The Duchess

Chapter Twenty-two: The Letter

Dismissing the marquess from the premises had put Seren in a confrontational mood. After this, and what the viscount had informed her of, she could no longer go about celebrating and pretending that everything was fine.

She had to speak to Blackfall.

But first, she had to find the letter.
She had chucked it away in a drawer, ensuring it would never see the light of day again, and she would never see it again. If only she had known how long that would last...

The infernal letter was right where she had left it and Blackfall was right where he had been watching the commotion. She informed him of her purpose for approaching him and followed him, back to the greenhouse.
He gestured for her to speak.

Seren cleared her throat. She spoke as objectively as she could, refusing to let her feelings master her. "I have been informed that there have been rumours that you were seen with other women in a gaming club. I would like you to confirm the validity of these rumours."

He scoffed. "Yes, I did spend time in a gaming club, and I was solicited by prostitutes, but do you think I would stoop so low as to cheat on my pregnant wife?"

So he did not sleep with prostitutes. Fine.

She held up the letter. "But this was for a lover, was it not?" And they were not lovers. They were barely husband and wife. And the fact that he had written it while drunk only meant that the feelings expressed in the letter were sincere.

"I did not write that letter! I would not be so excessively fervent as to write that letter."

"Who else could have written it, then?"

He hesitated briefly. "My brother."
"You lie!"

"I have not been conducting an affair, and I do not care if you believe me or not. However, can you say the same?"

"I have not been conducting an affair," was her immediate reply. She exhaled deeply.

He scoffed in disbelief. "You have been sneaking around, out in the open at night, thinking no one can see you, when the truth is that half of the windows in this house face the gardens."

And he concluded that furthering the argument would only make things worse, and left. Only for Seren to realise that, perhaps, she had been having an affair.

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As always, thanks for reading :))

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