Afer shrugged his shoulders, and glanced toward Fabricius, who was gazing intently and unmoved upon the females.
‘Has she remained with you ever since?’
‘Yes.’
‘Have you always led her to believe she was really your own child? Did she never discover that she did not belong to you?’
‘She was never told till a few minutes past in this house.’
‘Did you never know of this before, maiden?’
‘No.’
‘Did your brother never visit her, woman?’
‘We never saw him again until a few weeks back. We thought he must be dead, never having even heard of him.’
‘You then thought of the child as your own?’