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“Perhaps you would bring them along to my office, afterward?” suggested Oswald after a pause.

The older man’s eyes lit up. “Of course, my lord.” He bowed.

“These are pretty,” said Fenella cautiously bending over the velvet-lined wooden tray. She looked every inch the thrifty housewife and Oswald could see she longed to ask how much they cost.

“Ah the posy rings,” nodded Mr Anthony. “They are often used as betrothal tokens. They are gold and finely engraved with leaves and flowers.”

“Lovers get them inscribed,” piped up his grandson. “On the inside. With a personal message. Like ‘promised forever’” he elaborated.

There was an awkward silence. “I see,” said Fenella. “Our circumstances are a little unusual in that we are already married, so a message seems a little after the fact.”

“Not as unusual as you may think,” said old Mr Antony smoothly. “Sometimes the groom, he could not afford much more than a piece of string when they were promised, but later on,” he wagged a finger aloft. “Then he can afford the real gesture.”

“Perhaps our combined initials?” suggested Oswald.

“That would be most appropriate,” agreed Mr Antony reaching for his pen and paper. Oswald thought the grandson looked a bit underwhelmed. The boy shrugged. “Would my lady care to try one on?” he asked. Fenella frowned, then reached into the tray and slipped one on her finger. She turned her hand to show it to Oswald.

“Do you like it?” he asked. She nodded and he glanced at the tray. “Choose one with a stone,” he said. “To wear while that one is inscribed.”

Fenella’s eyes went wide and she opened her mouth, no doubt to protest, but Oswald forestalled her by turning back to Mr Antony.

“We need some foundation pieces, for a family collection,” he said. “Perhaps a necklace and a coronet? Things that can be worn to royal banquets.” He did not look at Fenella.

Mr Anthony opened the second case and angled it toward Oswald.

“How about a girdle belt fit for a queen?” he asked drawing out a long belt of gold medallions set with blazing diamonds and punctuated with large double pearls.” Oswald heard Fenella gasp in the background.

“That looks just the thing,” he said holding out his hands for a closer look. He could tell it was exquisite before he even felt the weight. “I’ve never seen one like it.”

“No-one has,” boasted Mr Antony. “And with the diamonds, this belt could be worn with any color gown.”

Oswald nodded. “We’ll take it. What else?”

“How about this one?” he heard the boy ask Fenella who was clearly distracted from her task of selecting a ring. “It’s a sapphire.”

Mr Antony cast a shrewd look his way, before returning to his case. Wordlessly he passed Oswald a heavy necklace of gold filigrees connected with pearls. Each filigree had a round ruby glowing in the middle and the centerpiece was an even larger gold filigree with an enormous glittering emerald from which a white teardrop pearl elegantly dangled. “This is as fine a necklace as any you will see here at the royal court,” he said with quiet confidence.

Oswald could believe it. He gave a decisive nod and Mr Antony beamed and snapped the case shut.

“You have the perfect judgement, my lord.” He rolled the ‘r’ so that the word stretched out. “I hope you will remember our establishment when you look to expand your jewel collection.”

Oswald glanced at Fenella who looked a little glassy-eyed and pale. “Did you pick a ring?” he asked.

“I – yes. This one,” she said hoarsely.

Oswald glanced at it, a gold ring with green enamel leaves and a small turquoise set in a central rectangular mount. He might have known she would not pick the sapphire. “Does it need re-sizing or can you wear it now?”

She slid it wordlessly onto her third finger where it sat looking perfectly at home.

“Excellent,” he said. Then he seemed to remember something. “Did you still want a brooch?”

“No, no” she said quickly, sitting up in her chair and coloring hotly. “This is more than enough, thank you.”

“Come and try the diamond girdle,” he said picking up the belt. When she reluctantly approached, he circled it around her hips and fastened the clasp so the front length hung down to her knees at the front.

“It’s heavy,” she murmured.

“Take a look in the glass,” said Oswald. He watched her walk to the glass and turn before it to catch the glittering light on the diamonds. He turned to the jeweler who had a look of quiet satisfaction on his face. “Come with me to my study and I will give you payment and speak to you of that other matter.