Leonor had enjoyed their long break from travel, but by the ti they left, she was more than ready to get back on the trail.
With blankets around her, windows covered with curtains, and hot stones underneath the seat to keep her and the duke warm, she was back to silently observing the processes around her and accepting the path that she had no control over.
The years at the academy and the beginning of her marriage, she was entirely resistant to having others choose her path or control her travel, but now that she was settled in her relationship, she found it easy to go with the flow. She trusted Desmond to lead her to safety no matter what. It was such a relief to not be on guard all the ti.
They started traveling early because the trail ahead was easy but it was long. They wouldn’t reach Villalac until very late in the evening.
However, an interesting part of this leg of travel was that the next day Leonor would be able to visit Lady Alma and update her on what she had been up to the past few months and the connections she’s made while they’ve traveled around the duchy.
She would undoubtedly ask if more developnts regarding an heir and Leonor would have to bear it with a smile, knowing that she would have to disappear for a short ti from public life and co out the other side with Leo.
At least that was what the plan was for the ti being.
As usual, the rocking of the carriage was starting to make Leonor groggy.
"All the resting we did and it seems as if you could fall asleep at any mont," Desmond teased Leonor as he observed her leaning into the wall and closing her eyes.
Even though Leonor didn’t open her eyes at first, a smile pulled at her full lips. She kicked her leg forward in disagreent.
Deciding his gentle jab was because she wasn’t keeping him company, Leonor sat up straight and set her sapphire eyes on her husband.
Desmond was surprised when she started delving into her childhood. She often pushed that ti of her life to the side as if it didn’t happen because it was hard to talk about mories that revolved entirely around her mother.
He listened intently.
"When I was a baby I never wanted to be put down and sleep by myself," she admitted. "I didn’t even want Francia to hold . Only my mother’s arms would do. Late at night she would go on carriage rides around Burien because it would put to sleep so well. It was how she was able to sleep the first few months of my life."
Leonor had a serene smile on her face as Desmond listened to her recalling stories told to her by Francia.
"Babies usually go to nannies so easily, but I wasn’t one of those and my mother wasn’t soone who could listen to her child’s cries and ignore it. So joked that my father cleaned up and took care of the roads of Burien so well because of this," she finished her mory with a light sigh and her smile quickly disappeared.
Where her mother lived on in her mories, her father often followed to put a shadow over everything.
The mory was no longer good. There wasn’t a bit of her who believed her tornting father would ever do such a kind thing to his first born who wasn’t a son.
While her father was never a paternal person, there was a ti he wasn’t unkind to her but it was only after her mother’s death that he changed his ways.
Desmond tried to keep the mood light and return to sothing that Leonor seed happy about.
"I bet you were a beautiful child," he said. "Dark hair and blue eyes. What a striking combination."
Leonor laughed a bit dryly and Desmond was worried that sothing else was said that brought up another bad mory.
"My blue eyes," she uttered. "Another way my father tried to say before that I’m a product of infidelity, but blue eyes aren’t exactly uncommon and I have never t any of my mother’s relatives except for my grandfather at the end of his life."
Desmond leaned into his knees with his elbows and was able to grasp Leonor’s hand between the two of his. Considering his height, he stretched easily across most of the leg space in the carriage. That was the trouble of being above average in height.
"All in the past and onto whatever you want to do," Desmond whispered and kissed her hand. "Your lineage doesn’t matter here. We’ll celebrate your mother but it doesn’t have to go any further than that. I just want happiness for you for the rest of your life."
Leonor felt rigid but he was lting her down slowly with his words. She wished that every mont could be sweet and carefree. He was showing her a tender side of life that she hadn’t experienced since her mother was alive and the horrible behavior from her father arose.
Leonor made an effort to keep the conversation light through the rest of the day, but Desmond eventually pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her when he realized what she was trying to do.
"Even if I say I don’t want unhappiness in your life ever again, it doesn’t an I don’t want to hear of the bad and the good from your past," he whispered into her neck, her hair tickling his face as he did so. "You don’t have to stop talking about things even if they make you upset. I want to hear it all. I will just have to comfort you."
Leonor had peered out the window a few tis so she glanced towards the heavy curtains that were firmly closed to preserve the warmth inside the carriage.
"Then I want you to take my mind off of my awful father," she admitted.
He was about to ask how he could do that, but Leonor leaned into him and initiated a kiss that took his breath away because he was so caught off guard.
They comforted one another with kisses until it got dark outside and they were nearing Villaluc and the ho of Alma’s son, Count Christopher Marquette.
This county was situated against a massive lake so large that ships from sea could travel the canal and do trade in this area. It was a popular tourist destination in the sumr but now that autumn had hit, it was rainy as if they were on the coast.
Leonor couldn’t see the water as she stepped outside and was t with the biting cold humid air, but she was looking forward to it considering how beautiful everyone said it was including Desmond.
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