34 - The Queen's Jewels Read Online Free PDF

salt, and neither of us chews with an open mouth.”
    “I think you’re evading the point I was trying to make.”
    “I’m sorry. I suppose I was. Will I see you again before I go to Southampton on Saturday?”
    “I’ll make certain of it. I’m tied up tonight and all day tomorrow. Dinner tomorrow night?”
    “Love it.”
    We embraced, and I watched him climb into the back of the next available cab and ride off. It was always so wonderful to see him—and equally sad when he went away.

Chapter Four
    I learned years ago from a veteran world traveler that the first things you pack when taking a trip are plastic bags of various sizes, which I’ve been doing ever since. The second item on my packing list is comfortable walking shoes. This is especially important when visiting London because no other city in this world that I know of is so conducive to walking. Well, Paris is wonderful, too, and New York City. But there’s something about London that especially appeals to me, and I try to take in as much as possible whenever I’m there.
    Of course, my penchant for walking means spending less time in London’s fabled taxis. London cabs and their drivers are the best in the world. The boxlike vehicles provide spacious comfort for passengers, and the consummate professionals who drive them spend three to five years preparing for the stringent exams they must take in order to earn a license. They immerse themselves during those years in learning the location of thousands of buildings, hotels, and restaurants, as well as myriad out-of-the-way destinations their customers throw at them; they tool around the sprawling city on motorbikes until they know London cold and can prove it to their examiners.
    But on this day, with perfect weather—bright sunshine coupled with a cooling breeze—I was in a walking mood and set off to explore the area around my hotel, Grosvenor Square. I’d done some brushing up on my history before leaving home, particularly the World War II era. Not only is London made for walking; you’re surrounded by history with each step you take.
    During World War II, Grosvenor Square and its immediate surroundings were home to the headquarters of the U.S. command in Europe, as well as to General Eisenhower’s headquarters. Locals called it “Little America.” Today, it’s the site of the American Embassy, the largest embassy in Britain, with almost six acres of floor space.
    I stood outside the embassy and looked up at a gigantic bald eagle on its roof. My guidebook said its wingspan was approximately thirty-five feet, a huge, soaring symbol of my country, the business of which is conducted inside. A stroll through the square itself brought me to William Reid Dick’s magnificent bronze sculpture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. My walk took me as far south as the famed Hyde Park Corner, where I ducked into the Four Seasons Hotel for a light lunch. From there I headed northwest to Berkeley Square, home to some of London’s wealthiest families, and proceeded back to my hotel to kick off my shoes and rest my tired feet.
    I’d asked Tom Craig during dinner to recommend a play for me to see while in town. London’s vibrant and easily accessible theater scene is inevitably thought-provoking, and I always try to catch a few shows, often seeing them before they transition to Broadway. He had suggested the new revival of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House that had been set in Edwardian England rather than in Ibsen’s Norway. I’m a fan of Ibsen, and I’ve always liked that particular work. Tom also had said that its focus on political scandal had special meaning in its new English setting because of the current uproar over members of the British parliament obscenely padding their expense accounts.
    I was about to call the concierge to see if tickets were available when the phone rang. It was George.
    “Jessica,” he said, “bad news. I’ve been called out of town to follow up on a lead in the diamond case. I’m