The mont Desmond said she was terrifyingly different, she felt paranoid that there was sothing he didn’t like about her.
The circumstances of her life forced her to beco stronger rather than the timid girl she used to be.
Justification was at the tip of her tongue and she wanted to defend herself but Desmond silenced her when he walked forward and clasped her hands. He knelt in front of her and his expression spoke of nothing but admiration. She didn’t think he was going to be an to her.
Desmond’s heart raced as he looked at his wife who seed confused and guarded at his very words and he knew that he needed to explain himself quickly.
"As a woman, you make my heart race because of how you challenge at tis," he admitted. "I find your demand for respect appealing. You’re perfectly suited to be the duchess at my side. When you were a girl, you were shy, but now you have a way of terrifying . You don’t need to protect you but you accept it because you know it cos with my love for you."
Eventually, Leonor sighed and placed a hand on his shoulders.
"I could say the sa about you," she admitted. "However, your reason for being terrifying then and now has remained the sa."
Rather than facing the comnt she had just uttered to her husband, Leonor quickly stood up from the table and escaped Desmond who was quick to his feet at his wife stepping away from him.
"Care to elaborate on that?" he asked.
Leonor shook her head, though she wouldn’t et his gaze as she busied herself with one of the trunks containing all of her clothing. She wanted an entire refresh of her clothing. The chemise she had been wearing the entire trip to Coeurvalle was unbelievably dirty. In her entire life, she wasn’t sure she had worn sothing for so long without being able to take it off.
The duke sat in the chair his wife forrly ate dinner in and he crossed his arms as he watched her beco rigid and avoidant. He felt neglected physically and now she was shutting him out ntally.
She had every right to, but it didn’t affect him any less.
"Leonor..." he called to her, his voice hinting at a warning tone.
His quiet voice made the duchess bite the inside of her lip. She didn’t want to admit to him that she was embarrassed. She knew she could be vulnerable with him but there were still aspects of herself she found difficult to face.
Rather than appeasing him with an answer, she began to go into his trunk as well.
"Well, are you going to bathe with ?" she asked.
"Are you trying to change the subject?" he responded with a question of his own.
However, the duke had already stood up and began taking off more layers of his clothing.
Her expression beca a bit sly as she side-glanced at her husband and she held back a small smile. He was predictable. She would reward him with an answer if he gave her so space to decide how to confess to him just what made her so afraid.
"Please retrieve a maid before you get undressed," Leonor requested. "I’m not in a state of dress to go into the halls."
Desmond’s eye swept down Leonor’s body and he bit back a comnt about just how she looked to him at that mont. He would soon see what was under the chemise if he was patient enough.
Before he could fully pull off his tunic, Desmond nodded once and went towards the door while Leonor sat on the bed and waited for the outco of his going into the hallways.
When Desmond found a maid, she practically jumped at the sight of him.
He smirked down at her. He was wondering when his illusion that the world was a kind and just place would be ruined. Montclair was used to him but Coeurvalle was not. Appearances were judged harshly in such a place and that’s why he couldn’t bla Leonor for wanting to look as sharp as possible.
"Y-your grace," the maid greeted him timidly considering the room he had just walked out of. "What can I do for you?"
She curtsied with her head bowed so she wouldn’t stare.
"A bath for her grace and I," Desmond said simply.
The maid nodded.
"Yes, I will be there in a mont with the proper supplies," she said. "Please give a mont."
Desmond returned to his room, deciding to hold back from Leonor what had just happened. She would likely have plenty of opportunities while they were there to witness him be gawked at by strangers. He didn’t want to ruin the evening that had only just begun for them.
The duke returned to the room where Leonor sat on the bed and he joined her on one of the armchairs nearby. He slid his boot outward until it t Leonor’s slippered foot and she looked up at him in shock.
He was pressing her buttons silently and she couldn’t respond properly when a maid walked in with a cart of soaps for them.
Unlike in other regions, the capital had a new form of plumbing that allowed them to pump warm water throughout even large buildings. Only the most wealthy in other areas could afford such luxury. She was thoroughly impressed when the maid didn’t need a basin to draw them a tub but simply summoned water with a few turns of knobs until the water was hot and filled up the brass basin the couple would share.
The maid dropped a bit of neutral oil and a few dried flowers that would soon rehydrate as they sat in the water. She also pulled towels that had been resting under a cloche so they would stay warm until she made it to the room. They were rolled up on top of the tray and would cool off slowly since they were still rolled.
With nothing left to do, the maid went to the main room where the duchess and duke sat across from one another having a staring battle.
The young woman seed timid and she only looked at the couple until they acknowledged her.
"Your bath is ready, your graces," she said. "Please enjoy yourselves and don’t hesitate to use the bell next to your bed if you need sothing else."
"Yes, thank you," Leonor was the first to say.
However, the woman scurried off as if she was about to be attacked. Leonor’s eyebrows lowered and she stood up from the bed.
"What on Earth was that about?" she asked.
Since it was out in the open, Desmond stood up and gently embraced his wife.
"Welco to the capital, my dear," he said. "Shall we bathe?"
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