JORDAN Nicole (31 page)

“Later?”

“After we were wed, I learned he had taken a mistress. One hears things…gossip. Some people are needlessly cruel; the real ladies are the worst. They took glee in telling me of the rumors. Pitying me, laughing at me behind their fans. That was how I learned his paramour was genteel. I never knew her name but she was the love of his life before he was compelled to marry me. It wasn’t until Rupert was lost to her as a husband that she gave up her respectability to become his mistress. And then…I heard she bore him a child.” Pausing, Winifred drew a shuddering breath.

“Are you all right?” Roslyn asked, concerned.

“Yes…it’s just painful to remember.”

“Here, drink this,” Drew said, urging a snifter into Winifred’s hand. He had poured her a measure of brandy from the side table, Roslyn realized.

The elder lady sipped absently, her thoughts seeming far away.

“Go on,” Roslyn said gently after a long moment.

Winifred nodded. “Despite my dismay, I turned a blind eye to Rupert’s infidelities. Never acknowledged or let on that I knew. At first I didn’t want to face the truth that he was unfaithful. I had my pride, after all. And well…I thought he deserved happiness. Iwanted him to be happy. Rupert never loved me as I loved him, but he was always a very kind and considerate husband, and he shielded me as much possible from the vicious harpies who spurned me for my low origins.”

Her jaw locked for a moment before she determinedly drained the rest of the brandy in one long swallow. Then she coughed a little before continuing. “And the thing is…I didn’t want him to be punished for my failings. You see, even after a number of years of marriage, I was never able to give him children or a legitimate heir to his title. When I realized I was likely barren, I was actuallyglad he had a child by another woman. Gentlemen want sons, you know.” Her voice dropped. “His son would be about sixteen years of age now…although the thief looked a bit older than that when I glimpsed him.”

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “I thought I could be indifferent, but it hurts to have blatant proof of his adultery.”

Roslyn squeezed her hand comfortingly. “It’s still possible you are mistaken about the boy’s identity.”

“No, dear, I’m not mistaken. I know here….” Herhand covered her heart.

Roslyn felt her own heart go out to her friend. She was sad and angry, knowing how Winifred had suffered from being betrayed by her husband. She was even angrier at the late Sir Rupert for hurting this dear, sweet woman, no matter how frustrating her meddling matchmaking efforts could be.

Hoping to divert Winifred from her pain, Roslyn asked another question entirely. “So why did he hold up your coach and break into your house? Was he after your brooch because it contains a miniature portrait of his father? The brooch was the only thing he seemed to want when he held us up, and he didn’t steal your other more valuable jewelry that was lying there in plain sight.”

“That seems the most likely reason,” Winifred answered unevenly. “And to be truthful, the brooch really isn’t mine. Or at least Rupert never gave it to me. It was turned over to me by the jewelers, where it was being cleaned. Rupert died so suddenly—his heart failed him, you know—that he had no time to put his affairs in order. But I think that miniature was his gift to his mistress….”

Pushing the empty snifter at Roslyn, Winifred began crying softly into her hands.

Roslyn put her arms around Winifred in a consoling embrace, which brought her own painful memories rushing back. She’d consoled her mother this way numerous times over the years. Her father’s shameless philandering had caused her mother even more pain than Winifred had endured. At least Winifred’s husband had been discreet, whereas Sir Charles had flaunted his mistresses just to spite his wife.

When Drew silently provided a handkerchief, Roslyn gave him a grateful glance. Winifred took it and eventually her sobs quieted.

“I am sorry,” she murmured, wiping her eyes. “I don’t mean to turn into a watering pot. It’s just that seeing the boy…has dredged up some painful memories.”

“I know,” Roslyn said softly.

“Rupert had no family relations,” Winifred added, sniffing. “He was the last of his line and his title died with him. That is what I regret most.”

“You cannot let yourself dwell on the past, Winifred.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Sniffing, she sat up straighter. “I cannot stay here sniveling in this ridiculous fashion. I have dinner guests. It is terribly rude to leave them to their own devices. I may not have been born a lady, but I know that much! You and your sisters taught me all about genteel manners, my dear, and now I am letting you down.”

Roslyn managed a smile. “Please don’t concern yourself about the thief, Winifred. Don’t even think about it. His grace and I will determine what should be done.”

Winifred glanced up at Drew with a watery smile. “I didn’t expect to involve you so deeply in my troubles, your grace. I only wanted you to see my dear Roslyn’s worth.”

With a charming smile of his own, he shot Roslyn a glance as he helped Winifred to her feet. “I see her worth quite clearly, my lady. But leave it to me to investigate the boy’s identity.”

“Leave it tous, ” Roslyn corrected. “We will discuss the matter while you rejoin your guests, Winifred.”

“Very well,” her ladyship agreed. “I will have Pointon keep your dinner warm.”

When she had gone, Roslyn found herself frowning as Drew settled beside her on the sofa. “Do you think she is right?” she asked. “That the thief really is Sir Rupert’s natural son?”

“It makes sense. If the brooch came into her possession four years ago, he may want it back. But why now? And what happened to his mother if she was Sir Rupert’s mistress?”

“And is the boy really a footman?” Roslyn mused aloud. “If his father failed to provide for him, he may have been forced to seek employment merely to survive. Perhaps he truly is in service in some noble household, and the livery he wore is not a disguise but his regular attire.” Roslyn’s eyes suddenly widened. “Good heavens…what if he served at Danvers Hall last week? We hired numerous extra staff for the wedding celebrations.”

Drew nodded. “That would explain why he was able to intercept your coach so readily. If he was acting as a footman that night, he could have kept watch on Lady Freemantle’s carriage and slipped out in time to ride after it.”

“I should ask the Simpkins if they noticed any of the footmen behaving oddly that evening.”

“Good. Meanwhile, Bow Street may develop some leads about the livery soon.”

“But isn’t there any other avenue we can pursue? I loathe having to sit still and do nothing.”

Drew smiled at her impatience. “I won’t be sitting still. I plan to interview Sir Rupert’s solicitors tomorrow to discover what they know about a former mistress. If we can identify her, it might help us to locate the boy.”

Roslyn gave Drew an admiring look. “That is very clever. And if Sir Rupert did keep a mistress for so long, Fanny may know something about her. Fanny makes it her business to know everything about the demimonde, particularly wealthy gentlemen who could potentially become patrons. And even if she can’t tell us about Sir Rupert’s arrangement, she has acquaintances who may be able to remember his circumstances four years ago.”

“She may be a good source,” Drew agreed.

“And the jewelers who cleaned the brooch might remember whom it was meant for.”

He shook his head at that. “I doubt it. If they returned the brooch to Lady Freemantle, they wouldn’t know its rightful owner. In any event, we should keep our inquiries discreet so as to shield her from unwanted gossip.”

“True,” Roslyn said. “But I want to go with you when you call on the solicitors.”

“That won’t be necessary, darling.”

“It isvery necessary. Winifred is my friend, and I want to help her. She won’t have any peace of mind until we solve the mystery of the thief. And we certainly must stop him from trying to steal from her again.”

Drew’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “I suppose there is no point in telling you to stay at home and leave the heroics to me?”

Roslyn dimpled. “None whatsoever.”

He gave an aggrieved sigh. “I suspected as much. Very well, then, I will call for you early tomorrow morning and we’ll visit the solicitors together. You do realize, however, that you will have to ride with me alone in my coach?”

“I am willing to risk it,” Roslyn said confidently, remembering her plan to try and arouse Drew’s ardor. A trip into the City of London would take the best part of an hour. She might as well use the time to attempt to soften his heart toward her.

During the drive to London the next morning, Roslyn subtly resumed her efforts to captivate Drew, but it seemed to have little effect on him. He parried all of her attempts at flirtation with the skill of an expert, merely lifting an amused eyebrow when her attempts became too blatant.

Roslyn was almost glad when they reached Town and she could abandon her pretense and turn her attention to gaining answers about the late Sir Rupert’s affairs.

They called on Fanny first, so they would be sure to find her at home. Not unexpectedly, the courtesan had to be roused from her bed, since in her trade, Fanny often kept late nights.

Even so, she greeted Roslyn with a warm embrace and congratulated the duke on his upcoming nuptials, despite knowing from Roslyn’s letters that the wedding might never take place.

“How disturbing for Lady Freemantle,” Fanny murmured when she’d heard the entire tale. “Not only having a thief invade her home, but a thief who could be the result of her husband’s longtime liaison.”

“Yes,” Roslyn agreed. “But she wants to know the truth either way, so we intend to find him. We hoped you could help us discover who Sir Rupert’s mistress was, Fanny.”

Fanny pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t recall ever meeting him, so I have no idea who he had in keeping. But I will be happy to make inquiries…discreetly, of course.”

“Thank you,” Roslyn said earnestly. “We want to prevent any more gossip about Winifred. She finds this painful enough already.”

“Yes, thank you, Miss Irwin,” Drew added.

When he and Roslyn rose to take their leave, Fanny accompanied them to her front door. Roslyn would have liked to speak to Fanny alone about a number of matters—her betrothal to Drew, her interest in making him fall in love with her, the more intimate subject of precautions against getting with child, and most of all, how her sister was faring, since Lily had been in London for nearly a fortnight now, keeping herself out of reach of Winifred’s matchmaking.

But there was no opportunity for privacy with Fanny, since Drew ushered Roslyn down the front steps and into his coach after directing his coachman where to find the firm of Crupp and Beasly, the solicitors who oversaw Winifred’s fortune.

Regrettably, they had no better luck with the solicitors. They were welcomed obsequiously at the dark, shabby offices on Fleet Street—Drew was a duke, after all. And once he presented a letter of authorization from Lady Freemantle, permitting him to act as her advocate, the nearly ancient Mr. Crupp’s stiffness eased and he listened attentively as Drew explained precisely what they wanted.

Despite his age, the elderly lawyer still seemed to possess a keen mind, for he asked several sharp questions to clarify certain points. At the conclusion, however, Mr. Crupp sadly shook his head.

“It is possible, your grace, that Sir Rupert paid an income to a mistress for a good many years, but we would not be privy to the arrangements. Doubtless he contrived for another solicitor to handle his private affairs, since he would not have wished Lady Freemantle to know he was spending part of her fortune thusly. And if he did have a second family, he could not very well provide for them in his will and testament without her ladyship discovering the unsavory truth.”

“What other solicitors might he have employed?” Drew asked.

Mr. Crupp responded with a sour smile that showed his false teeth. “The possibilities are numerous, your grace. There are some two hundred solicitors in the City alone, and nearly double that if you count all of England. Even more if you include Scotland. Some of the best legal minds in Britain hail from Edinburgh. But we could inquire of our colleagues, if you wish. It will be rather costly, however….”

“I do wish,” Drew replied. “And cost is no object. You will of course keep this confidential.”

“Most certainly, your grace. Lady Freemantle has been our esteemed client for many years, and her father before her, and we are privileged to serve her in any way possible.”

Roslyn was disappointed to have gathered so little information, but Drew was more optimistic. “I expected as much. If Sir Rupert was considerate enough to shield his wife from learning about his affair during his lifetime, he would have taken pains to hide the knowledge even after his death. But Bow Street may have something to tell us about the livery by now.”

The private police service, indeed, had made a measure of progress on the case, for they had identified two noble households that used blue-and-silver livery. However, discovering whether a ginger-haired young man was employed at either place as a footman would require delicate questioning.

Drew instructed them to turn the information over to Crupp and Beasly, who could be trusted to handle the matter with more circumspection than Bow Street. It would raise curiosity, perhaps even alarm, if a Runner began poking his nose into the servant staff of the aristocracy.

The same was true about investigating the temporary staff employed for the Danvers wedding celebrations. When Roslyn had asked the Simpkins about that night, neither could recall any unusual behavior by any of the footmen. And since they had hired nearly two dozen footmen and almost that same number of grooms and cook’s helpers, it would be difficult to track the thief through the London employment agency they’d used, even with his distinctive color hair, so Drew decided to pursue that course as a last resort.

On the return drive home, he watched as Roslyn stared despondently out the window. “Don’t lose heart yet. We will find our thief eventually.”