The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 38.1

“It would be great to meet in another place in the future,” added Marquise Dyer with a faint smile.

Oddly enough, it sounded very sincere. Vague anticipation and the question of whether Judith could get along with her bloomed in her heart like a flower. Until now, when attending tea parties, she had never heard such sensuality from anyone.

More precisely, everything heard earlier is pretense without a bit of sincerity. Such words for them are equivalent to a regular greeting or dinner. That is why Judith had not even thought about friendship before, avoiding in every possible way any contact with noble ladies outside of tea parties.

The Duchess was afraid that others would try to get closer to her just for the sake of asking more questions about her husband. And knowing that all the rumors, Judith was also afraid of revealing this secret, because outwardly, in society, they always seemed to be an ideal couple.

As a result, hatred towards her husband grew, and the relationship between them worsened. This turned into a vicious circle of evil, in which Judith felt alone, because she simply had nowhere to go, no one to open her heart to, neither in the mansion nor outside it.

And now someone extended his hand to her. And it was the devil who settled in the body of the husband. If he had not appeared in the middle of the tea party and shown affection, Marquise Dyer would have continued to think that the rumors were true. And then Madame would never have apologized to the Duchess for her bad thoughts.

— Thank you for accepting my invitation today. I’ll be glad to see you next time,” Judith escorted the Marquise to the carriage with a gentle smile.

Watching the carriage leaving, the Duchess felt something warm spreading in her chest. This was the first time she had felt this way. Even after the tea party, discontent did not reach its peak, as it usually did. Having the status of Duchess, Judith was always embarrassed and afraid of doing something wrong in front of others. And today something happened – not through her fault, but through the fault of her husband. But for the first time the girl felt so comfortable.

Come to think of it, the girls’ eyes had been watching Judith madly, not believing what was happening, since the moment Derrick appeared in the garden. And even when the Duchess returned after a conversation with her husband, the ladies did not take their eyes off her. That’s because from the outside they looked like an ideal couple.

Until now, the only place where these two could be seen was an official banquet at the Imperial Palace, which required the presence of all the nobility. And it is very difficult to see a couple alone in an ordinary, home environment. For many in social circles, it seemed as possible as touching a star.

And now, when Derrick whispered sweet words into his wife’s ear, the whole world would simply turn upside down. There was no reason for the Duke to appear at the tea party. But the fact that he came out of concern was worth respect. Whatever the goal, everything went well in the end. Now the rumors about Duke may also be put to rest.

“Thank you, Derrick,” she whispered.

Previously, Judith hated her husband for his unexpected behavior, but now she appreciated him precisely for this. After all, it was thanks to this that she felt so calm and good now.

— Madam, shall we clear the table? – asked one of the maids.

– Yes. Where is my husband now?

– In the bedroom.

Leaving the maid to clean up, Judith went straight to him. Previously, the spouses slept separately, but now everything was different. The girl’s bedroom was empty, as if there had never been life there at all. So the Duchess headed to their common room.