The Countess defended herself with spirit in a long letter to her father on 21 March 1580, denying adultery and accusing one of the Earl's servants, Thomas Dymock, of having been the cause of the contention between herself and her husband. An indication of the rift between Montagu and Southampton over the latter's treatment of his wife can be found in an entry in the register of the Privy Council recording that one of Southampton's servants had been committed to the Marshalsea on 23 February 1580 'for certain misdemeanours by him used against Mr Anthony Brown, the eldest sonne of the Lord Montacute'.
The Countess defended herself in a lengthy letter to her father dated 21 March 1580, denying adultery and accusing one of the Earl's servants, Thomas Dymock, of being responsible for the conflict between herself and her husband. An indication of the divide between Montagu and Southampton regarding the latter's treatment of his wife can be found in an entry in the Privy Council register noting that one of Southampton's servants was imprisoned in the Marshalsea on 23 February 1580 'for certain offenses committed against Mr Anthony Brown, the eldest son of Lord Montacute'.