Their return took considerably longer. The incline was steep at certain parts and Artizia had to stop occasionally to wait for Beth to catch up. Though they were within Durich territory, they stayed within sight of each other. Neither of them knew what sorts of beasts roamed the forest, though Artizia had not picked up anything dangerous on their run. It was good to remain cautious.
By the time they arrived at the manor’s front courtyard, both women were looking forward to their meal. The sun was no longer high in the sky – they had been gone for nearly three hours and lunch was long passed. Margaret was waiting for them near the front door holding a tray with a pitcher of juice.
Like hungry ghosts, they made a beeline for her, grabbed a glass each and gulped it all down unceremoniously.
“You’re a godsend, Margaret,” Artizia gasped once she was done. “Please never leave me.”
Margaret’s expression was blank, but her eyes were amused when they roamed over the pair. “You were gone for a very long time. Mister Arthur was about to send out the search party.”
“I underestimated how unfit I’ve become.” Artizia said wryly after finishing another glass of juice.
“You’re being too modest, Your Grace,” Beth protested while she poured herself a third glass. “She was waiting for me, Miss Margaret. I couldn’t keep up.”
“As I thought,” the older woman said, turning and leading the way into the manor. “I have prepared a light meal for you in your room, Your Grace. Yours is waiting in the kitchen, Beth.”
The two younger women followed obediently behind her. Was that a halo around her head or were they just too hungry? The pair of mistress and maid exchanged a glance before Beth bobbed a quick curtsy and excused herself, all but skipping towards the kitchen.
Artizia watched her go, slightly envious. She was a regular face in the Azulrain kitchens. Here, however, as the lady of the house, if she showed up to have her meal there the staff might have heart attacks.
There was no rush. They had time to get used to her eccentricities. Right now, the only thing she was concerned about was filling her stomach. Her steps were light as she followed Margaret up the stairs.
“Your Grace?”
Alexander started and turned away from the window to stare at his aide. “What?”
“Are you done reviewing these?” Theo repeated, pointing at the small stack of documents.
“Yes.” Alexander turned back to the window as he said that, slightly disappointed to see that the black-clad figure had disappeared. What on earth had she been wearing? And why had she come from the forest?
He walked back to his seat and fell into it with a huff. Dark eyes followed Theo as he replaced the documents that Alexander had looked through with a new stack.
Documents gathered in his arms; Theo remained where he was as the Duke began perusing the first document. He cleared his throat. “Sir?”
Alexander hummed but didn’t look up.
Theo went on, “How was your dinner last night?”
The Duke’s hands stilled and he looked up at the expectant expression of the man standing in front of him. He took a moment to respond. “Good.”
Theo waited to see if he would add anything else, then asked, “Good?”
“Yes,” Alexander said, returning his attention to the page in front of him. “Good.”
“I… see….”
He didn’t have to look up to know that Theo was looking rather dejected. But he pretended to be immersed in the document he held until the man trudged out of the room. The smile he had been holding in finally broke over his face as the door clicked shut behind his aide.
It was quite fun to tease the man every now and again. Though Theo never knew that Alexander was messing with him because he always kept a poker face on.
He had learned some strange things from Leo.
Dropping the document he had no interest in, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes briefly. The dinner date had been good. He had enjoyed himself more than he thought he would – perhaps because Artizia reminded him so much of Leo, he had found himself at ease in her company.
He would never admit that out loud, of course. Artizia likely would not appreciate being told that she was a stand-in for her brother.
A furrow appeared between his brows as he thought about what he had seen a few seconds ago. Artizia and her maid had come up from the edge of the forest, looking rather haggard. What had they gone in there for?
The pair had been dressed strangely in black skin-tight clothes. Even from this high up he could tell that they left little to the imagination. Should she be walking around in broad daylight in something like that?
He tapped a finger on the desk repeatedly as he considered the thought of going to visit her. The urge was surprisingly strong, but what would he do there? There was no precedent for it – wouldn’t he be putting her on the spot by showing up unannounced?
On the other hand, this was their honeymoon. Wasn’t it stranger for him to be cooped up in the office working instead of spending time getting to know his wife? She had certainly made a point of poking fun at him for it.
Alexander’s eyes travelled over the waiting pile of documents. They seemed to stare back. He closed his eyes against the guilt welling up in him. Was he starting to think that his work was sentient?
He pushed to his feet with determination. It was much too early in his life for him to start going mad. Gods knew his mother would nag him for days if she heard of this.
With quick steps, he arrived at his office door. A startled Theo looked up at the sound of the door opening forcefully.
Alexander paid him no mind, striding across the room to the exit. As he passed Theo’s desk he said, “Take a thirty minute break. I will be back soon.”
“I—Wh—Yes?” Theo stumbled over his words in confusion. He was sure that he heard wrong. But all he was left with was the sound of the door closing behind the Duke.
Alexander nearly turned back or changed destinations many times before he arrived at Artizia’s chambers. Their relationship was still rather ambiguous. Though they were married, he had been so inundated with work that he had not spent time considering what he should be doing as a husband.
Of course, Artizia would probably think that this was just an excuse. It was rather confusing to him – she sometimes seemed to be quite upset, but also appeared to be expecting such treatment. While he was grateful that she was not throwing a fuss over his bad manners, her apparent indifference made him feel somewhat… displeased.
While he waited in front of her door after knocking, he wondered if he was acting too selfishly. This would be the first time he had approached her without any warning, and he had been told by others that women considered it quite rude. After all, they were still mostly strangers to each other.
The older maid opened the door just before Alexander could spin on his heels and escape.
“Your Grace!” She exclaimed. There was a flash of panic on her face that made him regret his impulsive action. She dipped into a quick curtsy. “How may I assist you, Your Grace?”
For a moment, he wondered if it was too late to retreat. “Is Artizia here?”
“Yes, she is having her lunch on the balcony.”
He frowned slightly. “At this hour?”
“Her Grace has just come back from a run.” Margaret explained.
A run? Through the forest? In that outfit?
The maid was watching him carefully. After a short pause, she suggested, “Would you like to join her?”
He blinked. A beat later, he nodded. Then added hastily, “If she doesn’t mind.”
“I shall inform Her Grace,” the maid stood back to usher him into the sitting room. She seemed quite pleased about something.
He had been standing alone for about a minute before the maid returned, a big smile on her face. “Her Grace welcomes you.”
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