My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 99: A Gift for the Duke

Chapter 99: A Gift for the Duke

"How am I to get a gift sent here in the middle of winter?" Leonor asked from where she sat in the library.

"I feel you underestimate the sort of pull the title of duchess comes with, your grace," Gideon said from where he was fussing with one of the shelves and the organization of a few books.

The young duchess wore a dark red dress bordered by a gold thread that had white flowing sleeves that kept her hands warm. On her lap was an old book recounting more of Montclair’s history – specifically the history of the dukes and duchesses that had presided over the lands for the past few hundred years.

However, her focus wasn’t on the reading Gideon had given her, but on the fact that Desmond’s birthday was a month away. Her ultimate goal was to give him the same sweet feeling she experienced on her birthday.

While things hadn’t particularly improved between them, she was happy they hadn’t gotten worse.

He still showed up as usual to their meals and stuck around the library most of the time like she did. The words were few between them because she was terrified of disappointing him, but he remained forthcoming with any questions she had for him.

Leonor shut the book in her lap, giving up on the dense content for the time being. Thinking of her husband’s birthday filled her thoughts and she was stressing out.

He had planned each hour of her birthday. From bringing her pastries that reminded her of her childhood to rescuing someone who meant a lot to her. She even wore the earrings he gave her nearly every day because of how well they matched her locket necklace.

Since Gideon got the ball rolling, it was up to Leonor to use her newly realized power to reach out to people who could help her with her idea.

It took collaboration with multiple different sources before her idea came to fruition. The source wasn’t simply far away, but an entirely different kingdom.

When the item was delivered and she felt the quality, she knew the work had been well worth it.

Unfortunately, the creator of such a piece wasn’t able to travel to Montclair due to the harsh winter, but she finished her final letter to the person stating that she hoped they would meet once the weather called for it.

When she finally had the gift, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had been under unbelievable pressure, thinking there was a chance it might not make it to them in time, but she paid a lot of money for it to be rushed to her.

The worst part had certainly been trying to hide it from Desmond who had eyes all over the estate. Considering a maid went behind her back with concerns about Leonor’s health, she became a lot more cautious.

While it hurt to be under surveillance, Leonor knew the maid did it to preserve herself. If she noticed something and didn’t report it, she could get into more trouble if something happened to the person she served.

Based on Desmond’s personality, she didn’t believe he was purposefully watching her.

With only a small amount of planning left to successfully execute her plans for the duke’s birthday, Leonor spent the next couple of days ironing out the final details before January 20th rolled around and it was Desmond’s 24th birthday.

While she couldn’t glean much from his appearance considering he always hid himself away, she had seen his unscarred hand and lack of wrinkles on the part of his face unscathed and knew he was young. However, she didn’t realize he was only a couple of years older than her until she looked into it.

Based on his personality, she had always thought he was much older. He had been through so much it seemed he had a long life lived but so much had happened in a short expanse of time that it aged him with experience.

It made her wish he was happier.

She was always told her twenties were supposed to be lighthearted as she settled into where she would be for the rest of her life. Yet it felt like there were so many burdensome happenings. Each day she prayed for a more lighthearted existence.

She had a glimpse of that carefree life for the first few months of their marriage before she made the mistake of telling him she loved another person.

Pushing negative thoughts away, she dedicated herself to being a positive light for her husband’s birthday.

The same way he did for her, she had every meal planned out and hoped to lessen the load of his work for the entire day. With the help of Gideon, she was assured that he wouldn’t be burdened with work and could do whatever he pleased even if that meant that he lazed around the estate and took over the library to do more reading.

Her first order of business was waking up before the duke and having a maid get her into a suitable dress for the occasion.

Considering he seemed to like the time she wore red, she got into something a bit brighter, hoping to liven up the estate and push away any darkness that had taken over.

Once she was in a long-sleeved dress with thick skirts and sleeves that went to her wrists but were tight enough to push up to her elbows, it was time for the next part of Desmond’s birthday to unfold.

Since he never seemed to prefer any specific breakfast, she decided to make it more special by trying her hand in the kitchen.

A few times in childhood, she helped her mother make tansies, a small flat, and sweet breakfast food that could be filled with custard or fruit depending on the time of year.

It had been years since she made them, but she would make them for the duke. Considering the maids had preserved apple slices after autumn, Leonor opted for the tansies to be filled with that. They would cover it in powdered sugar.

While she was helped with this task, other meats and more filling foods were also prepared considering the duke had a large appetite. He often ate only two filling meals to save time for other tasks. Only when she first moved to the estate did he start taking lunch so he could have a break and see her in the garden.

When the duke was in the smaller dining area, maids started laying out food for him to eat.

He was shocked when he saw Leonor with her hair tied back and an apron on, carrying a tray of tansies covered in powdered sugar.

Considering she wasn’t an adept baker, they weren’t perfectly shaped and a few needed to be tossed away considering they had gotten burnt or broken open. The ones she could save were more than enough for the duke to eat.

As she placed the tray at the center of the table, Leonor had a proud smile on her face.

"Happy birthday, Desmond," she said. "I hope you don’t mind me trying my hand at your breakfast."