She hesitates for only a fraction of a second before following him into the back office. The light is hardly better here, but he turns on a lamp and there’s a high window that gives a reasonable amount of daylight from the backyard.

He’s offhand with her, barely acknowledging her, twitchy. Usually by now he would have touched her, pressed against her or suggested some sort of liaison. She’s not expected here today. Solly hasn’t sent her, and this is not arranged. He was not anticipating a thief in his shop, and it has made him ill at ease. Still, he wants to know what she has brought.

She pulls the watch from her bag and lays it, with care, on the table. He says nothing. He never reacts when Solly places pieces in front of him either – never gives away his interest. He remains silent as he reaches for his eyeglass to take a better look, opening the back to examine the mechanism. She watches his expression keenly. It barely alters, but she can hear that he is breathing a little faster.

He licks his lower lip and takes the glass from his eye.

‘Where did you get this?’ He runs his fingers across the back of the case, across the engraved initials.

‘It fell into my hand.’ The same line she gave Solly.

He doesn’t buy it either. ‘This is the sort of watch that belongs in a museum, not the sort that falls into your grubby paws. Eighteenth-century, solid silver, made by a master of his craft and worth an absolute mint, despite this later engraving.’

‘Can you sell it for me? I’ll take a share of the profit.’

He raises his eyebrows.

‘You think it’ll be easy to sell a piece like this? Even if I can rub out these initials, the only sort of person who’ll be interested in buying will be a serious collector – and that sort will want to know where it comes from. How hot is it? When did you lift it?’

‘Last night.’

He takes a sharp breath. ‘Jesus Christ, Ruby.’

‘Solly won’t touch it.’

‘I’m not surprised. Look –’ He blinks at Ruby. His lips slide into something resembling a smile. ‘Tell you what, I’ll keep it here, save you carrying it about. As a favour to my best girl.’

She can sense what’s coming.

‘Thanks.’

‘I’ll ask around, see if anyone might be after a piece like this. I’ve contacts across London. I know people. It’s almost unsellable, but I’ll see if I can get rid of it, just for you. I’ll see what I can do.’

‘I appreciate it, Ray.’

He pulls his own watch from the pocket in his waistcoat, glances at it, then sighs. He needs to open the shop again.

He stands up, wraps the silver watch in his silk handkerchief and lays it in his desk drawer.