‘Thank you, Mr Smollett. I’d be very angry if that were the case,’ said Gina. ‘Folk expect to get their post intact, not smashed up like this.’

‘It’s hardly smashed, love—’ Arthur began.

‘It’s bad enough,’ said Gina. ‘Please make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘I didn’t—’

‘Thank you, I’ll let you know if I need the claim form,’ said Gina, shutting the door in his face. She knew she’d been rude, but the parcel from James looked as if it might well have been opened and her stomach was dancing with anxiety.

She sped into her sitting room, locked the door behind her and ripped off the already torn brown paper and put a match to it in the hearth. Then she opened the misshapen box and rummaged through the crumpled newspaper to find the jewellery. For a moment she thought there was nothing there but paper, but then she unearthed a rather creepy mourning brooch with some dead person’s plaited hair in it, and a couple of long slender hatpins with pearls at the ends. That was all. There did seem to be a lot of newspaper to wrap up so few items. She stood back, trying to think clearly, her heart pounding.

Then she looked through the small cardboard box again, more carefully this time, taking out each piece of newspaper and straightening it to make sure there was no jewellery hidden within the folds. Nothing.

Maybe there had only ever been these few items in the parcel, but they hardly seemed worth sending. James usually sent more than this at a time. Gina looked carefully at the hatpins. The pearls were big, although of course they might not be real, and the tops of the pins were embellished with tiny stones, which might or might not be rubies. The brooch was a ghastly thing, the skinny plait of grey hair surely of no value to anyone except a sentimental relative of its original owner.

What if there had been more pieces and someone had stolen them? Gina paused a moment to consider the irony of that. But the person who had stolen them might have noted her address, might even know the items had been stolen once already, and connect her with them. They knew her name and where she lived!

Gina closed her eyes and took a few deep and calming breaths. It was pointless guessing and speculating; there was only one thing to do and that was to ask James. She had never telephoned him before, but now she would have to do so, and make sure no one overheard. Maybe there was nothing to worry about, but this was the only way to be sure.