earring. Here was an exquisite piece of jewelry, a pearl stud with a raindrop of pure gold dangling from it. The letters ER were engraved in script on the drop, and the pearl was set in a gold crown. Jimmy whistled under his breath. "Do you realize what this is, Marie? This is our passage to anywhere we want to go."
"To Van Diemen's Land more likely," she said quellingly. "Where did you get this, Decker?"
Decker shrugged.
Marie tried to mask her own anxiety. "You mustn't be afraid. I'm certain you haven't done anything wrong, but Uncle Jimmy and I need to know where you got this."
Jimmy Grooms wasn't sure he liked being referred to as Uncle Jimmy by Marie. Before he had a chance to comment on this, Marie was posing the question again to Decker.
"Colin gave it to me," he said. The truth was offered reluctantly and because of that he was believed.
"Colin? Your brother gave this to you?" Marie said just to be certain.
Decker nodded.
"Where did he get it?"
Decker shrugged.
"That's no answer, boy," said Jimmy. "Did he steal it?"
"No." Decker was confident in his answer. He recognized the earring, knew he had seen it before. He was less clear about the circumstances.
Marie's voice was gentler. "Do you suppose he found it somewhere? Perhaps at the workhouse?"
Decker didn't respond at all this time. He stared straight ahead, his mouth flat as if a secret pressed his lips closed and it could not be released.
After more than a minute of silence, Marie sighed. "Give him back the earring, cher."
"What if it belonged to the Cunningtons?" Jimmy asked. He knew that had been Marie's first concern when she saw it. It certainly had been his. The last thing they needed was for the headmaster or his wife to set the authorities on their trail.
Marie took the earring from Jimmy and held it out to Decker. It was taken from her quickly and pocketed with speed and deftness. "Do you really think the Cunningtons would have an exquisite piece like that in their possession? They'd do what we would do."
Jimmy cocked one cinnamon-colored brow. "And that would be?"
"Sell it, cher." She held up one finger to silence him when she saw the hope in his eyes. "That's what we would do if the piece were ours. It's not. It belongs to Decker. I'm quite clear on that even if your thinking is a little muddled."
Marie Thibodeaux snuggled next to Jimmy. "If that is his good-luck piece, then he's ours. Good things are going to happen to us, cher. You'll see."
Jimmy had to be satisfied with that. He doubted the boy would ever give up the earring again willingly, and Marie would never forgive Jimmy for taking it with cunning. Decker was on his knees again, looking out the window. As far as Jimmy could tell, he and Marie were out of the child's mind.
"Who do you suppose he's looking for?" Jimmy asked.
Marie didn't answer immediately. She couldn't say with any certainty. "His brothers, peut-être. His family. Who is to say what he knows about them?"
"Cunnington told me there was a search for more family but that none could be found. I suppose he thought there might be money in it for him if he could have located a relative to take the children." The earring in Decker's possession seemed to bear that out, but Jimmy was just as certain that the headmaster hadn't seen it. Cunnington would have confiscated it as payment for boarding the children. No matter that the heirloom piece would have paid the room and board of an army of children for a score of years. Cunnington was lacking in more scruples than Jimmy Grooms. Jimmy, at least, had Marie to rein him in when greed got the better of his common sense. Mr. Cunnington had only Mrs. Cunnington. Jimmy's meeting with the headmistress had been brief, but it was long enough to learn there was no conscience in that quarter.
"What do you think he knows about the night his parents were killed?" Jimmy asked under his breath. "He was there, Cunnington said. All the children were."
Marie shook her head. "Don't talk
"To Van Diemen's Land more likely," she said quellingly. "Where did you get this, Decker?"
Decker shrugged.
Marie tried to mask her own anxiety. "You mustn't be afraid. I'm certain you haven't done anything wrong, but Uncle Jimmy and I need to know where you got this."
Jimmy Grooms wasn't sure he liked being referred to as Uncle Jimmy by Marie. Before he had a chance to comment on this, Marie was posing the question again to Decker.
"Colin gave it to me," he said. The truth was offered reluctantly and because of that he was believed.
"Colin? Your brother gave this to you?" Marie said just to be certain.
Decker nodded.
"Where did he get it?"
Decker shrugged.
"That's no answer, boy," said Jimmy. "Did he steal it?"
"No." Decker was confident in his answer. He recognized the earring, knew he had seen it before. He was less clear about the circumstances.
Marie's voice was gentler. "Do you suppose he found it somewhere? Perhaps at the workhouse?"
Decker didn't respond at all this time. He stared straight ahead, his mouth flat as if a secret pressed his lips closed and it could not be released.
After more than a minute of silence, Marie sighed. "Give him back the earring, cher."
"What if it belonged to the Cunningtons?" Jimmy asked. He knew that had been Marie's first concern when she saw it. It certainly had been his. The last thing they needed was for the headmaster or his wife to set the authorities on their trail.
Marie took the earring from Jimmy and held it out to Decker. It was taken from her quickly and pocketed with speed and deftness. "Do you really think the Cunningtons would have an exquisite piece like that in their possession? They'd do what we would do."
Jimmy cocked one cinnamon-colored brow. "And that would be?"
"Sell it, cher." She held up one finger to silence him when she saw the hope in his eyes. "That's what we would do if the piece were ours. It's not. It belongs to Decker. I'm quite clear on that even if your thinking is a little muddled."
Marie Thibodeaux snuggled next to Jimmy. "If that is his good-luck piece, then he's ours. Good things are going to happen to us, cher. You'll see."
Jimmy had to be satisfied with that. He doubted the boy would ever give up the earring again willingly, and Marie would never forgive Jimmy for taking it with cunning. Decker was on his knees again, looking out the window. As far as Jimmy could tell, he and Marie were out of the child's mind.
"Who do you suppose he's looking for?" Jimmy asked.
Marie didn't answer immediately. She couldn't say with any certainty. "His brothers, peut-être. His family. Who is to say what he knows about them?"
"Cunnington told me there was a search for more family but that none could be found. I suppose he thought there might be money in it for him if he could have located a relative to take the children." The earring in Decker's possession seemed to bear that out, but Jimmy was just as certain that the headmaster hadn't seen it. Cunnington would have confiscated it as payment for boarding the children. No matter that the heirloom piece would have paid the room and board of an army of children for a score of years. Cunnington was lacking in more scruples than Jimmy Grooms. Jimmy, at least, had Marie to rein him in when greed got the better of his common sense. Mr. Cunnington had only Mrs. Cunnington. Jimmy's meeting with the headmistress had been brief, but it was long enough to learn there was no conscience in that quarter.
"What do you think he knows about the night his parents were killed?" Jimmy asked under his breath. "He was there, Cunnington said. All the children were."
Marie shook her head. "Don't talk
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