When the brooch was auctioned a few months later, a secret bidder paid such an enormous sum of money for it that the story made front page news around the world. Dee Dee would never have to worry about money again.
And the Count? Well, there’s a rumour that he escaped from the police station by crawling out of a toilet window and was last seen scurrying onto his private jet with Coraline and Isabella in tow. But I couldn’t possibly comment.
The Du Plicitous house stands empty except for Ernest who remains there, taking care of Chiang-Mai. He also spends a good deal of time helping his friend and neighbour, Dee Dee Derota, and drinking tea with his other good friend and neighbour, Norma.
And Violet? Both she and Rose were presented with very shiny medals by the Most Important Chief Inspector of All Policemen and Mrs Rumperbottom dedicated an entire assembly at school to praising their ingenuity and bravery. Although really, Dee Dee being able to stay in her little flat was the only reward the girls wanted.
But now all the excitement has died down, I think Violet is nearly ready for another adventure . . .
Violet’s extra-helpful word glossary
Violet loves words, especially if they sound unusual, so some of the words used in her story might have been a little tricky to understand. Most of them you probably know, but Violet has picked out a few to explain . . .
Architect – My father is an architect and it keeps him very busy! He designs houses and buildings for other people.
Chérie – My mother is from France and I love it when she speaks to me in French! Chérie means darling, angel, sweetie, cutie-pie, honey or anything else like that.
Enchanté – This is a very fancy (and French) way of saying ‘pleased to meet you’.
Merci – I’m sure you know this word? Yes, that’s right, it means thank you in French, so it’s an important one to remember!
N’est-ce pas – Godmother Celeste said this to my mother when she was teasing her about being naughty. It means ‘isn’t it?’ in French
Duplicitous – After the Count had been arrested, my father told me that duplicitous means someone who is sneaky and dishonest. . . so their name should really have given away the family were crooks!
Pedigree – Chiang Mai is a pedigree Siamese cat as the Du Plicitous family liked to tell people! It means an animal who has a family tree of very grand relatives.
Eccentric – This is how I think of Dee Dee instead of ‘odd’ or ‘weird’. It’s someone who is unusual, but, I think, in a lovable way.
Costume Jewellery – the Du Plicitouses switched the Pearl of the Orient for a fake jewel. This kind of jewellery can be called costume jewellery, it can be just as beautiful and look just like the real thing. Sometimes only an expert, can tell it apart from real jewellery.
Starlet – This is what Dee Dee was. It means a young and famous actress.
Southern Belle – Dee Dee had to explain this to me. A Southern Belle is a stylish lady who lives in the southern states of America and has a very particular accent. They say things like ‘Well, I do declare’ and ‘Fiddle de dee!’.
Marilyn Monroe – Marilyn was a very famous actress. Dee Dee told me that she even once sang Happy Birthday to the President!
Frank Sinatra – I bet if you ask any grown-up they’ll have heard of this actor and singer. Dee Dee says he wanted to marry her, but she fell in love with Dave Derota instead.
Kerfuffle – I love this word! It means a commotion, noise or rumpus. I think it’s really fun to say.
Alibi – Isabella had a fake one of these . . . it’s an explanation of where someone is at the time of a crime.
Fjords – Celeste visited these in Norway and said they were very beautiful. They are a narrow strip of sea in-between cliffs, I’m hoping next time she goes she’ll take me!
Gondola – A special kind of boat from Venice that people travel around the canals of the city.
The Pearl of the Orient – The Jewel has had a very dramatic past! My mother told me it was found a long time ago by pearl divers in South China and then the Persian Emperor paid lots of money to buy it. His great, great, great, great grandson gave it to his favourite girlfriend who took it and ran off with one of his footmen! She sold it to a very American lady who only wore it once before it was stolen by the famous jewel thief, the Leopard. Everyone thought it was gone forever until Dee Dee revealed it in her biscuit tin!
Violet and the Pearl of the Orient Page 6