My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 168: Dating

Chapter 168: Dating

Leonor’s face lit up with a blush and she stared at the man with a shocked smile. Luckily, Desmond took the reins seeing that Leonor was rendered speechless.

"I appreciate your discretion," Desmond said quietly, though he quickly changed the topic of conversation. "What do we have here?"

In silent thanks, Leonor’s dress which was already consuming much of the space underneath the small table hid her sliding her foot towards Desmond’s and making herself comfortable with her small foot against his large one.

The day made her feelings lighthearted. The heaviness in their relationship felt lighter. She had a lot to consider in terms of Leo and all she saw that day, though it wasn’t the place to talk about it with Robert as he tried to offer them good service.

"Early to late harvest ales," the restauranteur explained. "One of them is a sweet pumpkin while the rest are traditional apple. We also have a red and white wine that suits a variety of different palates."

The drinks were in small glass cups so, even though they were filled to the top, there wasn’t a large amount of any of them.

Leonor had participated in tastings of that sort before and she took the lead, realizing Desmond was following her manners.

She started from left to right and only took one drink out of each one as the man explained where the drinks originated from. When they made it to the end, Leonor decided the pumpkin ale was suitable for her tastes even if she preferred wine at night.

Desmond chose an early harvest ale that Leonor found to be too dry. His palate had certainly matured as they grew older. She still preferred something sweet while his tastes often got straight to the point in terms of bitterness being the result of high alcohol content.

War had changed him immeasurably in all aspects of his life.

Even at the risk of Robert returning any time, once they had their drinks in front of them with the promise of food next, Leonor and Desmond held hands once more as they sipped on the drinks brought to them. Occasionally their eyes drifted to their surroundings but, for the most part, their gazes remained on one another.

She wanted to hold back her curiosity and have enough self-control to not talk about private matters in public, but Leonor couldn’t hold back. She was dying to ask something that had cropped up in her mind since the moment she noticed.

Her voice was low as she began speaking.

"All of those children were Eirenguardian?" she whispered.

"Most of them," Desmond whispered back. "Many are still in the country trying to rebuild what was taken."

Leonor was divided. She had pride for her home country but what King Stephano II had done to tear apart neighbors who were supposed to be their allies through treaties were betrayed. For them to never see reparations was wrong but for the people of Castille to suffer an attack because of their unruly late king wasn’t the answer.

Her biggest fear was other kingdoms coming together with the desire to take down Castille the way they had done the same to them. Her heart was divided considering she had a part of her heart from Eirenguard. Her loyalty to Castille was new considering she didn’t care for the past king and a generation of nobles who behaved much like her father without repercussions.

Desmond could see Leonor growing anxious.

"Don’t worry about what hasn’t happened," he whispered. "I have eyes everywhere constantly taking a temperature of situations. That’s why Eirenguarding orphans are in my duchy."

Leonor nodded. He wasn’t the helpless stablehand any longer. He was one of the most powerful dukes in Castille. He was interested in retaining his wealth and status just as he was interested in fairness. She knew whichever side he decided to be on as time went on was the right side.

"Not only orphans," Leonor said. "That nursemaid as well, if I’m not mistaken."

"Yes, she’s a foreigner as well," he admitted. "She was one of the only adults left protecting the children when she was found."

Leonor felt uneasy for a moment, but she couldn’t place why. She decided to push the conversation in a different direction.

"Does everyone from Eirenguard bear a similar resemblance?" she asked subtly, hoping he would understand what she was implying.

Even if someone was listening, only those privy to the information would understand just what she was asking. His response was vague enough to answer her question but she understood every word.

"We have reason to believe the child is a Carthach," Desmond explained. "Unfortunately, many information centers went up in flames during the main disputes in their capital so nothing can be confirmed. A few men have been sent that way to search for answers."

He knew from the moment he saw Leo that he was perhaps a cousin. He had family who could have survived and kept their bloodlines going. At least, that was his hope.

Since he wouldn’t burden his wife with passing on his genes and risk a child who looked like a foreigner, the job of keeping the Carthachs alive was not his. He preferred it that way.

Their conversation became less serious in time for Robert to return with their first course.

All their meals were meant to be shared between them and they were to have three different courses.

The first was duck served on top of a bed of greens with a few local vegetables to make the flavors more interesting. It was dressed with a salty and sour sauce that blended well with the flavors to make everything seem complete.

Next were small pastries filled with finely diced vegetables and a rich sauce they were able to dip the items in. They were great finger foods even though Leonor was better trained than that and politely ate with a fork so she wouldn’t get her hands dirty.

Finally, they had steaks already sliced for them on top of mashed potatoes and a few carrot medallions along the edge of the plate. A brown sauce was over the meat and Leonor found it to be the most delicious.

Desmond and Leonor were complimentary every time Robert appeared before them, asking if the food served suited their tastes. He hoped they were able to see the wide variety of food they offered at the restaurant. The plates they shared were normally the main courses people could choose from. They would rotate seasonally as well.

"It’s a shame you will not be staying for dessert," Robert said just before the duke and duchess could leave. "Perhaps next time."

Desmond smiled lightly and responded, "Next time."

However, Leonor had a sweet tooth and, despite being full, she could always eat something sweet.

She wanted to say something but decided to hold back despite her disappointment.

However, being upset didn’t last for long.

She thought they were going to the carriage but Desmond brought her down the street a short distance.

"Don’t look so disappointed we didn’t have dessert," he teased. "We simply needed to go to the right place."