The Shipping Heiress: The Heiress Trilogy Book 1✔

Chapter 13: A Hidden Truth

This chapter is dedicated to brooksie99 & Cwissy1988 Thanks for reading!!!!

Revised, Published Version

Matilda Lennox, the Duchess of Lancaster, glanced around the beautiful dining room with pride. Everything seemed perfect, and she smiled in satisfaction. The duchess enjoyed being the perfect hostess and had a secret desire to impress her friends. She ran her household like a well-oiled machine, and it showed.

She was an obedient, loving wife and devoted mother, but what she was about to do contradicted those very qualities. Love at first sight was a concept that Matilda believed in because of her passion for romance. After all, it happened to her twenty-plus years ago, the first time she laid eyes on her husband.

She was a clever woman who knew how to make George believe he was in control. By convincing her husband it was his own concept, a shrewd wife could attain her desires. She chuckled at the thought of her beloved George and thanked God for him. He was indeed the love of her life. Matilda frowned at the place settings on the dining table, thinking that this stunt might be too much.

Despite the guilt gnawing at her heart, Matilda deemed her decision logical. Mayhap, logic was not the best word, since she was driven by pure emotion. Matilda knew it would vex George, and Miriam would have a fit of apoplexy. Thoughts of her daughter caused her immense anguish, leading her to flinch from regret, remorse, and anger.

Times like this took her back to the darkness as she replayed the secret in her mind. Matilda wondered if she would ever find peace from the past. The secret they hoped would bring joy instead caused Matilda shame and heartache.

Matilda remembered feeling elated when she finally shared the news that she was with child. After two years of marriage, she rejoiced in carrying George's child after fearing it may never happen. Overjoyed with happiness, the duke glowed watching the baby grow in her womb. For their second anniversary, the lovers took a trip to France, which proved to be the perfect romantic retreat. Experiencing the romantic city of Paris while staying in the cozy chateau felt like a dream come true until that fateful day.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest as the vivid memory resurfaced, as though it had happened only yesterday. The grief of losing that perfect gift was like a knife to the heart, shattering their hopes and dreams. Matilda recalled the cold, dark numbness, and how she took to her bed, refusing to speak or eat. She felt so distraught that she no longer wanted to go on living, leaving George to carry the burden alone. It must have seemed like he had lost everything: his child, his wife, and his dreams. Lord Lennox persevered alone in France for months, seeking the best doctors, and even resorted to healers. He stayed by Matilda's side, pleading for her to come back to him, and he suffered in silence. The hurt she caused him tugged at Matilda's heart all over again.

After months with no sign of her recovery, the duke took matters into his own hands. Matilda knew his pain was immense, but his love for her knew no bounds, so he did the only thing he could do, and George took drastic measures to save his wife and marriage.

How could she ever forget the day he walked into the chateau, carrying the tiny bundle swaddled in a soft pink cloth? The sounds of small whimpers teased at her ears, like so many times before. At first, she thought, 'twas only a dream, as she had many, filled with the imagined cries of her—silent—stillborn baby. Yet she would always awaken to the same gray, lonely nothingness.

However, this was not a cruel dream. This child was real, and Matilda's world changed as her husband placed the tiny babe in her limp, weak arms. George and his selflessness had saved her from being swallowed into the abyss of insanity, and the happy family returned to England, with no one the wiser.