Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Things to Consider

27th of December 2021 - Sandringham

"It's complete nonsense," Simon raged shaking his head as he walked through the grounds, he could not believe that it had even made headlines and he had no doubts where this rumour had come from. 

It was bad enough that the foreign press were whispering about William cheating on Catherine with a friend of hers, now there were rumours that Simon was cheating on Adeline with Melissa Percy of all people. 

"We know that," William reassured his brother-in-law, the two of them enjoying a quiet ramble with the dogs through the countryside to get away from the tension that was filling the house. 

Adeline and Catherine had headed out that morning after breakfast, the two of them happy to enjoy a morning to themselves while Charles was eager to spend quality time entertaining his grandchildren since Camilla had left to spend time with her own. 

"It was Harry that had a thing for her. It was him that was flirting with her at Adeline's birthday party all those years ago," Simon spat unable to help himself, there was no doubts in his mind at all that Harry and Meghan were behind the cheating rumours. 

Not content enough with their own marriage and their 'happiness', it seemed like the Sussexes had turned their attentions to the Cambridge and Clarence marriages to bring them down. 

The fictional story had popped up on boxing day, spreading tales that Melissa Percy had recently moved closer to the Clarences and was conducting an affair with Simon. 

Melissa had married for the second time to Remy White Trafelet, with the Clarences not attending the wedding that had taken place at Mercer Mill Plantation in Oakfield, Georgia just before Christmas 2019. 

Adeline and Simon were the godparents to Melissa and Remy's daughter Bluebell Rose Trafelet who had been born February last year. 

The two couples weren't as close as Adeline and Simon were with the Baths but Adeline and Melissa had been friends since they had been little girls. 

"Adeline knows that. She doesn't believe the rumours, nor does Remy for that matter," William said stating the most important part in all of this, it wasn't horrible having their marriages questioned when neither of them had done anything wrong. 

The irony was that there were currently rumours reaching the Royals that Meghan was sleeping with her bodyguard, a man that seemed to linger a little too close to Meghan at times.

Perhaps the recent attacks on both Clarence and Cambridge marriages was to deflect from the trouble that was happening within the Sussex camp. 

The allegations against William had started back in April 2019, with the story appearing in a magazine that Meghan was known to have connections with before coming up again earlier that year with false tales of William's preferences in bed making the rounds. 

The rumours were confirmed by Giles Coren who had stated that it was an open secret in London that everyone knew about, this coming days after he had been seen at a Soho opening getting close to Meghan. 

"I hate that they're getting away with this. I hate that they get to say what they want," Simon ranted shaking his head, with everything that was going on right now he wasn't eager to rock the boat but he wasn't going to let this stand. 

The Queen's ill health gave him pause from lashing out at the man that brought such nonsense while the family were dealing with the difficult times that were about to hit the family. 

"I wish I knew what to tell you, it's not easy especially when you've done nothing wrong and are being painted as the villain in all of this," William said knowing that while he had made the decision to just send out warnings to the press against spreading the malicious lies; he would understand if Simon wanted to go further.