Sapphires And Secrets: A 1920s Cozy Mystery (Kitty Goring Investigates) by Ella Strike

Author:Ella Strike [Strike, Ella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Before I could speak, Princess Noor took a deep breath and turned to me.

“Kitty, I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about the matter from Lord Huntley, but the Foreign Office is convinced Vikram and I did this. They believe we stole our own necklace from Alden and had him killed so we could sell the necklace in a private auction,” she said in a shrill voice.

“Did you?” I asked baldly.

Princess Noor shook her head immediately.

“Of course, not! How can you even ask that?”

“Your Highness, this isn’t just about the necklace. Not any more. Now this is a murder case, and everyone involved in the case is a suspect until proven innocent. Even you.”

“Why would we steal our own necklace?”

I had to choose my words here very carefully. Whatever Lord Huntley had told us about the financial woes of the royal family was confidential information, and I couldn’t let on that I knew anything about it.

“I’m sure DI Burton will get to the bottom of the matter soon enough, Your Highness. If you are innocent, he will prove it once and for all.”

“Not if the Foreign Office has its way,” she replied bitterly. “This is a conspiracy of the worst sort.”

“I don’t understand. Why would they want to pin this crime on you?”

“Because it isn’t about the necklace at all,” cried Princess Noor. “The British Resident of our state is just looking for an excuse to wrest control from our family because we support the demand for local self-government. He would dethrone my husband’s father and establish a ruler far more sympathetic to the British cause.”

“Your Highness, a man has been killed,” I reminded her. “I hardly think the Foreign Office would murder an Englishman to further their political goals in India.”

“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But I wouldn’t put it past them to influence the outcome of this investigation to suit their purpose. They are already doing their best to alienate us from our family.”

“What do you mean?”

“That is what this whole trip is about, Kitty. The British Resident insisted that we spend a year away from home, travelling to Europe, to broaden our horizons. In reality, he wishes to cause a rift between Vikram and his mother, and I am worried he might have succeeded.”

“In what way?”

“Her Highness was furious with us for giving in to the Resident’s demands and has forced Vikram’s father to reduce our allowance. As his seniormost wife, she exerts a lot of influence over matters of court. She practically controls the treasury, and has the power to cut us off without a penny.”

That could explain why both the princes were in dire need of money, I realised. But were they capable of going to such lengths to recoup their finances? That remained to be seen. All I knew was that Princess Noor could have averted this situation if she had only taken the necklace directly to the jeweller instead of asking them to send someone to pick it up.

“Your Highness, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she replied.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.