My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 88: A Day as the Duchess

Chapter 88: A Day as the Duchess

Instead of being able to address the problem head-on, Leonor fell asleep after a while of waiting. It was impossible to tell when the duke returned or what the verdict of his outing was. She was petrified of him knowing the true reason for her behavior that day.

Even though she convinced the others at the orphanage that she stumbled because she was feeling faint, she couldn’t tell if they believed her or were taking her word for it because of the hefty title attached to her.

As much as she liked the maids around her who were nice because her husband paid them, those outside the estate’s walls were a different story. She didn’t want the average person to pacify her because of her title, but that would be her reality as long as she lived. While it wasn’t specifically her choice to be a duchess, she knew what to expect.

The next day, Leonor woke up and went on her day as usual.

It was already in her plans to return to Piedmont. She had seen enough as a commoner and wanted to see how it would go as the duchess.

If there was one thing she learned, her husband did not influence the noble life of his duchy. Even though she was less trained than the average noblewoman should be, she was far more trained in that environment than Desmond.

Throughout her life, being aloof in that setting worked best for her. She didn’t want to be approachable, she simply wanted to observe the setting and see if people were less or more attuned to gossip. She could learn a lot from their behavior and what sort of duchess she would decide to be.

Desmond didn’t want her to worry herself with politics or get her hands dirty on his behalf, but she didn’t want him to lose his grip on nobles simply because he was too lenient with them.

He would need their help at times whether he liked it or not. After all, they were the shop owners and pushers of goods no matter where you lived in Castille.

Rather than a plain carriage, Leonor would take one with the Montclair coat of arms on the side. She would have a guard following her the entire day and a maid attending to her while she was out.

It was finally time to wear one of the more fashionable gowns than the ones she preferred to wear. With a structured waist and neckline that left much to be desired, in her opinion, she was dressed and ready to leave.

The arms of the gown were white with gold thread creating a vine-like pattern up each arm. The bodice and skirts were a sky blue that matched her eyes while the smallest part of her waist was belted with brown leather. It matched the brown leather shoes on her feet that laced up her ankle a short distance and gave a nice effect whenever she took a step and they were revealed.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t breathe while wearing a corset, but she felt they inhibited her movement. If she was thrown something the way she was the day prior, she knew she wouldn’t throw a shield in time. In noble clothing such as that, all she could do was sit around and drink tea.

Luckily, that’s what she planned to do for the most part. She had no desire to buy anything considering her wardrobe was full and she didn’t desire jewels.

Before she left the Montclair Estate, Leonor glanced down the hallway towards the duke’s wing and she bit the inside of her lip. She felt she should walk on eggshells around him and it was a feeling she despised.

It was a situation of her creation. Just when she thought she was diverging from her mother’s path, she realized her mother was still very much ingrained within her. She loved someone other than the man she was married to and that would always be at the forefront of her feelings and responses.

She thought she could push that aside, but the day before only told her she couldn’t.

Luckily she didn’t have to go into Piedmont with Gideon. Considering his undying loyalty to Desmond, it felt wrong to bring him along. She could feel his glances the day before and he brought added stress.

As she tucked herself into the carriage followed by a maid and guard who ultimately shut the door, she didn’t see Desmond in dark clothing go to the stables and retrieve his horse once again.

Even if he and Leonor were on strange terms, he wasn’t going to stop worrying until she was home once again and safe. If he couldn’t complete work while she was gone, he might as well do much of the same as the day before.

Since it was earlier in the day, the duke decided to put his horse in one of the local stables before he found a way to make himself hidden amongst the busy streets around the town square where anyone with money hung around to flaunt what they had.

Leonor exited the carriage and Desmond practically held his breath. At times he forgot the woman she had become.

Her charm was easier to ignore when she was hidden under only candlelight or walking around with him at night. Rarely did he see her in broad daylight. He found her heart stopping to look at.

How miserable was it to have a wife he promised not to touch.

As she reached for the guard’s hand who helped her onto the street, he was filled with jealousy that it wasn’t him she was offering a small smile to and thanking for his help. How he wish he could browse those streets - especially the ones in the town square - so filled with nobles and people who would undoubtedly look down at him.

This was his fate and what he had accepted. He could be someone who forced himself into situations and didn’t care if he made others uncomfortable. Unfortunately, that was not who he was at his core.

Commoners made him more comfortable. He didn’t want Leonor to suffer at his side because she deserved to be surrounded by beauty all the time.

Resigning himself to his fate, Desmond continued following at a distance, keeping to the shadows and finding ways to make himself inconspicuous amongst all the beautiful items being sold and fashionable people walking by. At worst, he looked like a guard and there were many of them following the women on outings with protective husbands or fathers who wanted their wives or daughters to remain untouched by those undeserving.

For a while, Leonor and her maid browsed shops, though she never stayed in one for very long.

She soon went to a tea house at the center of town and Desmond stuck to the alley while he waited.