“Because he was entrusted to care for you?” Roslyn ventured to guess. “But he refused to honor Sir Rupert’s wishes after his death?”
“Yes,” Constance exclaimed with a surprising show of strength and spirit. But her explanation was halting as she continued. “Rupert bought the house for us…although the deed was in his name. He also…bequeathed an income sufficient…to provide for our upkeep and…proper schooling for the children. But…there was no proof of his intentions. When he died…Farnaby sold the house…and forced us to find other lodgings.”
“So how did you manage to survive?” Drew asked, his tone sympathetic.
Constance shifted her gaze to him. “To support us…my son hired on as a houseboy in a nobleman’s household…and was later promoted to footman… I found employment in a milliner’s shop.”
“And how did you come to live here?”
She turned her face away, as if ashamed to answer. “We could not make the rent…so we moved to even cheaper lodgings. I abhorred having to bring…my children here, but I had no choice. And now we may be evicted even from here. When I fell ill last month…my employer let me go-”
Her last words were cut off when she began coughing fiercely into Drew’s linen handkerchief.
Seeing a mug of water on the bedside table, Roslyn helped Constance lift her head so she could sip, yet she continued to struggle for breath.
“Has a physician attended you?” Roslyn asked, deeply worried.
Constance swallowed with effort and then fell back weakly, shutting her eyes. “No…we cannot afford doctors or medicines…on Ben’s meager salary.” She forcibly opened her eyes again. “Why do you ask about Benjamin, Miss Loring?”
When Roslyn hesitated, wondering how much to divulge, Drew answered for her. “Your son was interested in acquiring a certain brooch in Lady Freemantle’s possession, Mrs. Baines.”
Constance looked puzzled. “My brooch…how did he even know…” She fell silent except for her breathless rasping.
“The brooch was yours?” Roslyn gently prodded.
“Yes, it was a gift…from Rupert many years ago, at our son’s birth. I cherished it because it…had Rupert’s portrait inside. But when he died, the brooch…was at the jeweler’s being cleaned, so I never saw it again.”
“And you could not legally claim it?”
“No.” Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. “Rupert could never publicly acknowledge…me as his mistress, out of respect for his wife, so…I could not simply demand the brooch back. Lady Freemantle would…have learned about me then…and Rupert would not have wanted that.”
“So why did your son want the brooch?” Drew asked.
“I…suppose to return it to me. I remember some weeks ago…when I first became ill and was wracked with fever…I told Ben I wished that I still…had the miniature portrait of his father. Perhaps I told him it was…in Lady Freemantle’s possession. I can’t recall.”
At least that explained why the boy had been so determined to obtain the brooch, Roslyn reflected. He was trying to fulfill what he thought was his mother’s deathbed wish.
“Is Benjamin in trouble?” Constance repeated weakly.
Again Drew answered for Roslyn. “That remains to be seen. The evidence against him is very serious, but we wish to speak to him before making any accusations.”
“What evidence?” Constance demanded worriedly.
“We believe he attempted to steal the brooch, more than once.”
She stared. “You must be mistaken, your grace. Benjamin would never steal. He is a good boy, the best son anyone could hope for.”
“Perhaps so, but
his arm injury may have been a gunshot wound.”
“A gunshot wound! You must be mistaken-”
Just then the door burst open and Winifred’s ginger-haired thief rushed into the room, a worried look on his face. He took one look at the visitors, however, and froze in recognition, his expression turning to fear. The parcel he was carrying dropped from his nerveless fingers, while his freckled complexion turned as pale as his sick mother’s.
He was no longer wearing a sling, Roslyn noted, although he seemed to favor his right arm by holding it close to his chest.
To his credit, Benjamin recovered quickly and stuck out his chin. He meant to brazen it out, Roslyn realized.