Page 12 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
Anna walked in, her calmness irritating him further as he took a good look at the woman he had married and hadn’t seen in months.
Time had not only changed his house, but the duchess as well, because she stood taller, her eyes alight with defiance and confidence, her lips pulled into an upset frown.
She looked… well. More than that, she looked as beautiful as he recalled from their wedding day. Perhaps even more so now. Herskin was incredibly fair, so the flush of anger was quite obvious as it settled upon her cheeks and dripped down her neck and even lower, almost staining her ample bosom with red.
“You must have lost your mind from comfort,” Julian began, stepping towards her. “I believe I gave you a set of rules before I departed for the countryside. Not only did you disobey me, but you also disrespected me without thought. A foolish feat with dire consequences for you. How dare you give me orders?”
Anna scoffed, meeting his stare head-on, although he could clearly see her body losing some of its hostile stiffness.
“If anyone has taken leave of their senses, I am certain that must be you, Your Grace.” She stated her tone deadpan. “You stand there and judge me, as though you are worthy of respect when all you are is pretentious and a rake. You had a child out of wedlock and yet you stand there and demand respect? I already believed that you might have a mistress or a gaggle of them, and I did not care. A child is a step too far and I will not stand for it.”
Angry and insulted, Julian stepped towards her, not faltering when she walked backward into a wall and flinched at their sudden closeness.
“You do not know what you speak of,” he told her, his voice husky and quiet as he leaned in closer. “I am a man of my word and I will not be insulted like this. You broke my rule and you will be punished for it.”
“You wish to punish me for asking you to sort out the problem you created?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“What problem? I do not know what you mean, as I have been living peacefully by myself all this while. Unlike some people with a penchant for trouble, I do not risk my reputation and title by engaging in demeaning activities. You would do well to cease these baseless accusations at once.”
“Baseless? There is a child in this house that belongs to you!” Anna snapped, her cheeks flushed red.
“A child? What do you mean?” Julian frowned, confusion etched on his features.
“A child was left at the doorstep of the estate yesterday, with nothing but a note that told us his name. He has blue eyes strikingly similar to yours.” Anna accused, only further managing to plague Julian with disbelief.
“I would like to see this child,” he stated, stepping away from Anna.
She huffed, eyeing him with irritation, her cheeks and ears pink as she walked out of the room wordlessly, obviously expecting him to follow. Julian did trail after her, even though he felt immensely disrespected still, doing his best not to make a scene about it out in the open where their staff could see.
Anna led him to a drawing room, inside of which a handful of maids were gathered, standing around and chattering excitedly.
“Girls,” the duchess called and a hush fell over the room. “Let the duke see the child.”
Some of the maids stepped aside, revealing a small moving being seated on the rug, reaching for one of the maids who was standing close to him and clinging to her skirts.
Julian got as close as he could, his stomach twisting slightly when the child looked at him and he noticed that he did indeed have blue eyes.
“That… is a child,” he noted, clearing his throat.
“I am well aware,” Anna responded dryly.
Julian glared at her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her outside the room.
“Where did that child come from?”
Anna wrenched herself from his grasp and glared at her husband.
“We found him by the front door yesterday. He was left in a basket with nothing but a note that told us that his namewas Nicholas. No one noticed anyone suspicious approaching or fleeing from the estate during the time he was found.”
“And you think he is mine? That is preposterous. He cannot be because despite what you think of me, I did not march around London, sowing my wild oats like some hooligan. That child does not belong to me.” Julian explained to his wife.
It looked as though she did not believe him and her next words conveyed as much.
“Then why would they leave him here? There are foundling homes and charitable parishes. He was left at the door, and they wished for us to call him by his name. I hardly believe they meant for him to be given away like this,” Anna pointed out.
“I have no answers for you at this moment, but I do intend to look into this situation. But know that he is not my child. He simply couldn’t be.”
“What if he is? Perhaps you were more callous in the past than you thought.” Anna shot back defiantly.
