1) I shall turn up at the party
2) He got away through the side door.
3) There were some issues Poirot wished to deal with.
4) I turned to Poirot impatiently.
5) (She) fell for him completely.
The next day Lord Yardly arrived in London. He was friendly but clearly stressed.
Poirot questioned him directly, 'Lord Yardley. Please would you tell me truth. Are you planning to sell your family diamond?'
Lord Yardly sighed.
'It is true. Unfortunately, I’m deeply in debt. I understand a buyer will be coming to examine the jewel tomorrow night.'
Poirot nodded slowly.
'And your wife disagrees?'
'She is very much opposed to the idea,' he admitted.
Poirot stood up decisively.
'Then Hastings and I shall turn up at the party at Yardly Chase tonight if you would be so kind as to invite us, Lord Yardley.'
'Most certainly, Mr Poirot! It will be an honour to have you as our guest.'
That evening we arrived at the Yardleys’ impressive country house.
Lady Yardly greeted us warmly with her two daughters beside her. Poirot immediately charmed the children and calmed everyone down as some people were feeling tense about what was going to happen.
A little later that evening a telegram arrived.
Lord Yardly read it out to Poirot aloud.
'The diamond expert is coming tonight!' he announced.
Lady Yardly looked upset.
'I wish you wouldn’t sell the jewel, George,' she said quietly.
Later, just before dinner, she entered the drawing room wearing the famous necklace. The stunning diamond shone brightly.
'Here it is,' she said bitterly. 'The most beautiful necklace in England!'
As she reached for the light switch, suddenly every light went out.
A scream echoed through the house.
'Maude!' shouted Lord Yardly.
We rushed forward blindly.
Lady Yardly was lying unconscious on the floor. Her necklace had been torn from her neck.
'The Chinaman…' she whispered weakly. 'He got away through the side door.'
Lord Yardly and I ran outside. Near the doorway we found the necklace — but the large central diamond was missing.
Beside the door lay a torn piece of silk.
'A Chinese robe,' I said excitedly.
But despite searching the gardens, we found nobody.
On the journey back to London, I was disappointed.
'This case has gone badly,' I admitted.
Poirot looked unusually serious.
'Yes,' he agreed quietly.
I suddenly realised something.
'The thieves will now steal Mary Marvell’s diamond too!'
Poirot looked impressed.
'Excellent thinking, Hastings.'
The next morning our fears were confirmed. Mary Marvell’s diamond had indeed been stolen from the hotel safe.
At the hotel, Gregory Rolf explained angrily what had happened.
'A man disguised as me entered the hotel and collected the jewel case.'
The hotel clerk nodded nervously.
'He looked exactly like Mr. Rolf,' he said. 'Even the eyes looked similar.'
Poirot listened silently.
Then he requested a private conversation with Gregory Rolf. There were some issues Poirot wished to deal with he told me, but I then knew something was happening he would not tell me about. I wondered what.
Afterward this interview with Gregory Rolf, Poirot seemed much happier.
'Now,' he said cheerfully, 'we shall send off a telegram to Lord Yardly.'
That afternoon Lord Yardly arrived at Poirot’s apartment looking worn out with exhaustion.
'I went to Hoffberg’s jewellers,' he said anxiously. 'They never sent any expert to my house last night!'
Poirot smiled gently.
'I know. I sent the telegram myself.'
'You?' Lord Yardly was open mouthed.
Poirot reached into his pocket and produced a sparkling diamond.
'The Star of the East,' he announced.
Lord Yardly stared at him in disbelief.
'But… how? I don’t understand!'
Poirot smiled mysteriously.
'It was necessary for the diamond to be stolen in order to ensure it would turn up again safely.'
Lord Yardly left a happier man than when he arrived.
But as soon as he Lord Yardly had gone, I turned to Poirot impatiently.
'Now explain everything, Poirot!'
Poirot sat down comfortably.
'The truth, Hastings, is simple. There was never a pair of identical diamonds. Only one real jewel existed — the Yardly diamond.'
'What?' I cried.
'Years ago Gregory Rolf, with the help of Lady Yardly, secretly stole the original diamond and replaced it with a fake copy so that Lady Yardly’s husband would never figure out the switch. Later Gregory presented the real diamond to Mary Marvell as The Western Star.'
'But why did Lady Yardly assist him?'
'Because he was blackmailing Lady Yardly.'
Poirot explained that while in America, Lady Yardly had become emotionally involved with Gregory Rolf and fell for him completely. Then, Rolf, who was a cruel and cold-hearted man, had used her letters to threaten her.
'She feared divorce and losing her children,' Poirot said sympathetically. 'So she obeyed him.'
When Lord Yardly planned to sell the family jewel, Lady Yardly panicked because the fake diamond would be discovered.
'So she contacted Rolf for help,' I realised.
'Exactly. Together they came up with the Chinese legend, the threatening letters, and the robberies.'
Poirot continued calmly.
'Lady Yardly planned the attack at Yardly Chase herself. She switched off the lights, removed the real stone beforehand, dropped the necklace in the corridor, and screamed.'
'And the piece of Chinese silk?'
'She had placed it there herself earlier that evening.'
I stared at him.
'And Rolf?'
'He planned the second theft at the hotel. Then he intended to keep the diamond and also collect the insurance money.'
'But how did you force him to return it?'
Poirot smiled proudly.
'I told him Lady Yardly had confessed everything and that the police would arrest him immediately unless he handed over the jewel.'
'And he believed you?'
'He had no choice. Now Gregory Rolf believes Lord Yardly knows everything about his wife’s unfaithfulness, which he does not. So Rolf won’t bother trying to blackmail Lady Yardley again.'
I shook my head slowly.
'You made a complete fool of me during this investigation. I really believed there were two diamonds, and you did nothing to make me think differently.'
Poirot laughed softly.
'My dear Hastings, you were enjoying yourself too much. I did not wish to disappoint you.'
'I’m still annoyed,' I muttered.
Poirot waved a hand carelessly.
'Yes, yes. But in the end, justice won the day, the innocent were protected, and the criminal failed. That is what truly matters.'
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