Bess was just about to fix an emerald back into its setting when she heard the bell above the shop door chime. Fortunately, she was not in the middle of a task that she couldn’t stop. It had been nearly a month since she had fired the former clerk for trying on the jewelry, and she and William had not found a replacement yet.

They advertised only by word of mouth instead of putting a ‘help wanted’ sign on the door because their merchandise was so valuable and they didn’t want to attract nefarious types who would use their position to steal from them.

Though it had never happened to them, Bess knew some merchants who had been fooled into into hiring thieves. Some of them were quite clever and were able to pass even the most thorough background checks.

Pushing her chair back, Bess walked through the door of the workshop into the store proper. At five months along, there was no doubt now that she was pregnant. A woman and a cute little girl had just come in the door. All of the jewelry was under glass except some inexpensive pieces on the counter that were too high for such a small child to reach, so even if she ran around, neither she nor the merchandise would be harmed. She looked quite well-behaved, though.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked the mother as she approached the pair.