Page 30 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
“Or else what, Your Grace? Are you going topunishme again?”
Julian was silent at first, then his gaze roamed over her body, as if he was taking in the sight of her leisurely from head to toe, and then he simply stated.
“Yes.”
The rush of heat to Anna’s cheeks was dizzying and she found herself once more unsure of what to say or do.
So, she turned around and left the study at once, accidentally slamming the door behind her on her way out.
CHAPTER NINE
“– a
nd that concludes the bookkeeping report on the household expenses.”
Julian nodded and accepted the book Ernest handed over to him, casually flipping through the pages to check if the report given was as accurate as what was written within.
The duke had been quite impressed to find out that the duchess had cared for the estate in more ways than one – not only restoring it to heights that seemed far greater than its former glory, but also maintaining the expenses in a way that was sustainable.
In fact, it seemed as though the most extravagant use of his wealth was the payment of wages to the staff. They appeared to be well fed and clothed, which would explain why they all looked so damn happy to be on his property.
“Remarkable,” Julian nodded, seeing the numbers for himself.
“Her Grace certainly is. Not a single thing has been out of place since her arrival. She has been determined to ensure that the estate was preserved and flourished under her care. I do not believe I have heard a single complaint about her, since her arrival.”
Julian couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed in their situation. Perhaps if Anna had been matched with a man who loved her and was well to do, she would have made an indispensable lady of the house. And perhaps she might have been happier for it.
“Where is she now?” Julian asked, wanting to know all of a sudden.
He had not stopped thinking about her, about the way she flushed and squirmed beneath his gaze, about how much she cared about Nicholas’ well-being – to the extent that she felt dissatisfied with the idea of simply letting just anyone care for him.
When they had first met, Julian had assumed he knew all there was to know about Anna. But the few days he had spent in her vicinity was staying otherwise.
“In the garden, Your Grace. The duchess wished to let the child take in some fresh air, seeing as he has been indoor ever since his arrival,” the butler informed.
Julian rose from his seat and walked to the window that overlooked the garden, easily spotting the gaggle of women in a delighted frenzy due to the presence of the child in their midst.
Anna sat on a blanket with Nicholas in her lap, surrounded by her maids who all watched the child bounce happily with adoration in their eyes. Anna looked perfectly at ease, her hands firmly placed on Nicholas’ sides as he wriggled about, reaching for the flower that was being held out to him by a maid. Something within Julian twisted with a hollow ache and he frowned, struck with a bout of irritation.
He thought it was unfair, that someone had the nerve to saddle a stranger with their responsibility, and live willy nilly, while his wife bore the brunt of it. With all his reservations about her, he couldn’t deny that she was quite proficient at handling this situation, and deserved more than shouldering someone else’s burden.
“Fetch me my coat, Ernest. I have to visit a friend. And prepare the carriage,” He instructed, turning away from the window.
“Right away, Your Grace.”
Minutes later, he was leaving his estate, with a single mission in mind.
To find his brother sort out this whole business with the child that had disrupted his once peaceful life.
“Are you sure this is the place? It looks rather…” Lysander trailed off as a man won a game of cards jumped to his feet with a victorious roar and smashed his empty glass on the wooden floors beneath him. “Low class. Surely your brother knows there are other establishments far suited to a man of his status and would gladly serve him as such.”
“Unfortunately, the standard does not matter much to Seth. As long as he can gamble, he will climb into a gutter if he must. I have tried to reform him, several times, but he has chosen to squat in this filth and build fruitless relationships instead of lucrative partnerships. He has always been so utterly childish,” Julian said as his eyes roamed around the gaming hall, his frown of disapproval deepening as he took in the different sorts of men and women roaming about.
He felt disgusted, to be in the presence of such careless people, individuals who disregarded their responsibilities to indulge in vices that they refused to acknowledge were eating away at them. Julian couldn’t understand people who lived that way, couldn’t fathom even attempting to imitate such behavior.
“We should ask around,” Lysander suggested, making a disgusted face as a man stumbled past him, his body carry the foulest odor he had ever been unfortunate enough to inhale. “Perhaps someone here has seen him tonight. It would take us ages if we attempt to find him ourselves in this pigs’ sty. No offense.”
“None taken. I am not particularly impressed with the path my brother has chosen for himself, but I cannot ignore the fact that I have tried as hard as I could within my abilities to help him. He has decided repeatedly that he would rather waste away his fortune and his life than live right and now, his mistakes have bled into my own life and I will not stand for that.” Julian replied.
