Chaos erupted in the morning. When I woke, Cedric was no longer in my room, which was just as well because the screaming coming from the hall required immediate attention, and not just mine. Tugging on a nightgown, and then a robe, I hurried out my door to find Michael's nurse, screaming unintelligibly.

A male servant grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to bring her to her senses but it did nothing. A slap across the face stopped the screaming, but she did not speak. In a panic, I ran past her to the nursery. The door was still open and I flew to the crib. I picked the baby up before really looking but immediately knew something was not right. "Michael!" I screamed. I pulled the knitted hat and blanket off the baby. It was not Michael that I held in my arms, but it was a baby. A dead baby. I looked up in time to see many people pour into the nursery, including Ian and Roland.

"Sofia," was all Roland could say. I looked at him, then down at the dead little boy in my arms, and began to cry. It was not Michael, but the only ones who probably knew that would be me and the nurse. And from what I could hear, she was still hysterical.

"Sofia, no." Roland whispered.

"He's…he's dead," I choked. I sobbed, tears of relief that it was not Michael, but also tears of fright because I did not know where Michael was, and someone else was mourning this child. I clutched the baby to me, afraid to let anyone else see him.

"Send for Cedric," Roland said tightly. Then he turned and left.

I looked at Ian, confusion and worry etched into his face. "How could you!" I yelled, mostly at Ian, but also at the others around him. Servants tried to take the baby from me but I pulled him closer to me, and took him toward my room. Turning around, I shouted at the group of people, many still in their nightclothes, and Amber poking her head from her room. "How could this happen?" I screamed then ran the rest of the way to my room.

It was minutes before Cedric arrived and knocked on my door. He announced himself and I told him he could enter, but only him.

He sat next to me on the settee. I was emotionally exhausted but tears kept streaming down my face. "Who is this?" I whispered, handing Cedric the baby.

"I told you and Johnna there was a woman whose child was on his deathbed. When I went to speak to her about the situation, this child had been dead an hour. At first, she did not like my suggestion, but I explained that Michael's life was in danger, and he needed a family who would keep him safe and raise him as their own. She said she could not bear the thought that another child should be harmed and she agreed to take him, say her son had been cured, and keep him safe."

"Bless her," I cried. Cedric put his arm around me as I sobbed some more. "So, he is safe? Michael is going to be fine?"

"Yes." Cedric kissed my forehead. "Michael is going to be just fine."

The door opened and Ian entered. "Sofia-" he started. He saw me crying into Cedric's shoulder while the sorcerer held the dead child in his other arm.

"I hate you!" I shouted at Ian. "You could have at least given me more than a few days!"

"I didn't do this!"

"Oh really? Then who did?" I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. "Cedric, can you do whatever needs to be done to give Michael a proper funeral?" I stood and Cedric followed suit. "I need to speak with Roland."

"Sofia-" Ian reached for my arm as I walked to the door.

"Stay away from me!" I jerked back.

"This is the third close relative she's lost in a year, my lord. Please leave her alone for a while. She needs time to grieve."

I heard Ian say again that he had nothing to do with this as I hurried to Roland's room, but what Cedric said further, I never knew.

I did not knock, but walked into Roland's sitting room, and then his bedroom only to find another surprise. Roland was on top of someone in his bed, and from the noises being made I could tell it was a woman. I was compelled to walk closer. The woman had dark hair, and bigger breasts than me. Roland's hand was on her throat as he grunted and growled, his face terrifyingly angry. Unlike me, the woman looked like she was enjoying it, until she saw me standing next to the bed. It took several seconds, but then Roland discovered me as well.

I could not speak. I opened my mouth but then closed it again, swallowed and shook my head.

"Sofia," he said, "have a seat in the next room and I'll be out to talk to you in a minute."

I shook my head, backing away. "I hate you too!" The hoarse whisper finally came from my mouth. I ran to my room, passing Johnna, but not stopping to speak with her. In my room, I locked the door, then moved my couch in front of it, and then a chest of drawers.

Sitting on the floor next to my bed I hugged my knees and cried. How could I be so stupid? Ian told me what he was doing! And I should have known. He never cared for James and he never cared for Michael, so how out of sorts would it be to find him fucking some whore right after he finds out his second son is dead? I sobbed, and wondered how I could be so heartbroken when I had just been doing the same thing with Cedric only hours before.

I heard my doorknob rattle. "Open up, Sofia!" It was Roland.

"No!"

"I order you to open the damn door!"

"I'm not going to!"

I heard him say something to someone about finding Baileywick, who I knew held keys to nearly everything in the castle. I scanned the room for more furniture, but everything else, besides the chair and table were too heavy for me to move. Instead, I stayed where I was and let the tears fall. The one good thing out of this mess was that Michael was away and had a possibility of a good life with a real family.

It did not take long for Roland to open my door, and push the furniture out of the way. "You should have knocked on my door," he said.

"What does it matter? I was told you were doing that behind my back, but seeing it…"

"It's hard waiting for you."

"Then the wait is over. I am not going to marry you."

Roland laughed. His standing over me while I sat on the floor was a bit intimidating. "Johnna is here. We will be married this week."

I stood to even the field a little. "No. You have no respect for me and you have no respect for your children."

He grabbed my hair at the back of my head, forcing me to look straight in his face. "I am the duke. You owe me your respect. Especially for everything I have given you. And you will give me more heirs."

"No."

His hand left my hair and the back of his hand met my face. I fell to the floor again from the force. "You can stay here until you show me the respect I am due." He turned toward the door.

"You said you loved me!"

"I do."

"You are a liar!" My door shut and I heard the lock turn from the outside. I still had the key to get out, but at the moment, I was ok with being shut in. At least it was not the dungeon.