Hetty was the one who received the stranger in the drawing room of Warwick Manor. The only thing she had been told when the butler informed her was that a lady, who would not give her name, desired to see the Duke. As Louis was busy at that particular moment, in his study, dealing with business, she said she would receive her.

She put her hand on her back, grimacing slightly as she slowly walked towards the drawing room. It was getting harder to get around, now. The babe within her belly was restless and big. Already, she was the size that she had been when she had been full term with Cornelia. Her physician had recommended that she begin her confinement early, within the next week, at least. He had told her that it was a possibility that she might have her dates wrong, and that this baby might make an appearance sooner than expected.

She sighed heavily. She was quickly making her preparations. Her mother was expected in a few days to help her, as she had when their daughter had been born four years ago. The chambers in the manor were being prepared. Only a few more days until she retired from the world as she awaited their next baby. She smiled slightly. Louis was convinced it was a boy, this time. He had told her that she was carrying differently to when she had carried Cornelia. Hetty had smiled indulgently. She knew how much her husband wanted a second son. Ben was still the adored firstborn, of course, but as he was officially illegitimate, the duchy needed an heir.

She reached the drawing room. As she entered, she saw that the stranger was standing near the mantelpiece, staring into the fire. A lady about her own age, she thought, dressed in a smart white gown, with a matching jacket. Her glossy dark hair was tightly ringleted. She turned, staring at Hetty, looking a little shocked to see her.

Hetty took a deep breath. “I am the Duchess of Warwick,” she said slowly. “My husband is, unfortunately, indisposed at the moment. May I be of assistance to you?”

The lady stared at her openly, almost insolently, her gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. Hetty bristled slightly. She wasn’t used to people being so disrespectful.  She waited, not smiling, for the stranger to state her business.

“Lady Warwick,” said the stranger, her lip curling slightly. “A title that should have been rightly mine.” She paused. “You may tell the Duke that Miss Rachel Carter is here. And that I want to see my son.”

***

Louis was pale when he entered the drawing room after being summoned. Hetty sat on the chaise longue, twisting her hands together, still unable to believe that this woman was in her home. That this woman had dared to show her face after so many years. After abandoning her son completely.

Louis stared at the woman, looking as shocked as she felt. The visit was completely out of the blue. Rachel Carter had not made any contact since she had abandoned Ben when he was only a few months old. He was a strapping lad of six, now. A tearaway, who scuffed his shoes when he climbed trees, rode his horse too fast and gently teased his little sister.

He is my son, thought Hetty, tearfully. This woman standing in front of me might have carried him and given birth to him, but she has never been his mother in any way.

“Rachel,” said Louis, taking a deep breath. “This is a surprise.”

“I daresay,” said the lady, a tight smile on her face. “I daresay that you had hoped that I would remain out of your life forever.” She paused. “A former mistress, and the mother of your illegitimate child, would hardly be welcome in your home, with your duchess in residence, now, I should imagine.”

Louis flushed painfully. “You are rather overstating the case, I think,” he said, looking affronted. “You were never my mistress. And I did the right thing by you when you were carrying our child. It is you who was the one who vanished, abandoning him …”

“I beg to differ,” said Rachel, anger flashing across her face. “I rather think that you did not do the right thing by me, Your Grace. You never married me as you should have. I bore you a son, and still you did not do the right thing.” She took a deep breath. “I demand to see him. It is my right. I am his mother.”

Louis’s face darkened. “Why are you here now, demanding this, after all these years?” He took a step closer to her. “He is settled. He does not need this confusion in his life …”

Rachel smiled slowly. “I am in a position now to claim him,” she said, her eyes flashing. “I am engaged to be married to Lord Roderick Stanley. After our wedding, I want my child to live with us, as he should.” Her mouth tightened. “I want to see him. Now.”

Hetty’s heart was racing. She felt sickened to the core. And if she felt this way at being in the presence of this woman, how much worse must Louis feel?

He was ramrod straight, his hands balled into fists. Hetty knew her husband. He was furiously angry but trying very hard to contain it. How was he going to deal with her shocking demand?

“I shall send for him,” he said, his eyes glittering dangerously. “You may see him. But it is quite another matter entirely that you shall take him.”

***

Ben walked hesitantly into the drawing room, looking a little sheepish. Hetty’s heart lurched. Their son probably thought he was going to get into trouble. It was unusual for them to summon him so formally, like this.

“Papa,” he said, addressing his father. He turned to Hetty. “Mama. You wished to see me?”

Louis took a deep breath. “Yes, Ben. There is a lady here who wishes to meet you.” His face paled. “Come and say hello to Miss Carter …”

Ben looked bewildered. Hetty’s heart lurched again as she watched him. He had grown taller, just in the last month. She would have to have new clothes ordered for him again. His hair had grown darker over the years to a light golden brown, but it was still the mop of curls that it had been when she first set eyes upon him as a chubby two-year-old.

“Hello, Benjamin,” said Rachel, smiling brilliantly. “I daresay you do not remember me, but I am your mother, child.” She walked quickly towards him, holding out her hand. “Do you have a kiss for me?”

Ben looked astonished, gaping at the lady, and her outstretched hand. He glanced at his father, seeking approval. Louis nodded slightly, so he took Rachel’s hand gingerly, kissing it, before letting it drop as if it had scolded him.

“It is nice to meet you, madam,” he said, his voice unsure.

Rachel laughed. “Oh, how formal you are, child!” Her eyes trailed over him carefully. “You have grown tall. A strong lad. You have the look of my own father, about you …”

As Rachel prattled on, Hetty glanced quickly at Louis. Her husband’s face was dark. After five minutes of stilted conversation between Rachel and Ben, she could see that he was done. He stood up quickly.

“You should return to your sister, Ben,” he said. “Miss Carter and I have some matters to discuss.”

Ben looked relieved but was schooled enough in social protocol to mask it quickly. He bowed stiffly to the lady. “It was a pleasure, madam.”

He was out of the room in the blink of an eye. There was a strained silence.

“You cannot have him,” said Louis, in a hard voice. “It is completely out of the question. His home is here – the only home that he has ever known.” He paused. “And he has a family. His father, and his sister … and the lady who has become his mother, in every sense of the word.”

Rachel’s face darkened. “I shall be the judge of that,” she said slowly. “But perhaps we can come to some arrangement, which suits us both.” She smiled suddenly. “If you can be persuaded to settle a large annuity on me, then I shall go away, and you shall never see me again. If not, then I am afraid that I shall have no choice but to appeal to the court to get him back. A child belongs with his natural mother, after all …”

“I should have known,” said Louis, shaking with anger. “I should have known what this was all about. You have no desire to suddenly become his mother at all. You just want money.”

Rachel smiled sweetly. “I think that I am owed, don’t you? Such a hard time in my life. I deserve just compensation for all that I endured.” She glared at Hetty. “I see you are close to your own time, madam. I remember it well when I was carrying Benjamin. One so desires, for it all to be over, at this point …”

“You are not his mother,” cried Hetty, unable to control herself for a second longer. “I could never understand how you could abandon him when I first met him, but now … after I have carried my own children … I understand even less.” Her eyes glittered with tears. “I am his mother, Miss Carter, and it would be a cruel thing, indeed, to snatch that child away when we all know it is not him that you want.”

Rachel’s lip curled. “You have no right to judge me and my choices! You, with your wedding ring on your finger, and your fine house!” She swivelled around to Louis. “Either give me the money that I want, or I shall take him. Your choice. My solicitor will be in touch.”

She strode out of the room without a backward glance. They all winced at the sound of the front door slamming behind her.

Hetty started weeping. Louis was by her side within seconds, kneeling in front of her, taking her hand.

“Do not cry, my love,” he whispered tenderly. “It is not good for the babe …”

“How can I not?” she whispered, feeling their child almost somersault within her belly. “She is threatening to take Ben from us! After all this time. When we are a family!”

Louis sighed heavily. “She will not succeed. I shall fight her tooth and nail. If she thinks she can threaten me with a solicitor, then I shall hit back with one of my own.” He squeezed her hand. “We shall win, Hetty. Never doubt it. Remember, we once had to fight for our family and our love. We can do it again if we must.”

Hetty nodded. There he was, again. Her quietly confident, tenacious husband, who had the courage, to take on anything. How she loved him.

That love had grown deeper over the years. Every day, she did not think she could love him any more than she did, and every day, she loved him just a little bit more.

They were a blissfully happy family. And Ben was an integral part of it. How could she bear to lose him? How could they both bear it? His absence would rip a hole in their lives that could never be filled. Apart from the anguish and distress that it would cause the boy.

He did not know Rachel Carter at all. And Hetty knew that the lady did not care a jot for her son. It had always been that way, but seeing her now, she realised how true it was. The scenario that had just played out before them had been a performance. Rachel just wanted to show that she could pretend to be a caring mother if required to do so. If challenged, in her desire, to get money out of Louis.

Louis leaned over, kissing her softly. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment.

“My love,” he whispered. “You are still as beautiful as the day I first met you.” He glanced down at her swollen belly. “If a little fatter.”

She laughed, despite herself, swatting him gently. “Will it be alright?”

He took a deep breath. “It will. I promise you. And I shall go and write a letter to the solicitor right this minute to make sure of it.”

***

Louis was as good as his word. Within days, the solicitor came to Warwick Manor, briefing them. He was confident that Rachel Carter did not have a strong case, but to make sure, he set a court date to legally block her from having any rights to her son. It was scheduled within a week.

On the day that Louis was due in court, her pains started. She felt a slight twinge, discomfort in her back that concerned her. Fear swept over her. The babe was not due for another month, at least. Hopefully, it would be a false alarm.

She stood in the doorway, seeing off her husband. He lingered, taking her hand, frowning slightly.

“You are pale,” he said, his eyes sweeping over her. “Are you quite well?”

“Never better,” she lied, trying to suppress the instinctive flinch as another pain swept over her. “Go. You must make sure that our son is safe. That is the most important thing at the moment.”

He nodded. “I shall return as soon as I can.”

“Godspeed,” she whispered. “And good luck. I wish I could be there by your side.” She paused, fighting back the tears. “I love you, Louis. Always remember that …”

“As I love you,” he whispered, tenderly kissing her.

And then, he was gone, whisked away in the carriage. She forced a smile onto her face, waving until it was out of sight. And then, she doubled over in agony.

It was no false alarm. The babe was coming. As she cried for the servants to take her to her chambers, a frisson of pure fear swept over Hetty again.

Louis must succeed. Ben could not be taken away from them. But now, she had to concentrate on the child that was coming. The child that might be too small for this world. She could not lose any of them.

And childbirth was always a risky business. Another twinge of fear swept over her as she climbed the stairs on the arm of the butler. There was a possibility that she would never see her husband again. Or the family that she had fought like a tiger to have.

***

The pain carried her away on waves. She knew that it was taking too long. The physician had examined her and tried to turn the babe, but it had not worked. She had almost cried, in despair, at that point.

She was bathed in sweat, delirious, in her agony. All she wanted was Louis. But he was not here. He was far away, fighting for their first child, as she was fighting for this one.

She remembered the day when the bishop had announced that her divorce was granted. That she was free to marry the Duke of Warwick. That her first marriage had been declared null and void. It was so long ago that she barely recalled what Frank Blackmore’s face was like, anymore.

She had been given a new chance at life, then. A chance to have the husband and family that she had always wanted. And now, it was all in danger of being ripped apart in more ways than one.

A pain gripped her, so bad that she screamed. Over and over, as it carried her away, down a dark tunnel …

***

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Everything hurt. Where was she?

Wincing, she tried to sit up, gazing around the room. There was a crib next to the bed. She glanced down, noticing her stomach was flat.

“My baby,” she cried, in alarm. “Where is my baby? Is my baby alive?”

Suddenly, Louis walked towards her, carrying a swaddled white bundle in his arms. He knelt beside her with tears in his eyes. “Here he is,” he whispered, passing the bundle to her gently. “Our son, Hetty. We had a son …”

She gazed down, disbelievingly, into the face of the newborn. A scrunched up, red face, about to howl in hunger. He was so very beautiful that she could not take her eyes off him for a moment.

“Clifford,” she whispered, using the name that they had chosen if they had a boy. “Welcome to the world …”

Suddenly, she remembered. The court date. The reason that Louis had been away.

“What happened?” she breathed, her heart almost stopping in fear. “What did they say in court?”

Louis smiled. “The judge agreed. Ben is ours forever, Hetty. Rachel has no rights to him. It is done. We are still the family that we once were …”

At that moment, the door opened, and Ben and Cornelia walked in, a little fearfully. Both gazing at her solemnly. And then, as if by mutual agreement, they rushed to her, smothering her in hugs. Louis leaned in, embracing them all with tears in his eyes.

They stayed like that for the longest time, as Hetty gazed down into her new son’s face, enveloped in the love of all of them. The family that they had created together. The family that meant more to her than anything in this world.

Nothing, and no one could ever tear it apart. Louis was right, as always. They always fought, and they always won. No doubt, they would fight further battles in the coming years.

But their love could endure anything. As Hetty sat there, in the warm embrace of them all, with tears in her eyes, she was suddenly, blindingly, very sure of that.

THE END

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