend.

‘She’s . . .’ Jack tried to think of a fictional girlfriend, but couldn’t. He could only think of Maggie. ‘She’s perfect really. Beautiful in an understated way. She doesn’t wear a lot of jewellery normally, only items that mean something to her. She subtly showed me this photo the other day. The gift is for a very special occasion, so money is no object.’