Garden of May — Chapter 30

20 YEARS AGO

YOU'RE... PREGNANT?

YES. SURPRISING, ISN'T IT?

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH SOME USERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

HE WAS SO HAPPY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

HE'S ALREADY PICKED OUT NAMES. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

VANESSA, IF IT'S A GIRL.

AND IF IT'S A BOY...

YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

LOUISE, THERE'S A WITNESS WHO SAW YOU WITH WYATT THAT DAY.

THEY SAW YOU GO INTO THE GARDEN TOGETHER!

F-FATHER...

I WOULDN’T HAVE DONE IT IF I WAS IN MY RIGHT MIND.

I WAS DRUNK.

I THOUGHT HE WAS HIS OLDER BROTHER...!

YOU...

YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE

BEEN IN LOVE WITH HIM.

AND YOU KNEW HE HAD NO INTENTION OF RETURNING YOUR FEELINGS!

I DIDN’T MEAN TO...

WITH WYATT...

I AM...

I REALLY...

I REALLY...

DIDN’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.

AAH...

I NEVER...

NOT EVEN ONCE...

DID I EVER WANT HIM...

MOTHER, ARE YOU SAYING

THAT VANESSA'S UNCLE...

FORCED HIMSELF ON YOU?

HOW CAN I

EVEN LOOK VANESSA IN THE EYE NOW?

ROSALIND.

I DON’T KNOW

HOW TO FACE HER ANYMORE...

IT’S HORRIBLE... ALL THOSE MOMENTS I SPENT EATING AND SLEEPING IN THAT HOUSE.

I KNOW IT’S NOT HER FAULT, BUT...

I JUST...

I DON’T THINK I CAN SEE VANESSA ANYMORE.

ALL RIGHT.

IT’S TIME TO END ALL OF THIS.

HERE YOU ARE, MY LADY.

OH, THANK YOU.

YOU SHOULD BE EATING A PROPER MEAL INSTEAD OF THIS.

I’D LIKE TO, BUT...

I KEEP FEELING SICK.

BY THE WAY, ANY WORD FROM ROSALIND YET?

NOT YET.

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN AT THE PARTY ON THE SHIP?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

WELL, IT'S JUST...

YOUR NAME HAS BEEN IN THE PAPERS

ALMOST EVERY DAY...

AND THOSE TWO DOTE ON YOU SO MUCH.

IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE THAT THEY HAVEN’T CONTACTED YOU AT ALL.

NO.

I’M SURE

THERE MUST BE A REASON.

MY LADY.

A LETTER FOR YOU.

WHAT IS IT?

OH, IT'S PROBABLY JUST THE CIRCULARS.

THERE'S NO ONE WHO WOULD SEND ME A LETTER—

THIS IS...!

A FEW DAYS LATER

I DIDN'T THINK

YOU'D CONTACT ME AGAIN SO SOON.

I MAY HAVE BEEN WORRYING FOR NOTHING...

I FIGURED THERE WOULD BE PRYING EYES AT THE MANSION,

SO I USED A LITTLE TRICK,

BUT YOU FOUND ME ALL RIGHT.

IT SEEMS YOUR MAID IS WAITING FOR YOU,

SO WE SHOULD PROBABLY MAKE THIS QUICK.

TO GET TO THE POINT...

THE WILL OF THE LATE EARL OF SOMERSET

WAS INDEED A FORGERY, JUST AS YOU SAID.

AND NOT JUST A PART OF IT...

THE ENTIRE THING, FROM BEGINNING TO END.

A VERY CLEVER ONE AT THAT.