Page 70 of Her Bear of a Duke

"It would have been, had she said it, but you and I both know it is untrue. Where did she even say this to you?"

"In the hallway. She had been waiting outside of her room for me."

"And why were you outside her room?" Beatrice asked. "If I recall correctly, you are on the other side of the manor. You had no need to be there."

"I may go where I please in this household!"

"You will be honest," Morgan said, glaring at her. "Do remember that she has a maid with her, and it is one that I trust. If she has said something, the maid will have heard and she will tell me. If you are lying, then she will not hesitate to disclose that to me either."

"Can we discuss this privately?" Lady Annabelle asked.

"No. You have made accusations to all of us, and so we shall all hear the truth. What is it?"

"I– I…"

Without an explanation, she tumbled to the floor. Again, nobody knew quite what to do except look at one another. Dorothy looked at her on the floor and wondered just what she was trying to do. She had no reason to lie about Emma; if she was trying to cause a rift between Dorothy and her husband, she should have made such accusations about Dorothy herself, but what she had said was vile and not something that her friend would have ever said.

Emma had had her own difficult childhood and her family situation was far from ideal. It had been painful for her, but it had led to her being protective, and had made her the least judgmental person that Dorothy knew. Beyond that, of course, Emma had one priority and that was her unborn child. There was no reason why she would have had such an outburst, which could only have meant that Lady Annabelle was lying, but she could not work out why that was,

Morgan sent for a doctor, and had Lady Annabelle placed on a settee by his staff. He then took the ladies out of the room and into the drawing room, having a tea prepared and sent to them. Dorothy served it as they sat in silence.

"She has not truly fainted," Cecilia said gently to Beatrice. "She was caught in a lie and had to cover it. That is all."

"Even so," she shivered. "It was frightening to see. We were having such a lovely conversation, too."

"Jealousy is a rotten thing," Cecilia nodded, "but we do not possess such a thing. She will learn from this."

Morgan turned to Dorothy with a serious expression that she had only seen on his face when he was going to tell her about Catherine.

"I shall not be angry with you," he began, "nor your friend, for I know that Lady Annabelle is not the nicest lady. Do you believe that she could say such things?"

Dorothy shook her head firmly.

"She would never even think of the words, let alone put them together and say them. It is not Emma's nature, and it has not been in all of the time that I have known her."

Morgan relaxed at once.

"Good. The matter is settled then. I was hoping that you would say that."

"Are you going to send her away again?" Cecilia asked, albeit clumsily.

"I do not know as yet. I cannot in good faith send her away now, in the condition that she is in–"

"That she may or may not be in."

"Yes. In any case, I shall have the doctor see to her, and then I shall speak with her in the morning. I at least want to know her motives before I send her back to her father."

That seemed to satisfy her friends, who then began to eat the food that had been brought.

Emma was devastated to learn of what had been said of her the following morning. She began to cry in an instant, apologizing profusely.

"Do forgive me," she whimpered, "but that is an awful thing to be accused of. I did not even know her sister. I do not know anything about the Blackwoods."

"I suspected as much," Cecilia said kindly, handing her a drink. "We believe you, Emma. You have never said an unkind thing in your life. Well, perhaps you have to your husband."

She laughed through her tears, then looked at Morgan.

"Where is she now?" she asked. "I will not go to her. If anything, I hope not to see her again, but I would like to know how she is."

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