Changing Her Stars

Chapter Eleven

The rainy season had begun and much like the past years, each day that transpired was gloomier and darker and wetter than the last. The harvest had been collected, dried, and sorted, and now, the land would rest for the next couple of months. Time passed in a vortex for Leira.

It had not been as difficult as she had first anticipated to learn how to manage the Montero estates. She took to it quite naturally, which surprised herself as well as the staff. The only one who hadn’t been fazed was the duke himself, at least, that was the general impression from the letters he occasionally sent when asking for updates. In fact, it felt more like she was just meeting expectations instead of impressing him with her skills and ability to learn quickly. It had already been many months of her being the Duchess, and things had settled into a quiet routine. The duke had been away for business for the entity of almost two seasons, leaving her to completely run the household without his oversight. She was grateful for the limited help she received from the staff in the beginning when she needed it most, especially in an unfamiliar area.

After the last conversation the two had had in person, and after he had left, the duke informed her through correspondence that she would go to his countryside home and property, away from the capital where he had continued to conduct his business. She spent roughly a week traveling in a carriage from the city of Loris to his personal estate near the Elvin border and into the smaller city of Avenin. She had arrived without a proper reception, assigned a room in the guest quarters, and then was told she needed to begin managing the estate the next day.

It had taken some time to win the staff over, but they warmed up to her once they saw how hard she worked to support the harvest and then for the upcoming winter months. Since she had only arrived with a smattering of dresses, and with her husband nowhere to be seen, she had chosen to live a modest lifestyle, which appealed to and softened the people of Avenin. In her first month, she stabilized the food shortage, carefully planning for the colder months, and had worked with the people to build better housing and an orphanage that was adjacent to the Montero Castle. She had always had a soft spot for children and wanted to keep her eye on the orphanage. She did all this without the duke’s explicit approval and constantly dreaded his return in case he was displeased with her for making such decisions without his permission.

However, her fears were soon realized when she obtained a letter stating that he was returning to the castle. And, that day had finally arrived. Naturally, the house was in a frenzy to get ready for him. The staff were thrilled to have the master of the house back, since it had been some time since his last stay.

Leira stared at herself in the mirror as the maids flitted around her to get her ready. She had lost weight since he had last seen her, as she had worked herself to the bone to take care of his property. The maids had dressed her in the fanciest dress she had arrived with, as she hadn’t seen the need to waste money on expensive dresses when there were people starving.

She wore a tasteful velvet, maroon dress with gold threading outlining the swooping neckline and small delicate cap sleeves on her shoulders. The corset cinched her waist, and the skirt of the gown cascaded down to the floor. Her hair hung in loose, natural curls, but was pinned back out of her face. Her face wore the bare minimum of make-up because, again, she didn’t want to waste the duke’s money on such frivolities. She hardly recognized herself in the mirror, though she couldn’t find it within herself to care much.

“M’lady, the master iz almos ‘ere,” one of her maids, Lilla said meekly.

Leira adored the maid. She was a sweet and shy girl, who had practically fainted when Leira assigned her as one of her personal maids.

“Thank you, Lilla,” Leira replied.

Taking one last look at the woman in the mirror, she sighed before standing. She had grown used to the quiet of the castle. She had grown fond of living without her husband. She briefly wondered how long he would stay. She hoped it wasn’t long.

Walking down to the entrance of the castle, she waited at the top of the stairs with the staff as an entourage approached the house. Soldiers on horseback led a carriage followed by wagons and other people through the front gates and into the courtyard.

Leira braced herself as she watched a tall, handsome man exit the carriage. His gaze scrutinized her, and all she wanted to do was hide. But, she couldn’t.

He walked up to her and she bowed her head in welcome.

“Your Grace, welcome home,” she said, her tone even and emotionless.

“Leira,” he breathed, grabbing her hand and placing his lips on the back of it. “I’ve missed you.”

She refused to meet his burning gaze. She refused to believe him. Had he missed her, he wouldn’t have been away for so long. He wouldn’t have left without a word to her. He would’ve–

Her eyes caught sight of a dirty blond head. A huge grin. Warm, brown eyes.

“Leira,” the man said, walking up to her and bowing gallantly.

Astonishment ran through her entire body as tears pricked her eyes. Unable to comprehend what was unfolding before her, she looked from the duke to the man to the duke and then back at the man standing before her, her mouth agape. Without another moment of hesitation, she threw all decorum out the door and grabbed the man into a fierce hug.

“Ezair!” she gleefully squealed into his ear. “I– How– Is it really you?”

He pulled back and continued grinning at her. “In the flesh and all in one piece, as requested by one Leira Chancer, err, rather Leira Montero now.”

“I–I can’t believe it,” she smiled, turning to look over at the duke. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he replied, his face unreadable. “Now, I need to retire from the long journey. Catch up with your old friend.”

Before she had a chance to respond, the duke disappeared through the doors, leaving her, Ezair, and the staff slightly puzzled. Deciding to shake it off, she turned her attention back to her former guard and grabbed his arm.

“Tell me everything since you were thrown out and left me by myself! Come on, why don’t you fill me in over a cup of tea or two,” Leira then giggled as she pulled him into the house. “How long has it been? Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. I’m just glad to see you after so long!”

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” he asked as Leira led them inside the mansion and towards a small study off of the main hallway.

Maids scuttled around them, setting up a table with cups and light refreshments. The room itself had a cozy feeling, and Leira often found herself in the room to either work on paperwork or to simply enjoy a moment to herself.

When walking into the room, the full left wall was floor to ceiling, ornate windows with gold trim that looked into the garden. There was a fireplace on the far wall, heating the room and keeping the chill at bay during the colder months. A small desk and chair were nestled between the fireplace and sitting area that had a couch and a few chairs in the center of the room. Her papers covered the desk, but she ignored them, choosing to sit in one of the chairs. Ezair sat across from her.

“Well? Tell me everything!” she said, clapping her hands together. “Where did you go? And what adventures did you experience? You promised me that you would see the world since I couldn’t afford such a luxury.”

Ezair smiled at her, even as he took in his surroundings. “You’ve done well for yourself, Leira, I mean, Your Grace.”

“Please,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Just Leira to you. No titles. We never used those before, so why bother now?”

“I’m happy to see you here, really. Duke Montero seems like a man who can–”

“Ezair,” Leira cut him off. “Can you please tell me about you? Everything you’ve experienced? Let’s not, uh, let’s not ruin this happy reunion.”

Sitting back, he slowly nodded. Her entire demeanor had changed the moment he had brought up the duke. Though he had been away from her for a while, he still recognized when she was uncomfortable.

“The duke said we could begin our lessons, starting tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Really?” she asked, her feelings of happiness and apprehension conflicting within her. “I would love that. I am rather rusty, as I haven’t touched a blade since the day you left.”

“I’m sure it’ll come back to you. Old habits die hard. Until then, let me regale you with my tales.”

The two spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about everything Ezair had done and seen in his time apart from her. When they retired for the night, they promised to begin their lessons early the next morning. Though she hadn’t expected to see the duke at dinner, she was surprised to not have seen him the rest of the evening. She wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved or worried.