Chapter 12

"Is it true?" William demands storming into my room. I hadn't even heard that he was coming back this afternoon let alone that he was back in the house already. It'd been a month and a half since he left but there'd been not one word from him let alone the date of his return.

"William," I say in surprise standing up to greet him, "I didn't know that you were returning today."

"I'm sure you would have had you read any of my letters. Which I'm to understand you discarded with barely a glance."

"What? I never received any letters," I reply not understanding what's going on. No letters had come for me so where has this come from. But my words fall on deaf ears and do nothing to calm William down who paces in front of me unable to keep still in his anger.

"Do. Not. Lie. To. Me," He growls out throwing a pile of unopened letters on the table as he comes to a stop and glares at me, "I've heard from both Delves and Mrs Merrick how you refused to read any of the letters. Nor did you send me any as you said you would, what if something had happened to the baby?"

"I did write to you. I promise," I tell him thinking of the many letters I sent to him, "Nearly every other day I wrote a letter to you. And if anything had happened to the baby I would have sent someone to tell you immediately."

"Well if you had written so many letters why did I not receive any?" Nothing I'm saying is having effect in fact it seems to just be making him angrier.

"I don't know," I feel myself begin to cry sitting back down. We'd been getting along so well before he left for London and now we seem to be worse off than before.

"And perhaps you can explain the complete disarray of the servants caused by your inattention. Mrs Merrick has tried her best but with you constantly undermining her efforts how can she keep order?"

That's when it clicked for me. Mrs Merrick must have stopped our letters from reaching their intended targets and once William returned she made up these terrible lies to drive us apart. And she'd even kept his letters hidden to use as evidence to prove her story, making sure that William won't believe me.

"Please William I promise. I didn't cause any problems," I tell him solemnly needing him to believe me.

"I don't believe you. Not when all you do is lie and scheme to get what you want," He says quietly although he may as well have shouted the words in my face with the impact that they have on me. I'm shocked into silence and can't say anything as he shoots me one last furious glare before storming out of my room as suddenly as he'd arrived.

Devasted at what had just happened I sit frozen in my seat not even registering Marguerite entering the room until she takes hold of my shoulders.

"Your Grace!" She calls frantically suggesting that she's been trying to get my attention for a while. I hadn't heard her at all.

"Marguerite," I whisper but find myself unable to say anymore as I begin sobbing. All I can do is cry as she brings me into a hug and starts rubbing my back trying to get me to calm down. She's known that I've cried like this before but it's never happened while she's been here, usually she arrives in the aftermath to help me clean myself up before I venture out of my room.

"There now. That's better," She says calmly when I eventually stop crying, "I'll have some tea brought up to settle your nerves and you can tell me what happened." True to her word a maid arrives shortly after with some tea and a cup is soon pressed into my hand.

"His Grace is back. And Mrs Merrick must have told him terrible lies. He hates me again," I inform her struggling to not start crying again as I recount what happened, "And none of my letters were sent nor were his given to me."

"Oh your Grace. I'm so sorry. I promise that I gave all of your letters to Mr Delves but after that I do not know what happened. As the butler I'd have thought that he'd have remained at least neutral but it seems even he has been listening to that vile woman," I'd entrusted all of my letter to Marguerite and she rightly handed them to Delves to deliver. There is no one I can trust in this except for her now, not even William.

Mrs Merrick had been chosen as the housekeeper by the previous Duchess, William's mother, so I understand the trust he puts in her. But surely as his wife he should believe me or at least not blindly trust everything that he's told about me. And I'd trusted him with the true reason I'd planned the comprise despite the pain it causes me to remember.

"Could you prepare me a bath?" I ask, "It should help me relax."

"Yes your Grace," she replies leaving the room with a curtsy to organise the maids to prepare my bath. I'm hoping that soaking will get rid of some of my stress, it can't be good for the baby. Thinking for the sake of my baby I really need to calm down and try not to let these problems get to me.

Still feeling the need to hide even after my bath I go to the nursery which over the past few weeks has carefully been cleaned and redecorated. William, not having received my letters, won't know about how much time I spend in here and Mrs Merrick avoids the room as well. Not liking the reminder of the impending birth she goes out of her way to not even see the nursery.

I sit down in the rocking chair opening up the book I've brought with me. It's nice and peaceful here with no terrible memories connected to the room, even my own room has now been tainted by William's rage. Hopefully he'll calm down soon and we can have a reasonable discussion of what happened, because if not then I dread to think what my life will be like.

Soon I can't even focus on my book as my mind refuse to stop dwelling on the possibilities that could come from this latest argument. Prior to William's departure we'd been getting on well enough that there was a good chance that he wouldn't send me away after the baby is born. Yet now he might return to that plan of refusing to allow me around my own child all because of lies that he's been told.

Fear fills me with confidence as I won't let that happen. I won't be sent away from my baby and have to live the rest of my life wondering what I'm missing. Standing up I start searching the house for William, at first I ignore passing servants but as my search yields no results I'm soon asking every servant I walk by where the Duke is.

Eventually I'm directed to one of the drawing rooms where I finally find William. I'd been told that he was in many different rooms by the servants I asked so I'm exhausted from walking all over the house to find him. With their directions I'd walked from one side of the house to the other and back again several times due to the contradicting places they'd all seen the Duke.

I don't think that I've ever been so angry as today but more shouting won't change anything so I bury it deep down and try to at least appear calm. Taking a deep breath I walk over to William, whose sat reading the newspaper, forcing a pleasant smile onto my face.

"William," I greet politely taking a seat next to him, "I was hoping that we could talk."

"Very well," He agrees putting down the newspaper to face me, "Perhaps we can start with the lies you keep telling." He nods towards a book on the table in front of us. Confused I pick it up and open it finding that it's a diary written in what looks like my handwriting but I've never seen it before.

Frantically I start reading the first few pages. The first entry is dated a few weeks before I arrived in London and over the next few entries this fake diary paints me as nothing more than a greedy social climber. Just as William had first thought of me before I told him the truth.

"This isn't true, it must be fake. I never wrote any of this," I wish now that I'd stayed away from here. This would have happened anyway but I would have had more time before things got worse.

"It's your handwriting," He replies through gritted teeth, "And why would someone write a fake diary?"

"I don't know," I plead seeing that he doesn't believe me, "Please you must believe me."

"How can I believe you when all you do is lie? Not just about this but the letters and money you've been sending your brother. Despite my order that he gets nothing,"

"No," I gasp out not understanding where all of this coming from, "I promise I never wrote to him or gave him money. I don't even have any money to send to him."

"Then where has the pin money that I left for you gone? Clearly you didn't put any towards your wardrobe," He casts a judging look over my dress which barely fits not that my stomach is getting bigger.

"What money?" I cry out becoming more confused by the minute as none of this makes sense. He never left me any money and I never wrote or sent anything to Humphrey.

"Enough of this!" he roars losing his temper, "Stop with the lies."

"I'm not lying!" I shriek back my own temper snapping as well at all the accusations, "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because every word out of your mouth is a lie. The proof is right there in front of me and you want me to ignore it. Even if I could why would I when it's backed up by the words of people I trust." His last word feels like it's stabbed me in the stomach.

"You don't trust me?" It hurts more than it should but I'd thought that after I'd told him about Mr Waldron that at the very least he trusted me.

"No. I don't," He says looking me dead in the eyes completely serious, "And I don't think we have anything else to talk about." Rising to his feet he walks away leaving me once again sat devastated by this conversation.

Shaking I rising to my feet and make my way out of the room as well more fearful now than when I'd set out in search of William. In trying to fix things I'd only made it worse for myself. With so many lies stacked against me it seems that he will take the baby from me and then send me to some far-off estate to live alone.

Adding to the pain I'm already I start feeling a cramping pain as I walk upstairs. Ignoring it as Dr Blundell had said that I could experience cramps during the pregnancy I climb into bed too tired to want to try and do anything but sleep. The exhaustion of walking all over the house and the argument with William soon have me falling asleep.

Only to wake perhaps a few hours later in pain radiating from my abdomen and the skirts of my dress feeling wet and sticking to my legs. Trembling I push the sheets off me and let out a scream in horror. My dress is covered in blood centred around the tops of my legs.