“Didn’t you ever feel bad that you were passing your work off as authentic?”

The Duchess rested her chin on her tiny fist and considered the question.

“I tried selling my own work, but because of Duke’s reputation as a failed businessman, nobody wanted to give their money to a Strickland. Not even for my beautiful paintings. It was only when I assumed another artist’s name that anyone noticed my skill. Those few originals I made, I signed under another name.”

“D. Shammas,” I said.

“Smart girl. Angelica Velvet knew lots of wealthy people who didn’t ask questions. When she heard about my Shammas paintings, she begged me to sell them. She said she had a buyer who’d pay ten million dollars for paintings by the mysterious genius. But I wasn’t ready to reveal myself or to give up those works. Those paintings are about my life. I could never sell them. Angelica didn’t want to hear that, not at all. She said if I wouldn’t sell the Shammas paintings to her, she was finished with me. So I gave her a few studies, but I immediately regretted it. After that, I never sold another painting, original or otherwise.”

“Did Angelica know that the paintings she sold for you were forgeries?”

The Duchess shrugged. “It’s funny. When I was working with Angelica, I never felt guilty. It was what I had to do to keep my daughter fed. I just wish Edmonia could understand that. When my daughter Edmonia was growing up, we never told her how our family made its money. She knew I could paint, but she was always more interested in her father’s work. She spent all her free time in his workshop, tinkering. It was only years later, when she saw those little portraits, that she put two and two together. Edmonia was so angry. She said I’d made a fool of her father and that she’d never forgive me. She kept my grandchildren away from me for many years. That hurt, because I knew Ezekiel and Mona Pearl would become real artists. My grandchildren inherited my talents. They are both true originals.”

“You can say that again,” I said, thinking of Zeke’s edible poetry and Mona Pearl’s bizarre costumes.

“After they’d both graduated from high school, Edmonia couldn’t stop them from visiting me. So Ezekiel and Mona Pearl came to stay for the summer. Mona Pearl took an art class. Ezekiel spent every afternoon in my library, devouring book after book. I painted a second set of portraits, these ones you see here. It was a special time.”

“How long ago was that, Mrs. Strickland?” I asked.

“Oh, about five years ago. They discovered my studio right away, of course. Ezekiel was horrified. But Mona Pearl loved the idea of fooling people. I tried to tell her I had only done it out of necessity, to keep the family together, but she wouldn’t listen. She said she wanted to continue the family business. I couldn’t allow that to happen. We argued and Mona Pearl stormed out, followed by her brother. They never set foot in my house again. Until tonight.”