“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 is very 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.