My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 93: Anything for His Wife

Chapter 93: Anything for His Wife

Desmond had never met Francia, but he felt he knew the woman because of Leonor’s stories of her.

When they were first together as teenagers, Leonor would talk about Francia above anyone else in her life besides her mother. He knew she was important to her.

Only when he was Desmond did he finally see Francia from afar at their wedding. It was clear it was her when Leonor gazed at her as she walked by while going to the altar. She was the only one to turn to Leonor and acknowledge the struggle she was experiencing at that moment.

It was at their wedding Desmond swore he would do anything to take such a wonderful woman away from a place like Count Mikael’s manor.

They were in times of peace and Desmond sent a few of his soldiers to Burien on a strange mission to find the pâtissier who made desserts his wife liked and see if they could meet with Francia at Burien Manor.

The original purpose was that Desmond had a letter convincing Francia to dissolve her employment with the count and go to Montclair instead. Unfortunately, it became more complicated when he found that the woman had been fired shortly after Leonor was married.

A woman who had dedicated over twenty years of her life to the count and he took it upon himself to get rid of her because she seemed to favor his eldest daughter who was no longer there anymore.

For a while, Desmond communicated with his men using messenger hawk and he became nervous that they wouldn’t get the desserts or the maid in time for Leonor’s birthday.

Considering the fair employer the duke was, his men were determined to complete the task they were given and, even though it took a few weeks, they finally found the old woman living with family. She couldn’t afford to live on her own considering being fired from the count’s manor so suddenly meant she didn’t have time to save enough for retirement. Her contract had at least a decade of work left, but the count found a way around it.

Only days before Leonor’s birthday did the soldiers arrive with a carriage containing two people. The first was the pâtissier and the second was the maid. The pâtissier was only there for a short visit while the maid would be more permanent.

From that point forward, it was up to Gideon to discuss employment with Francia, but they also gave her the option to retire in the countryside of Montclair. They would match the retirement she was supposed to get. Leonor needed a friend rather than an employee, after all. She was hesitant at first, but she soon agreed.

Francia was shocked to see how much the feared duke genuinely cared for the girl she helped raise. She decided he wasn’t crooked enough to go back on his word.

The old maid set up her house for two days until she was summoned for Leonor’s birthday.

Wearing a dress more expensive than any she had ever owned and drinking wine that put her in a wonderful mood, Francia found herself in the dining hall of Duke Desmond de Montclair as she waited for Leonor.

Francia hoped the girl wouldn’t have lost weight considering her pension for skipping meals when she was sad. All she wanted was a safe place for the girl to live. She knew all about Valerio and how much he meant to Leonor. After seeing bruises on her body a few times in the past, she prayed hard that Leonor would have a more positive outcome than that for the rest of her life.

She was unbelievably relieved when she was met with a girl weighing a bit more than when she left the count’s manor. To see a sparkle in her eye and a beautiful new dress, Francia knew the girl was taken care of. Perhaps even loved.

When she saw Leonor start to crumble, she rushed forward to meet her halfway. Francia wrapped her arms around the young woman and hugged her to her chest.

Francia was never gifted with children of her own but Leonor always felt so close. It tore apart her heart each time she couldn’t defend the girl she felt so maternal for. She was powerless in that manor and a big part of her reasoning for moving from Burien to Montclair was simply because she missed Leonor.

If it was the last thing she did before she passed on from the Earth, she wanted to know that Leonor was finally somewhere safe.

To her surprise, the duke was frightening in appearance but not personality. He went to great lengths to make sure Leonor was happy and that was enough for her.

"I’ve missed you so much," Leonor gasped as she accepted Francia’s hug.

Scents always unlocked memories for Leonor.

While Francia hugged her, she was brought back to a time when she felt helpless but a hug from her maid at the end of the day was enough for her to go forward and continue.

It wasn’t until she was at the Academy that she realized just how much the maid meant to her. She missed the mild scent of Francia’s clothing each time they hugged. Even though she wasn’t used to the help of maids, Francia felt like family.

At no point in her interactions with Francia did it ever feel like she was there simply because she was paid to be.

"I missed you too, dear," Francia said. "Although, without the help of his grace, this wouldn’t have been possible."

Leonor grasped Francia’s hands, but her gaze went to Desmond who was sitting calmly at the head of the table as he always did. She could only see his eye and nothing else as he gazed at her.

At times, especially times like that, she wished she could remove his hood and see the finer details of his expression, but he would never let her do such a thing.

Leonor didn’t let go of Francia’s hand and walked towards the table and the maid followed her.

"Thank you," Leonor said to the duke. "Not for the first time today, either. You keep surprising me."

The duke stood and Francia witnessed the surprising site of him taking out both of their chairs so they could sit comfortably and enjoy the extravagant meal laid out for them.

As they ate, Francia noticed that the two were comfortable with one another yet there was some sort of invisible line drawn between them that neither dared to cross. She wondered what had transpired in their life together but she wasn’t in a place to pry further.

All she hoped was that Leonor would find the love she deserved. After that boy was sent away, she changed.

Perhaps, unlike most others, she had a second chance on her horizon. Even if it was someone as unexpected as what many considered to be a disfigured duke. If he was gentle enough, she believed he could sway her heart.

The three of them enjoyed each other’s company well into the night and Leonor had more to drink than she was expecting.

With the duke, Leonor walked Francia to the carriage prepared for her that would take her to the home given to her at the edge of Montclair but still within the city walls so she would be safe.

As Desmond walked Leonor back to her room, he relished in her holding onto his arm. It was clear she had quite a bit to drink. He wondered if she even realized she was relying on him so much.

However, after Leonor was safe in her room and finally wearing a comfortable new nightgown to punctuate her wonderful birthday, she fell into bed with her hands over her face.

She realized how she was behaving towards the duke in front of Francia. She had clung to him so many other times that day because she didn’t know how to handle the way he cared for her so unashamedly.

Even in her state, she forced out her healing magic into the flower before she could drift off to sleep.

She didn’t witness Desmond simply standing in the hallway and gazing out one of the windows as he thought of the day and how comfortable she was with him. It terrified him as much as it ignited his heart.

He used to be fine with keeping her at arm’s length, but he had the urge to sway her heart.

He thought that perhaps he could until his eyes refocused and he saw his hooded reflection in the moonlight.

How could he sway her heart if he couldn’t even appeal to her?