Page 39

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“ A fair?”

Lysander nodded, his gaze fixed on the chessboard between them.

“Yes. My wife has mentioned that there will be one taking place tomorrow, and I thought that your wife might be interested in spending some time outside these walls and away from your sodding face. Though you are welcome to join us, if you wish.”

Ignoring the jab was an easy feat for Julian, who had long since grown immune to most of Lysander’s tricks to rile him up.

“A fair sounds nice, ideally, but it is rather stressful in practice. I’m not sure if she would like to deal with the crowds, but I shall ask her.” Julian replied, moving one of his pieces forward.

Lysander glared at the obvious attack, moving a piece of his own in defensive retaliation.

“Somehow, I feel as though you get worse at this every time we play,” Julian commented in amusement.

“That isn’t true — shut your mouth.” Lysander shot back at him, clearly irritated.

Julian stayed silent because it was much sweeter to taste the inevitable defeat of his friend without a word.

As Lysander struggled with his losing battle, he attempted to distract Julian by asking questions he hoped would distract Julian.

“So, how has your married life been, now that you have finally committed to it?”

It was clear what he was trying to do, but Julian played into his plot anyway because he had practically won the game already.

“Good. Peaceful.”

Dissatisfied, Lysander prodded while he continued to glare at the chessboard, as though he was waiting for it to provide him with a solution on how to defeat Julian.

“Does your wife know that you described your marriage so simply in two words and three syllables?”

“My wife is well aware of my feelings about our marriage — details that you are not privy to. Now, hurry up and lose, so that I can go and bask in her wondrous presence .” Julian stated, making a shooing motion with his hand.

Bitterly, Lysander moved his piece, and four moves later, from both of them, he conceded to his fate and hung his head in misery.

“Thank you for such an entertaining afternoon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go to my wife. She must be basking under a tree in the garden, and she always looks so lovely during such moments.”

Lysander snorted, clearly still mourning over his defeat.

“I never thought I would see the day you would be so wrapped around your wife’s finger.”

“People change. Though, unfortunately, the same cannot be said about you and your chess skills. Or lack thereof.”

“I see she is yet to do something about that sharp tongue of yours. Go away, you fiend. I shall see myself out, after such a blatant display of inhospitality.”

Julian waved him away, a smile climbing his lips at the mere thought of seeing Anna as he turned to leave the drawing room. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that he was so peaceful these days, and the thought was as pessimistic as it was fleeting.

He had long since stopped asking questions about what he had done to deserve such blissful days. Instead, he had resolved to tell himself that it did not matter what he had done to earn such a blessing. Anna was his now, and there was nothing that would happen to change that.

Julian was committed to thriving within each happy day, feeling his heart open more and more with every moment he spent with her. He felt lighter, as though he had traded off his burdens at some point without realizing it, finally learning to leave the past behind him.

Just as he had predicted, Anna was in the garden, seated at a table that had been set up for her with tea and scones, a book clutched between her fingers.

For a moment, Julian simply watched her, somehow falling in love all over again with the way her eyes skimmed over the words on the book, how she bit her lower lip in concentration, how she wriggled her nose before she sneezed.

It was all so endearing, and Julian couldn’t seem to shake off the obsession that lay within his heart over every single detail about her.

As if she sensed his presence, Anna looked up, right in his direction. Their eyes met, and a smile instantly fell upon her lips.

“Darling!” she grinned as she sat back, slipping the bookmark between the pages of the book she was reading. “Has your friend left already?”

“He should have. The sooner he does, the sooner he can lick his wounds in private,” Julian murmured, leaning downward to steal a kiss from her lips.

“It sounds like you’ve been teasing him again. Don’t be mean, I would like to be friends with his wife.” Anna tutted, patting his chest gently.

“The rivalry between Lysander and me has gone on as long as our friendship has. Whatever relationship you wish to build with his wife would be free of our influence, I assure you.” Julian promised, sitting down next to her.

“If you say so,” she said, offering him a grape.

“But, it is quite a coincidence that you should bring up Margaret, because according to her husband, she wishes to attend a fair tomorrow and we have been invited to join them as they promenade the grounds.”

Anna perked up visibly. “A fair? Oh, I’ve never been to one! No matter how many times I asked or begged, mother and father never let me go to any, as they claimed that it was not suitable for proper young ladies. Can we really go?”

Her excitement reminded Julian of how Lysander had said that he was keeping Juliet trapped within the estate, and guilt struck his heart. Although his friend was merely jesting, Julian couldn’t help but wonder if he had indeed made his wife a prisoner in their own home.

“Of course we can. We can do anything your heart desires. I am sorry if I have not expressly stated that you are free to do as you wish. I did not feel that I needed to, and I’m sorry for keeping you confined here,” Julian apologized sincerely.

“Confined? Whatever do you mean?” Anna questioned, her features twisting in confusion.

“I… I have been made aware of the fact that I might have trapped you within the estate. I know that my affections for you have been… a lot, lately, and I have stuck to you firmly, but I hope that you do not feel as though you cannot live your life, independent of me. You may go wherever you wish, and speak to whomever you feel you want to speak to. I do not mind in the slightest.” Julian stated seriously.

Anna stared at him for a moment, then she burst into a fit of giggles.

“Oh, dear,” she gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth, trying to conceal her mirth. “You are quite entertaining to be around, my love. Firstly, you fib. You have a particular possessive streak, so encouraging me to speak to whomever I wish is a tad tricky, because I risk making you jealous.”

Julian saw no need to deny it, as he was well aware of how much he treasured his wife.

In fact, the guilt that currently lingered in his veins heavily stemmed from the fact that once, while they were engaged in the throes of passion, he had considered locking her up, so that only he would be graced enough to lay his eyes on her whenever he wished.

“And secondly, I have never been under the impression that I was trapped within these walls. I do not have a lot of friends, and I mostly venture off to see my sister or the modiste. I do quite like being at home. The house I was raised in never really felt like a home for me, growing up. Leah was always so obedient and good, and I kept making mistakes and upsetting our mother and father. After she got married and left, things grew worse with how insistent they were that I marry for their benefit. Although it was scary at first, the home you gave me provided me with peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.

And it is all so much better with you here, now.

“So… you do not have me trapped, Julian. However, if you did, I would not complain. I cherish every moment I spend here with you, anyway.” She smiled gently at him.

“You are determined to be the death of me, my love.” Julian grinned back, taking hold of her hand and raising it to his lips

“Not on purpose,” Anna pointed out innocently. “But can we still go to the fair, my love?”

“Certainly. I would be happy to accompany you tomorrow.” Julian said.

And he had meant it.

However, he should have really considered how comfortable he would be, milling among a noisy atmosphere, with so many people who were seemingly utterly fascinated to see the duke and duchess of Morland grace such a modest event.

“I had no idea it would be so lively!” Anna exclaimed, her eyes wide and filled with childlike wonder. “My goodness, the sights… the smells! What is that delicious smell?”

As it turned out, the smell was from a tent that sold baked goods, with breads and cakes lined up behind a showcase.

A single look from Anna and Julian’s hand slipped into his pocket to grab at his coin purse, and moments later, his wife was happily nibbling a large cookie containing bits of chocolate and walnuts.

“Ah! Harrow! You came!”

Julian turned to see Lysander and Margaret approaching them, the latter’s expression lighting up at the sight of Anna.

“Duchess! It is an honor to finally meet you! I have been pulling my husband’s ear, demanding a formal introduction, and I am very glad he was able to remember to invite you to the fair!” Margaret expressed kindly.

“Oh,” Anna blushed, glancing at Julian. “The honor is certainly mine. I have also been longing to speak with you for some time now. I’m thankful the time has finally come. And please, call me Anna.”

“Margaret. Oh, that is a lovely dress you’re wearing! The color suits you.” Margaret complimented as she hooked her arm around Anna’s and steered her in the direction of an attraction the fair was offering.

“Why, thank you! Madame Bluebell makes the most wonderful dresses. I do not go out much, but I find myself unable to keep from purchasing new attire from her whenever I get the chance.” Anna blushed, looking quite pleased.

“You do not go out? Do you not like to? Or perhaps you simply lack the company to spend time with? If the latter is the case, I do have quite a few friends to introduce you to. One of them is my younger sister, and I feel as though you both will get along swimmingly!” Margaret smiled kindly.

“Really? I have an older sister, as well! I would love to meet your acquaintances. I really have not been fortunate to make as many friends as I would have liked – is that a line of dogs jumping through hoops?”

Indeed, it was.

Anna, excited at the dog show, dragged Margaret away with the older woman willingly following with a laugh. Lysander and Julian exchanged glances and went after them at a leisurely pace, content to simply watch their wives fall under the spell of entertainment.

“She looks happy. I am glad I took your suggestion.” Julian noted, unable to keep himself from smiling, as a dog wandered towards the audience and Anna slowly reached out to pet it.

“So am I. I get to witness you trail after her like a puppy, so I am quite entertained.” Lysander remarked with a grin.

Julian grinned back at his friend, narrowing his gaze slightly.

“Enjoy it, my friend. I certainly enjoyed your loss yesterday, and I will continue to savor it until you are brave enough to challenge me again.”

“I hope you are struck by lightning.”

They continued to roam around the fairgrounds, the wives more interested in what it had to offer than their husbands, but still, the dukes indulged them. Even though Julian had not kept Anna trapped in their home, seeing her outside like this was certainly a feast for his eyes.

She looked so beautiful in her light pink dress, eagerly pointing a gloved finger at whatever sight caught her attention, before she pulled her new friend away.

She wished to see everything, to try everything, and Julian’s willingness to go along with it all reaffirmed his desire to give her the world.

There was a painter who offered people to try their hands at art, and Anna wasted no time settling down on a stool, pulling her gloves off so as not to stain them with paint.

Julian silently reached for them, and she passed them to him with a grateful smile, listening as the painter pointed at the tools she would need and the canvas, explaining what she could do.

“Do you need a subject? Or do you already have an image you wish to capture and replicate in mind?”

Anna paused, then her eyes shifted to Julian.

Lysander followed her gaze and barked out a laugh.

“Do not waste your time with that one, Duchess. He hates the idea of getting his portrait done. I’m almost certain his father threatened to disown him before he was willing to sit still long enough for his family portrait to be done.”

Julian sent a glare to his friend, who put on a cheeky expression for his benefit, then he looked down at Anna.

“Do you want me to do it?”

Anna hesitated. “Not if it makes you uncomfortable or –”

“Do you want me to do it, love? Do you wish to paint me?”

Quietly, she nodded. Satisfied, Julian turned to the painter.

“Where do I sit?”