Chapter 22

Waking to Eleanor in my arms is without a doubt my favourite way to wake up. She's still asleep with her head resting on my chest so I can feel her every breath as she exhales and when she starts snoring quietly. It's something that I've found happens every so often during the night, never loud enough to wake me so I've not mentioned it to her.

I'd have hated for her to refuse to share a bed with me anymore because of a little snoring which doesn't even bother me anyway. It may not be ladylike but I wouldn't change anything about her.

That's not something that I'd thought possible when we'd first married. Back then I'd have given anything to have married someone else. Now I truly know my wife and I love her. There's no more picturing some higher born girl as my wife and when I think of home it's Eleanor.

Feeling her shift slightly I keep myself still pretending to still be asleep myself not wanting to wake her if she's still asleep. For a brief moment I spot her eyes opening before she shuts them tightly and, letting out a little yawn, tries to get back to sleep herself. By the light shining through the curtains though we should be getting up sometime soon.

"Good morning," I say pulling her fully from her sleep.

"Good morning," She replies sleepily tilting her head up to look at me.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her softly. It'd been a while since we'd had sex and even then it'd had never been as intense as last night so I need to know that she's okay.

"I feel... wonderful," She tells me with a gentle smile which is a relief.

"I'm glad," I lean up just enough to kiss the top of her head, "I wanted last night to be good for you. I know that before wasn't as... pleasing for you as it could have been." That will be something that I regret for the rest of my life. It'd been nothing more than duty back then and while I'd at least tried to make it as painless as possible I'd not been at all concerned with her pleasure.

Like many gentlemen of my station I'd kept a mistress for a few years prior to my marriage. Mervinia was a singer and pleasant enough company while I was younger but I quickly became bored with her and ended the relationship. Not long after that I married Eleanor. I've not told Eleanor about Mervinia although I probably will at some point, she's not going to be a problem for us so my previous relationship hasn't come up. Last I heard Mervinia was performing in Europe, being kept as a mistress there as well by a rich man.

"Thank you," Eleanor whispers back to me and I suppose that there isn't really anything to say to that. We settle easily into silence though simply enjoying being together. Not that it lasts long before Marguerite comes into the room with two maids following behind her carrying our breakfast trays.

By now she knows that we share a bed so always brings enough breakfast for the two of us. We plan to enjoy this while we can before we have children that will demand our attention as we'd both agreed not to leave everything to nannies like most people of our station. Both of us want to know and raise our children.

"Good morning your Grace. Will you require anything else?" Marguerite asks as the maids give the trays over to us.

"A bath for the Duchess," I say ignoring Eleanor's protests that she doesn't need a bath drawn for her. After last night I'm sure that she must be sore or at the very least aching and a warm bath should help with that.

Once we'd eaten breakfast I leave Eleanor in Marguerite's capable hands to return to my own room where Bucke is waiting to help me dress. It isn't long before I'm ready for the day so I head to my office and call for Thomas to meet me there. I'd put this off when we'd gotten back yesterday but no longer, it's time I hear what he's found out while we've been away.

"Your Grace," He greets with a bow as he enters the office. While I've been waiting for him to arrive I've been sorting through some paperwork managing to get some of it done and out of the way. Fixing that estate in Scotland has been a challenge since I've not been there to oversee everything. I'd not truly appreciated the ease of running Knole with how well managed it's been by my father and grandfather.

Now though I know the pain of getting an estate turning a profit again. Made worse of course by my physical distance from the estate in question plus the loss that Eleanor and I have experienced recently. Thankfully everything is now turning around for us. Even with the latest letters that I've received from the new estate manager in Scotland has good news for me with the problems slowly decreasing.

"Thank you for coming Thomas. Now tell me everything," I reply settling the papers aside giving him my full attention as he begins to deliver his report.

By the time he finishes giving his report I'm in shock. How could I have not known about this? Mrs Merrick has hated Eleanor since the moment we married. No from even before then, as soon as I'd sent a letter here after having agreed to marry Eleanor. She'd expressed nothing but disdain for Eleanor since then and has actively spread her opinion of my wife among the rest of the staff.

And that's not even mentioning how she's personally treated Eleanor. From what Thomas learnt the tour that Mrs Merrick gave to Eleanor when she first arrived was nothing more than a tactic for her to impress upon Eleanor as to how she wasn't fit to be Duchess. I know that Mrs Merrick worked for my mother for years and greatly respected her but that's no reason to disrespect my wife in her own home.

Worst of all is the letters. Thomas had managed to find the letters I sent hidden in Mrs Merrick's desk along with a sample of Eleanor's writing which she'd evidently used to copy her writing style. With that she faked the letters to Eleanor's brother. All in and effort to drive us apart after we'd been getting along so well before I left for London, we'd been getting along too well in her opinion. To her joy that scheme did more than drive us apart as it also cost us our child. And it was joy she expressed after that devastating loss.

Thomas had heard from some of the maids that after that night Mrs Merrick has gotten drunk and was telling anyone who would listen that it was a good thing. That they should all thank her for getting rid of the whore's child before it could bring shame on the family and the history of Knole. By the time he finished I'm practically shaking with rage.

I want her gone from this estate. Immediately.

With his report finished I send Thomas out of the room with instructions to send Delves to me. This ends today and by the end of today I want that woman out of my house. Waiting for Delves to get here gives me time to calm myself down before I take my anger out on him. Not that he's without fault as he's allowed Mrs Merrick to spread her hatred to the rest of the staff.

"You wanted to see me your Grace," Delves greets as he enters my office.

"Mrs Merrick is to be dismissed," I state bluntly, "Her behaviour has been completely unacceptable and should have been stopped as soon as it started. Now the only solution is to get rid of her. I want her gone by the end of the day. But first I want to know how you allowed this to happen."

"Yes your Grace," He replies looking ashamed of himself as he should. As the butler he's meant to be in charge of the servants yet Mrs Merrick has been completely out of his control, "I admit that I failed to notice her behaviour. And at first your Grace it did not seem too bad and forgive me for saying so but it did not seem to matter as... even you did not care."

"That does not excuse how Mrs Merrick, nor the rest of the servants, have treated the Duchess," I reply knowing that my own indifference to Eleanor at the start of our marriage did give Mrs Merrick the opportunity to start this. But is should never have been taken this far. I've known of servants in other houses not liking their employers yet nothing to this extent.

"I shall send for Mrs Merrick presently," Delves says with a bow heading out the door to find her. Soon it'll be over.

"Your Grace," Mrs Merrick greets pleasantly as she curtsies, "May I say that it's wonderful to have you back in Knole House. We've all missed you since you left for London," It doesn't escape my notice that she doesn't mention Eleanor at all. Nor that she's acting as though that week I'd been here before leaving for Bath hadn't happened.

"Mrs Merrick, you're dismissed. I want you to leave. Immediately," I tell her shortly barely resisting the urge to unleash my anger on her.

"I don't understand, your Grace. I just got here," She replies taken aback and incredibly confused.

"Not dismissed from the room. You are dismissed from your position as housekeeper. And I want you gone from Knole by the end of today."

"What? But why your Grace? I have served your family faithfully for decades," She pleads going pale as the realisation of what's happening sets in.

"Yet you thought yourself better than faithfully serving my wife. The Duchess. Who instead you've disrespected since the day she arrived here," I reply angrily wanting nothing more than for her to leave.

"So it's that woman's fault. She's not suitable to be Duchess and it would have been better if she'd have returned to whichever hovel she came from in disgrace after engineering her own compromise. That woman is nothing more than a social climber and it would have been better if she'd died along with her half-breed child!" She shrieks becoming completely hysterical.

"Get out!" I roar fury overwhelming me as she wishes death upon my wife, "Delves! I want her gone within the hour," I order calling him back into the room to get this woman out of my sight. He comes back in swiftly with two footmen in tow who take one of Mrs Merrick's arms each to walk her out of the room. Even as they pull her out of the room she continues shouting that she was in the right and had only done as my mother would have wished.

Eventually she's out of ear shot and peace returns to my office. The silence helps me to calm down as my anger fades now that the subject of that rage is out of sight and won't be seen again. With Mrs Merrick dismissed everything should be easier for Eleanor and me as we try for another child. She hasn't said anything but I know that Mrs Merrick's continued presence has been filling Eleanor with fear and dread. Now though she can relax which should make for a smoother pregnancy.

We're finally free to be happy together without worrying about someone trying to drive us apart again.