 By August, Lucien, his children and Dermide had all suffered from bouts of fever. Doctors saw no cause for alarm and Lucien quickly recovered, as did his children. Despite the doctors'best efforts, Dermide died on 14 August, at the age of six. Pauline later came to believe her son's blood had been thinned by the recurrent spells of yellow fever they had suffered in Saint-Domingue. Borghese decided to conceal Dermide's death from his wife until her health improved. Thus, Francesco returned to Frascati and wrote three letters addressed to Pauline: one which announced the onset of Dermide's illness, the second announcing that the illness worsened and the third announcing Dermide's demise. Immediately after receiving the first letter, Pauline began making preparations for her departure from Pisa, in order to reach her son at Frascati. Before this was possible, she became aware of the truth and her suspicions were confirmed by de la Ronde.
