My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 175: Wanting More

Chapter 175: Wanting More

There were many intimate nights similar to that as the couple settled into intimacy they had always dreamed about. Even without going to the point of no return, there was plenty for them to explore.

However, one thing ate away at Leonor until she decided to bring it up to Desmond.

He mentioned before the looks he got from maids and the way Gideon couldn’t look him directly in the eye when he was caught in nightclothes leaving his wife’s room.

Everyone in the estate was getting used to the new relationship the couple was forming.

It made Leonor realize that wasn’t how it should be. The duke should be the one most comfortable in his estate but that was seldom how it was.

He should be able to wake up as slow as he wanted and prepare for the day in a comfortable environment where he didn’t have to see the speculative gazes of maids and the butler first thing.

The realization that his room was smaller than hers occurred when she first slept there. His bathroom was smaller while hers had two countertops carved out of a fine white and grey stone with basins inlaid on top. Even the wall where her armoires stood could easily have a few more.

With all these things in mind, she realized that she had the master room of the house. It was certainly supposed to be for him and it likely was when he first moved in, before he renovated it to be softer and more suitable to her tastes.

These thoughts carried Leonor as she was bathed and dressed for the day. Her dress was a burnt orange that suited the autumn season they were going into. The sage green details of her inner skirts and a few other sewn details greatly appealed to her tastes.

In her curiosity, she decided to go into the library after Desmond escaped to get dressed in his smaller quarters and go to his study. She was seeking the blueprints for the chateau they lived in. It would help her argument to know the original purpose for various places within the estate.

Records dated back a couple hundred years when the place was first built. It had undergone many renovations and additions since then to suit more modern tastes but the overall floorplan remained much the same–at least until Desmond took over as Duke de Montclair.

Leonor wasn’t all that shocked when her small fingers ran over the large paper in front of her and she saw what was once a large study and meeting room become enclosed and turn into what the duke was using as his bedroom.

It was a move to keep himself far from her when he was hiding himself. There were no beds on that side of the estate and all the main rooms and guest rooms were in what was considered to be the Duchess’ Wing. It didn’t make sense that he would sleep so close to where he worked.

It was amongst his many plans to ensure she didn’t have to cross paths with him while she lived there. He was always taking meals in his study and going to bed when she was no longer wandering the estate.

It tugged at her heart to know that he was that ashamed of his appearance. She hoped that she made up for his doubts since then.

With the large blueprint in her hands, she rolled it up and decided to go to Desmond, hoping he wasn’t busy with something. She was going to burden him more.

She knocked on the study door and waited a few moments.

Without a verbal answer, the door to the study opened and a man wearing military clothing who seemed to be an officer left the room.

"Your grace," he greeted Leonor with a light bow. "I must be on my way."

"Be well," Leonor responded, giving a light smile appropriate for the situation. She held the scrolled-up paper behind her and returned the officer’s bow with a polite nod.

Desmond came forward to the door and was surprised to see it was his wife knocking. It was nearly lunch time and he normally didn’t see her often outside of meals.

"I wasn’t expecting to see you," Desmond said.

"Can I come in?" she asked and held up the paper.

Desmond’s one eyebrow raised in curiosity but he gestured for Leonor to come forth.

She followed him to his desk where she stood next to him as he sat down. To her surprise, as she spread the blueprint onto his expansive desk, he grabbed her by her waist and placed her in his lap so they could look at what she brought him together.

"The blueprints?" Desmond asked.

Leonor turned her head to look at Desmond and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"I was just curious why my room was so much larger than yours," Leonor admitted. "It seems that, my room is not only bigger, but yours wasn’t supposed to be a room in the first place. That wall..." she pointed across from where they sat together. "You put in that wall, didn’t you?"

Desmond placed his chin on Leonor’s shoulder.

"I can’t seem to hide anything from you," he admitted. "You’re not thinking of a solution, are you? I don’t mind having a smaller room."

He wasn’t thrilled at the thought of having to deal with construction while working.

"Not quite a solution," Leonor admitted and she turned towards her husband more so she was sitting sideways on his lap. "I’m asking you to move your things to my room so that we can live together properly as husband and wife. I know that many noble couples have separate spaces, but I don’t want that for us. There are plenty of other places to escape one another in this estate."

The blueprints were ignored as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I know who you are," she said as she kissed his scarred cheek. "Our secrets are on the table."

Desmond hugged Leonor. It had occurred to him a few times, but he didn’t want to impose on a space he created for her.

"That’s truly what you want?" he asked hesitantly. "I had that room redone with you in mind. You always told me you liked greens and golds."

"We can make it more suitable for your tastes if you would like," Leonor admitted, realizing she could sacrifice a little bit for his sake. "I just want you close the way it should have been from the beginning. You’ve been spending most of your time in my room anyway."

Desmond kissed Leonor’s temple.

"I can’t argue with that," he whispered. "Perhaps this can be done while we’re away for the winterization. I’ll see to it that it gets done. The wall they built in here isn’t a thick wall and wouldn’t be hard to restore the room into what it was before."

He pulled a bit further away so he could meet her lips instead. He didn’t have the words at the moment, but he wanted her to know that the marriage of trust and cohabitation was exactly what he wanted.

As it was, he couldn’t get enough of the woman he chose as his wife.

Leonor was satisfied with this response. Her request was selfish, but he met her with eagerness and a gentle touch that made her realize he held back more than he would ever admit to her.