All The Little Things

Chapter 2

Blindly Maybelle tore at the confines of her dress until she was stripped down to the barest.

He always had that thing about him that sort to humiliate everyone that stood up to him till they felt inferior to his person.

Why did she always put up with it, she wondered, when all it did was make her heart ache even more?!

Of course, it didn't help at all that she had to be pathetically in love with her husband, right from the first time she saw him, when her mother has told her her duty to wed the Duke as was arranged by his grandfather.

That was it for her. There was no coming out season, not that they couldn't afford it. The Marquis of Graham had coffers deep enough to afford a season for a quarter of the ladies of Bath, but there was just no need for it. She was betrothed and he had come immediately to claim her. The marriage pact itself had been a small affair in honour of the pledge, one that had been made by their both grandparents and he's being the Duke of Sussex, wouldn't be slighted by any presumptions.

The only thing that had mattered to her then was that she had fallen for him upon first glance, and who wouldn't. He stood a head above everyone one else and despite his lack of manners and frankly arrogant display of aristocratic indifference, he had held an appeal that always drew to her innocent heart.

She was in love with him and despite every struggle her married life had unfolded for the both of them, she had stayed in love with him. That pathetic state may have been what drew him to love her as well, at least to try and here they were. Past being strangers, even past tolerating each other to actually attempting to feel for each other.

She clutched her chest walking to the full body mirror and stared at her body. Childbirth had graciously worn her body down, Zachariah had been the first. His birth had shaken her fragile seventeen year old body, almost brought about her death. The midwife had said that if she could survived the first birth the others will not be as painful, but even she hadn't envisioned the twins that came years after. Estelle and Gabrielle, both named after their grandmothers.

Twins, identical in every physical attributes, even right down to their voice but that was were it all ended. While Gabrielle took to the quiet composure, Estelle was the bolder of the two taking to airing her voice the recent fashions of the society.

Little Marc had come as a surprise, just seven years ago and he was her pride and joy, no one had as much love for him as she does. She lifted the sheets to ensure he hadn't snuck into her room and waited up for as he often did.

She sighed rubbing her wrists. It's been forty years and counting out of which she'd been the duchess of Sussex for twenty-four years, she'd been his wife and the mother of his children for that long and sometimes, just sometimes she wished she knew how to speak to him, what his patterns were. Sometimes, she wished she knew her husband a bit more than he let her.

There was a knock at the door, recognizing her handmaid's voice, she quickly covered up and replied to enter, door creaking behind as her maid walked in and began attending to her.

"Nancy I would love to take a wash now, please draw me a hot bath."

"I apologize your Grace. A bath was drawn for you in the master's chambers. If you wish to have a wash here instead I can arrange for it "

"Yes, thank you Nancy."

The next few minutes were followed by a furry of activities to install a bath tub and soon steaming water was ready for her bath. As soon as the servants exited the room, she sank into the hot tub relaxing as the hot water worked it's way through her aching body.

"I made sure the young master MarcAnthony is asleep before coming here my lady, he will not be in here either, Your Grace."

"Thank you Nancy. He had his supper on time?"

"Yes My Lady. He ate before the guest arrived and has been tucked in since."

"Thank you Nancy. What about the twins?"

"They're both excited at the returning of the young master. Miss Gabrielle stayed up reading and went to sleep about two hours ago, miss Estelle has been asleep already. She wouldn't want to dull any energy, she says."

Maybelle smiled getting out of the tub after a thorough scrubbing, "Tell me how their day went." She drifted off into listening as Nancy continued, brushing her hair.

A knock at her door brought her out of her daze, Nancy rose to answer it, "Please inform His Grace that I am asleep and you may leave now. Thank you."

But the Duke was inside the room before Nancy rose. Maybelle got up regardless, taking off the robe off her night dress and climbed onto the bed. Malcolm waited till the maid left before he shut the door behind him. When he found her in her chambers instead of his, he knew he may have gone a bit too far.

Glancing at the image on the bed, he watched her turn on her side to avoid looking at him altogether. This was just going back to where they were some years before. If she wasn't going to sleep yet, he'd come to her instead. He began undressing for sleep well aware that she was conscious of his every move.

As his weight pressed into the bed, she shifted in the bed and when his hands searched for her hips he felt her stilled abruptly. So, he began dropping light kisses on her shoulders, but she didn't respond to him. A couple minutes passed by and he exited the room. Maybelle reached into the bed to amass as much warmth as she could, though she knew she won't be getting any sleep for a while.

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