My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 94: A Week Without Him...

Chapter 94: A Week Without Him...

The world they created was idyllic. Not a soul would believe that there wasn’t love between the two masters of the Montclair Estate.

However, in their relationship, there was no intimacy and nothing beyond the friendship Desmond promised when he swore to never touch Leonor.

As autumn arrived and the duke became busier, it became easier for both of them to ignore this part of their relationship. They wouldn’t have awkward lingering moments where Leonor sought affection he felt he couldn’t give her.

Before cold weather befell them, Desmond was gone for many days in a row. His absence was felt so dearly by Leonor. It made her realize just how much she had been relying on him for the past months since they were married.

She thought she was alone in the manor before but to not have him punctuate each one of her days, she realized what true loneliness was like. At times, she wondered if it was the same for him. When he went off for days at a time, did he miss walking with her each night even though all they did was have short conversation?

She couldn’t imagine just how dearly he held her. He had to resist writing her letters knowing they would be gone for only a week as he made sure everyone in his duchy had everything they needed before winter.

A few times she called upon Francia to come visit her in her loneliness, but the old maid was settling into her life and figuring out a routine that suited her. She was no longer working for someone and could do as she pleased.

Leonor had already received a shawl from her since she had picked up the hobby of crocheting to pass the time. It was something she would cherish forever, knowing the love that was put into it.

Desmond didn’t know it, but his absence drove Leonor firmly into the arms of the romance novels on the shelves of his library. There were stories there he didn’t know existed until she found them, covered in dust and waiting for her to discover.

Even if they kept one another at arm’s length, Leonor still allowed herself to daydream.

She thought of Valerio at times like that. She wondered if he looked the same or if he had changed as well.

Stories of meeting a love after such a long time apart were always her favorite. They gave her so much hope.

Unfortunately, the moment one of the book covers closed, Leonor felt the guilt of a woman who loved someone who wasn’t her dear husband.

As she sat on the comfortable couch in her expansive room, she gently pressed her palm against the cover of the old book and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Sometimes she wished she didn’t have to feel anything for anyone at all.

Where would they be if she loved Desmond instead? Would he be happier? Would he open himself up to her?

Could love be what dragged the man out of the dark hole he placed himself inside of where he was intent on making himself disappear despite his actions always being grand and honorable. Due to his very nature, not one person in Castille could ignore him, especially not her.

He would have to stop being such a genuine soul for the world to stop looking towards him if that’s what he really wanted.

Leonor wasn’t finished with the book, but she had about all the romance she could handle at that moment. There were cliffhangers at the end of Chapters and she was becoming frustrated. All she wanted was good feelings rather than the stress of her own life encroaching on her ability to immerse herself completely into a book.

She stood up, intending to return to the library where she left the reading material about Montclair that would help her learn more about the place she presided over.

Perhaps if she was more prepared then the next year Desmond would be able to take her along and she would see what it was like to have to winterize such a place as Montclair. Would the people like her? Would they find her capable enough despite not having been from that region?

However, before she could even step foot in the hallway outside of her room, a maid rushed to her with news that Desmond had returned to the estate.

It was exactly as he told her.

On the seventh evening, he would return. Yet she still stressed over him each second he was gone, only to learn that he meant every word he said.

As usual, he never wasted words or said unnecessary things.

After thanking the maid, Leonor went back into her room to peer into the mirror over her vanity and see if she was in a state to greet the duke.

As she brushed her hair over her shoulder, she wondered why she cared so much how she looked to a man who would never touch her. She shrugged off the thought and went to the heart of the estate where she was met with the sight of a cold Desmond walking up the stairs.

She could smell the late autumn weather because of how crisp and cold he smelled as he walked forward.

With a small smile, she looked up at him.

"Welcome home, Desmond," she said.

It was past dinner and he didn’t figure she would bother coming to see him, but the moment Desmond saw Leonor waiting for him at the top of the stairs, he felt a warmth he was unfamiliar with. He had gotten used to returning to a place that hardly felt like his home.

Yet as the love of his life stood there waiting for him with a relieved smile on her face at his presence, he realized how greedy his heart was. In the mere few months she had been his wife, he had become spoiled.

He knew he would have been disappointed to return home and find her in bed even though it was certainly late enough for her to go to sleep.

He had to hide his feelings away so she wouldn’t get uncomfortable.

"Leonor," he greeted her warmly. "Have you been well?"

"Very well," she responded. "I feel bad at how well I’ve been considering you’ve been working hard while I stay warm inside."

"Don’t worry about me," he insisted. "I will spend the rest of the season indoors rather than braving the winter the way I used to have to."

He let out an even sigh as if to release the stress of the work he had been doing. It was time to enjoy himself indoors for a while.

Except they would discover he had to brave the winter a different way since Leonor had crept back into his life.