Jeannie Mobley - The Diamond Keeper

The Jewel Thief

September 1792

Though there were riots in the capital and empty harvests elsewhere in France, in our small corner of Brittany, September turned golden and ripe around us. Thick shocks of wheat stood in the fields waiting for threshing, and the apple trees drooped beneath the weight of the harvest. Everyone was busy from dawn until dusk. No one had time for revolution.

Still, when Jacques came galloping recklessly into our innyard, his mouth as full of gossip as his saddlebags were of mail, everyone flocked to him. The men were eager for news, the women for Jacquess wink and mischievous grin. All the unwed girls dreamed of joining him in the daring exploits he bragged of while they sat, doe-eyed, at his elbow.

Almost all the girls, that is; I was never taken in. I heard his storieshow could I not when it was my job to serve the drink to everyone who came to hear him?but I wasnt fool enough to believe them. If all the girls in town were in love with Jacques, he was just as in love with himself.

Mathilde, however, was head over heels, after the fashion of fifteen-year-old girls with dreams too big for their villages. She could hear him coming from a mile off, and whatever chore she was doing would be shoddily finished, or more likely not finished at all. Once he arrived, all she would do was see to his comfort and fill her head with his boastful stories. My sister was too sweet and pretty by far, and too trusting, and I always breathed a sigh of relief when he galloped away, so she could get her head out of the clouds he put it in.

Mathilde had just begun the evening milking when he arrived that September day. At once, the heavy udders of our poor cows were forgotten. She rushed from the barn and into his arms, and he hoisted her up, spinning her once around before planting a daring kiss on her cheek.

I had been sweeping the yard, so I witnessed it all. Seeing me glowering at them, Jacques gave Mathilde an extra peck.

How did the same man sire one daughter so sweet and another so sour? he asked her, taking no care to prevent my hearing. After all, what did a few sharp barbs matter to a plain girl like me?

Mathilde giggled. Claudies not so sour, she said, turning her bright face toward me. Claudie, will you finish the milking? Please? Someone has to get food and drink for our guest, and Cook will be busy getting supper ready. With that, she turned her full, flirtatious attention back to Jacques, not waiting for my answer. They entered the inn, Jacques already telling her of his adventures on the road, while I was left alone with his lathered horse and all the unfinished chores.

I tended to the tired horse first, then completed the milking. By the time I trudged inside, lugging buckets of milk in each hand, a small crowd of village girls had gathered and were hanging on Jacquess every word.

I tell you, Paris has turned upside down! The king is a prisoner, and criminals rule the streets. The poor wear their poverty with the arrogance of lords, while the lords try to pass themselves off as paupers. Nothing is sacredthe churches have been stripped of their gold, the priests of their vows. Do you know, even the crown jewels have been stolen!

A collective gasp issued from the girlswhether at the audacity of the crime or the glory of such jewels, I couldnt be sure.

Werent they guarded? Mathilde asked.

They were, but the thieves were clever, Jacques said, smiling as if he admired their cleverness almost as much as he admired his own. They bought the service of the guards, or perhaps they were the guards themselves. A window was left unlocked, a door was unprotected, and the next thing you know, the jewels had vanished!

All of them? Terese, the millers daughter, asked, her eyes huge and round.

All the important ones. The yellow Mazarin diamond, and the one they call the Mirror of Portugal, and the greatest prize of allthe Blue of the Crown, in which they say the mighty Sun King, Louis XIV, captured the sun.

Imagine! Mathilde said, her eyes shining. The crown jewels! Some lucky girl is walking around Paris shining like the queen herself!