Page 41 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
Still, her disapproval appeared to have an effect on him because his smirk took on a softer edge and he shook his head.
“Fine, fine. I’ll behave.”
“Duke,” she glared.
“Eat your breakfast, duchess. We have much to discuss.” He prompted innocently.
Anna continued to scowl at him, even as she picked at her eggs, a part of her curious about what it was they needed to discuss. Julian seemed as though he wanted to drag it out as long as possible, making a show of biting into his toast and chewing slowly, before taking a small sip of his coffee.
Just as Anna felt as though she was about to burst, he spoke up.
“I am getting closer to find Nicholas’ parents. It was a little tricky at first, but do not feel as though I am doing nothing to make things right. Any day now, they will both be summoned to answer for their sins.”
“Oh,” Anna said, feeling a little strange. “I do not know if I would call it a sin. We do not know why they abandoned him. Perhaps they were struggling to care for him and whatever other children they might have. Or –”
“Somehow, I doubt that is the case. But whatever their excuse might be, the bottom line remains that he is their responsibility and theirs to care for. We can only do our best to ensure his well-being is sorted out at the moment, but we cannot do it forever.” Julian reasoned.
Anna knew her husband was right. His words were sensible, she understood that much, but still, her heart felt unsettled after hearing how dismissive he was about Nicholas. It was as though the child was merely a passing guest and not a being whose heart had once beat in sync with Anna’s.
“All right. Thank you… for trying to find his family still.”
Julian nodded sagely, stirring his tea lightly.
“The other thing is that our presence is required at a ball tomorrow night. Now that I have returned, we need to be seen together attending more social events. Would you like me to send for the modiste to make you a dress for the occasion quickly?”
Anna stared at him, waiting for his question to be retracted, feeling offended when he stared back cluelessly.
“I have plenty dresses already,” she retorted, annoyed. “Many of which I am certain would be suitable for tomorrow’s event and many others, but never got to see the light of day because you decided to abandon me after our wedding night.”
The words were out before she realized what she had intended to say and she stared at him, waiting with bated breath for his response. Instead of getting angry like she expected, Julian seemed unaffected by her insult.
“Well then, I am glad that you are prepared for the challenge. That is one less problem for me to be concerned about.” He stated, shifting his gaze down to what was left of his breakfast.
Anna felt her blood run cold.
“Do you really see nothing wrong with it? What you did? Just because we appear to have gained some sense of cordiality between us doesn’t necessarily fix how I felt when you left me. You didn’t regard me as a person with how you dismissed me and my concerns and encouraged me to have lovers in your absence. How could you be so cruel?” she asked, her voice shaky and heavy with emotion.
Julian sighed and pushed his plate away, his tone leveled as he questioned in turn,
“Would you have preferred the alternative? Living with a stranger and giving up the freedom you apparently craved? Would that have been a much more preferable life for you?”
His words stunned her, confusing her mind a tad because it wasn’t possible. Julian wouldn’t have left his house for her. He never could have done it, not without knowing the events that would have followed to ensure that Anna chose to spend her days within her home, having the time of her life.
And yet –
“Did you… is that why you left?” she voiced, quiet and reluctant.
Julian looked as though he would rather chew on broken glass than have that conversation. But despite the purposeful look of irritation on his face, moments later a sincere expression settled upon him and he said,
“Truthfully… neither of us wanted this marriage. We wanted very different things in life and that much was clear from the first moment we met. You had your own aspirations and ideal about marriage and I had no desire to get married. Even when I asked for your hand, I had no plans of actually being a husband. Like I had said, I was never going to marry, so this worked out for us splendidly. I… I know how all marriages end, so my distance was an attempt to protect us both from the inevitable.”
His words and mannerisms were strange and Anna wanted to understand what they meant, but before she could raise any questions, he said,
“Another of the nursemaids your sister recommended will be arriving this evening. You should get ready to receive her.”
Then he rose to his feet and walked away, leaving her feeling confused and strangely lonely.
In the evening, a Miss Eloise Michaleson arrived at the estate.
