My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 170: The Mishap

Chapter 170: The Mishap

The water was only a few feet deep but Desmond was quick to jump in after her, disregarding all of the medals he wore and heavy material that would certainly get heavier once it was wet.

All he could think of was being added to the list of those entrusted with ensuring she was safe and failing her. The list was long and she deserved much better from the people around her.

As he made it to her, he didn’t know why she hadn’t come up for air. Perhaps her dress was too heavy and she was weighed down.

The moment he could reach her, he pulled her out of the water by her waist, but the moment she broke through the surface, she shouted, "My shoe!" and dove back in.

He let out an even sigh and had no choice but to submerge completely and feel for the shoe she had certainly lost. When his hand met what he thought was a shoe, he felt the heel embedded in the muddy lakebed. The water was murky and slimy plants heavily lined the bottom of the lake.

With the shoe in tow, he grabbed Leonor by her arm and dragged her back to the surface once more.

With water dripping over his face due to the hood he wore, Desmond looked less than amused.

"Was the shoe worth all the fuss?" he asked her. "I can buy you plenty more."

His tone changed when Leonor took a step towards the shore and stumbled. She let out a groan of pain and Desmond’s slight irritation was fleeting. He tossed the shoe onto the shore and lifted his wife.

As he made it to dry land, it was just in time for his two guards to run forward, having seen what happened from a distance. They both carried blankets from the carriage.

"Your grace, is everything alright?" they asked.

Desmond got Leonor to shore and set her down in soft grass.

"Clearly not," he responded. "Please put a blanket around her shoulders so she doesn’t get cold."

They obediently listened and Desmond was able to lift Leonor’s heavy, soaked skirts while they made sure she was warm. He revealed her legs up to her knees.

Where she originally fell through the wood, there was a deep gash in her ankle. The bright red blood dripped down her leg and mixed with the water droplets on her skin before falling into the grass underneath her.

"Dammit," the duke cursed under his breath.

Leonor’s eyes were squeezed shut. The cold breeze against the cut on her leg felt bad. She didn’t want to fall apart in front of the duke considering what Quinn referred to as her low pain tolerance. He would cause a fuss if she reacted too harshly.

She pulled her skirts higher so she could get a look at her leg.

"I can use my shirt to wrap it–" Desmond began.

However, Leonor cut him off.

"Eve!" Leonor called.

The cat ran forward from seemingly nowhere and the two guards exchanged looks with each other.

There was word through the estate of a cat that followed Leonor around. Since mages were more rare in Montclair than in other places, familiars weren’t a well-understood concept to them. They finally had a firsthand view of Leonor’s loyal familiar as the cat ran forth and, strangely enough, changed into a serpent so it could wrap around her ankle.

The black snake with blue eyes glowed blue and became smaller, though Leonor fell backward in relief when the pain was lessened and she sighed.

"Problem solved," she said weakly and a small smile pulled at her lips.

Desmond, who was crouched next to Leonor tossed his gloves onto the ground and ran his hands over his head.

"You really know how to keep me on edge," he muttered.

"Your grace," one of the guards couldn’t help himself. "Is this your familiar?"

Leonor grinned now that she was no longer hurting and turned to the man who couldn’t have been much older than 20. She nodded.

"Eve, show him how cute you are," she said. "The snake is a bit terrifying."

The familiar unwrapped from her ankle and slowly changed back to a tiny kitten as she walked towards her master. Eve faced the guard and meowed.

"Can I touch her, my lady?" he asked.

The guard didn’t have much of a choice. The second he reached out a hand, Eve clung to his glove and ran up his sleeve. He let out a shocked laugh and the other guard joined him.

"If you’ve exhausted your purpose, take the cat with you and return to the carriage so I can warm up my wife," Desmond said to the men, taking the blankets from them.

Eve was perfectly happy staying warm in the crook of a guard’s arm and she left with the men who returned. The duke wasn’t fond of others touching his wife and since she was no longer injured, they could be more relaxed.

When the men were gone and they were, once again, alone amongst the trees surrounding the lake, Desmond turned to Leonor.

"You need to take off your wet clothing," he said. "It’s close to evening and the temperature is dropping. We’ll wrap blankets around you for the ride home.

Leonor’s eyes widened in disbelief even though they were surrounded by trees and bushes. She was resistant to getting undressed outside.

Desmond lifted the blanket around her shoulders and splayed his arms wide so it was more of a tent she could get undressed inside.

As she stared into his eye, she knew he insinuated nothing by it. He was genuinely trying to help her.

"Help me stand up," she requested, finally relenting. "It will be easier to get undressed."

Desmond was happy she was finally letting him help her and he slowly lifted the blanket as she stood up so she could untie her dress which was heavy with water and cold. From what he could see of her shoulders and chest, she had goosebumps covering her skin.

Seeing Desmond’s eye drop to her skin, Leonor felt her face heat up.

"Shut your eye," she muttered.

Desmond did as he was told but he still dutifully held the blanket, ensuring that the world wouldn’t be able to see his wife in a vulnerable state.

Leonor managed to get her dress untied without looking but she stared up at Desmond the entire time, ensuring he wasn’t stealing a peek. He was trustworthy when it came to things like that but she was still embarrassed.

The moment the dress was loose enough, it fell away easily due to how weighed down it was from the water. Next, there was an inner skirt that she undid and let fall as well. Finally, she loosened the corset that restricted her bosom and felt relief when it was wide enough to fall onto the ground around her ankles as well.

She looked down for a moment at the drenched chemise she wore, though the material was cotton so it would dry quickly. It left nothing to the imagination as her breasts objected to being exposed to the cold in such breathable white fabric.

"Pull the blanket tighter, please," she requested, her eyes on Desmond once again.

He pulled the blanket closer to himself and with it came Leonor. Her hands went to his taught waist and she felt the drenched material of his clothing. His jacket and pants were even heavier than hers. It couldn’t be comfortable.

"You need to strip down as well," she said. "I can feel how cold you are. It’s making me colder."

"I will get undressed in the carriage," he said. "Let’s get you inside."

She allowed herself to be handled like a doll and led to where he wanted her.