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CHAPTER FOUR

“ Y our Grace, welcome back.”

Julian disembarked from the carriage, prepared to storm into the house, only to stop in his tracks at the sight of his estate.

It did not look like… his estate anymore.

The duke had received letters that had detailed the duchess’ renovations around the property, but he assumed that it would mostly be work done on the inside of the house, and not so much in the surrounding area.

But now that he had gotten a good look at it, there were barely traces of the harsh home that he had grown within. His past seemed like a little layer of what he could clearly see was the new beginning of someone determined to start afresh after she had been given the opportunity.

Thinking of his wife reminded him of why he had returned in the first place, and the anger he had simmered in on the way back to Morland Estate began to boil over.

“Ernest, tell my wife to meet me in my study. Now.” He instructed the butler as he marched inside the house.

Within the walls of his home, he felt like a stranger, momentarily disoriented by the lack of colors and furniture that had existed for practically the entirety of his life. Instead of the bold tones his mother had preferred, the new duchess appeared to favor warmer hues.

Julian grunted in annoyance and continued the walk to his study, thankful to find that it was still the way he had left it. He had barely shrugged off his coat when a knock at his door claimed his attention.

“Enter.” He commanded, folding his arms expectantly.

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. Her skin 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 name was 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.

“Watch your mouth,” Julian snapped, stepping into her space, deriving a touch of satisfaction at the way her eyes widened and she pursed her lips immediately.

“You have disrespected me enough. I will get to the bottom of this and find out who his parents are. Just ensure that he is looked after properly.”

This close, it was difficult not to get lost in her eyes and scent. She smelled of berries and those defiant eyes made him want to see it fill with tears.

Anna looked ready to retort, but thought against it, responding.

“Do what you will, then.” She stated, before turning to leave.

Julian’s hand darted out to hold her back, eliminating the space between them once more as he leaned his face close to hers and warned,

“There will not be another repeat of this. You will not challenge me again. Do you understand?”

She nodded with a glare and he let go of her hand to hold her chin instead and he instructed. “Say it. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes… Your Grace.”

His eyes flickered to her lips, and then he released his hold over her and walked away, frustrated by the swirl of conflicted emotions within his chest.

He couldn’t deny that he was quite annoyed by the situation, but he was even more irritated by how easily his wife had come to the conclusion that the child had belonged to him.

It would seem she had no regard for him whatsoever, which lent heavily to the lack of trust that surfaced with the arrival of the child.

“When I find the parents, I swear to God, they will pay for this,” he muttered angrily.

All Julian had ever wanted was to live a life free of scrutiny and trouble.

Unfortunately, the former came along with his title, so he had no choice but to double his efforts to avoid the latter.

He had seen how much a careless living had affected his parents’ marriage, and in turn, impacted their family and swore to do better.

And he thought he’d done exceptionally thus far, managing to evade scandals and stories of his misbehavior cunningly.

Until he found himself trapped with a woman in a conservatory and was caught by her side.

Julian felt foolish, for letting her tempt and rile him up enough for him to fall into her trap. Proposing was only necessary because too many people had seen them and he couldn’t avoid doing the ‘right’ thing, even though he had done nothing wrong in the first place.

It angered him to no end that he had given her what she had wanted, had played right into her hands, and granted her the satisfaction of earning what she had wanted all along.

The separation of their lives was meant to be a compromise that would suit and serve them both.

And for the most part, it had worked for him and the lack of contact from her made him believe she was content with her life away from him as well.

Now, the appearance of this child had thrown their peaceful lives into chaos.

“Ernest,” Julian called with a sigh, aching to return to his life of simplicity and solitude already.

“Yes, Your Grace?” the butler responded, falling into step behind him.

“Have someone ask around the town for any news on mothers with children who are only a year old. And find out the whereabouts of the children – and their parents. It is likely the child’s mother or father dropped him here with the intention of fleeing from these parts.

Be discreet and quick.” Julian instructed.

“Very well,” Ernest bowed before slipping away.