Page 22 of The Duke's Return
With a gracious nod, he continued his story about how the other gentlemen grew weary of the chase. They had gone in afew circles. They spotted other game, and began to split up. But Julian had started the chase, and he wanted to follow through.
“Eventually, I reached a thicket so thick my horse couldn’t breach it, so I went on foot. Then I was on hands and knees with my pistol in hand because that was all I could manage. By then, I was entirely turned around. Then I heard one of my dogs. A keening howl. They had found something.” He paused dramatically. “Just then, the bushes beside me began to shake. I could sense something there. Not a dog and certainly not a horse.”
Genevieve leaned forward. “Was it a pheasant?”
“No. It was a goose.” She exclaimed loudly, cutting off a short laugh. Julian’s lips curled as he recalled the memory. It hadn’t been funny then, but he’d learned to look back and laugh. “A very angry goose, mind you, who thought my nose was his next snack.”
“Goodness gracious! Whatever happened?”
“I took him home, of course. A few others had caught pheasants. Someone claimed a rabbit. We feasted. I requested we stuff the goose for the walls, but the household refused to help and I found I do not have the stomach for it. Not then, I didn’t,” he added low under his breath. War had a way of changing a man, after all.
But Genevieve hadn’t heard. She shook her head and chuckled over his story. The sound was soothing to his ears as well as his heart, allowing him an opportunity to relax at the supper table. He clung to the feeling that resembled victory, all warm in his chest, as he heard his wife enjoying herself.
Maybe, just maybe, they could survive the next thirty days together.
CHAPTER 9
Genevieve nodded at the kitchen maid who delivered the final course, dessert, to their supper table.
There was a pause in the conversation when the final couple of dishes had been brought out, along with the occasional hold while she chewed or Julian had to think. Even in the gaps, the quiet, she didn’t think there was too much awkward or tension. It was practically a companionable meal.
This wasn’t at all what I expected.
She couldn’t resist glancing over at him as he smiled at the maid before looking down at his plate. They were having orange jelly with fruits and nuts. Already full, she wasn’t certain she would be able to manage another bite. But there was Julian diving into the sweet like they hadn’t already enjoyed several fine courses.
Everyone said fare was typically simpler when out in the country since households couldn’t always rely on large markets. But they were prepared here. Though the butler had said earlier they weren’t quite ready for their arrival––her bath water had beenchilly and there was still dust on the frames––but they had done much better than she might have expected with supper.
Much of this has actually gone better than I thought it would. The estate is beautiful, Julian is behaving himself, I’ve managed to keep my tongue in, and the meal was delicious. It all feels like a very strange dream.
“Don’t you like jelly?”
She blinked, glancing from her plate to her husband. It was impossible to take that word seriously. For nearly a year, the word had been nothing but emptiness to her. Before that, it had been an intimidating shadow.
Now, it was him.
The lift of his eyebrow could mean many a thing, she was learning in the short time they had spent in one another’s company. He raised one or both at any given time depending on what he was saying and what he wanted his words to mean. Amusement, suspicion, or concern.
“I’m sure it’s very good.” Genevieve set her finger down. “I’m not sure I can bring myself to eat another bite.”
“Surely a few more?”
She managed a tight smile. “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t prone to sweets?”
Both eyebrows lifted and she had to restrain her smile from widening. “Hardly. I cannot imagine a sweet face like yours not enjoying a bite of dessert. Especially not when it’s jelly.”
“Do you like jelly?”
“It’s a silly thing to put in your mouth,” Julian admitted with a self-effacing grin. “That’s what makes it all the more fun. As a child, it was an easy treat. I used to pretend it was all sorts of things with the nuts and squish them, like I was eating bugs.”
She wrinkled her nose as her stomach twisted. “Now, I don’t think I could take a bite if I tried.”
“I thought you were braver than that.”
“Oh no, do not mock me. I will not rise to the teasing. I have more pride than that,” she said defensively. There was a smile pulling at her lips she was hard pressed to let free. It was even harder when he played with his eyebrows. She stifled a giggle and shook her head.
“Very well, I will not press you further. It simply means I can enjoy dessert myself. And the rest of the servants. Unless…?”
“No,” she insisted. “I swear it, I am stuffed as those pheasants. Not another bite, truly.”
