Destined For A Duke (Completed)

Chapter 30

Ella and Max left for the meet and greet soon after breakfast. Ella was still shocked by the casual behavior of servants with Max. She wanted to believe that her husband was a good man but experience stopped her from doing so. Peers were never considerate when it came to servants.

Ella's father always said that if a man treated his inferiors with kindness, he is a gentleman. She always felt that being a peer and being a gentleman were two different things. So many of them behaved like animals. So every time Max would do something against her belief, Ella would feel her resolve break.

She was already falling for the man and could feel herself fall deeper in love with her husband's kindness. Ella felt as if she was living in a dream and would wake up at any moment. No man was born perfect. Soon she would see the ugliness that was hidden in Max and her heart would break. If she wanted to protect her heart, she would have to constantly remind herself that it is all temporary.

Ella refused to make eye contact with her husband throughout the carriage ride. Max tried to start a conversation multiple times but she would put an end to it with her short and clipped answers. As soon as their carriage stopped, Max was surrounded by his people. They were fighting so hard to catch Max's attention.

Ella saw her escape. She got down from the carriage and quickly left to enter a nearby building before anyone could notice her presence. Ella winced when the bell rang to alert the owner of her presence. When she was safely inside, she looked behind her to see if anyone noticed her leaving.

"He is quite handsome. Don't you think so too?" Ella was still staring at faces in the crowd to see if anyone was looking in her direction when the voice startled her. Beside her was an old woman who kept her eyes on Max. She was small and bent because of her age. Even at such an advanced stage of life, she was a beauty. If Ella had seen her elsewhere, she was positive that she would have looked at her twice.

"Yes, he's a looker." Ella could not being herself to say more. She was standing in a mercantile with a woman she just met and was discussing the looks of a man she was married to. Ella was positive that today would be full of surprises.

"He takes after his father you know, but he has his mother's eyes. Sometimes I feel as if I'm standing in presence of the old Duke but then he looks at me with such kindness. His father was a cold calculating animal. Amelia raised him well." Ella was shocked to the woman refer to Aunt Amelia so casually. Maybe they were childhood friends?

"Yes, she did. Aunt Amelia is an extraordinary woman." Ella thought of the crazy old bat whom she loved dearly now. She missed her antics.

"Hard times make extraordinary people. I'm afraid that Amelia had a hard life." With that the old woman looked at Ella to smile at her. Ella was stood in stunned silence as the woman with Max's blue eyes stared at her. She was about to speak up when the bell on mercentile's door rang again. Before she could turn around, Ella heard a familiar voice.

"Ah! You have already met her." Ella turned around so fast that her head started spinning. Luck was not on her side. She entered the building that Max decided to visit first.

Ella watched as Max went forward to hug the old woman and kissed her forehead. She stood like a statue as he asked her if her joints were swelling up again.

"My dear, your beautiful wife and I have not been properly introduced. Don't forget the manners that your Aunt gave you boy, she will be so disappointed." The old lady slapped Max's shoulder lightly, as one would slap their child. They both turned to look at Ella.

Ella missed the whole introduction as she stared at the similar shades of blue looking at her. Were the two of them related? Was she an aunt as well? Why didn't Max say anything? She recovered from her shock when she saw the two of them staring at her.

"Nice to meet you too." Ella gave a deep curtsey at the end. When she was done, Max and the old woman started laughing. Ella blushed furiously as she realized that she must have made a mistake.

"My dear, this scoundrel was making excuses for his lack of manners. He blamed your beauty for distracting him. We have still not been introduced." The woman said with a smile. It transformed her, if Ella thought she was beautiful before, she was breathtaking now.

"No worries. This is Ella, my Duchess. Ella, this is Mary. She's a special family friend." Ella saw Mary's smile drop for a second and realized that Max must have said something offensive.

He did not introduce her as family. They were so alike that even Ella could see slight resemblance between them. They both had blue eyes and a Persian nose. Their blue was so unique that it stood out. Was Max so vain that he had trouble accepting that his relatives were not aristocrats? Will he do the same to Ella and her children? Will she dear her child's brown skin like Bella? This trip was turning out to be the worst of her life.