The Lord and his Lady (Forbidden #2)

Chapter Twenty

The turning of heavy carriage wheels and clopping of horse hooves echoed behind them, the trills of people hustling by to their desired destination fading as they entered Catherine's Cakes.

Belinha scoured the rows of cakes and pastries displayed before pointing to an odd, crescent shaped bread. "What of that?"

"I think that's a croissant," said the Duchess from behind her shoulder. "I miss those."

Miss them? She straightened up. "You can always buy them again, my lady. They're right here."

She chuckled. "It's a bit complicated."

Belinha didn't ask in case it was personal. She had had enough of prying into personal affairs for one day. She was sure Lord Beau, if he hadn't already hated her with a passion before, hated her more now.

"It's the Duchess," whispered the woman behind the counter. She had dark beads for eyes and a large beaky nose that hooked up when she smiled. "I haven't seen you around in a while, my lady!"

"Things have been more than a little hectic, Catherine."

Catherine? "Are you the owner of this establishment?" Belinha asked, gathering the attention of the woman. She expected a sneer or a wrinkled chin but the woman only beamed.

"That indeed I am. My husband owns the building but it is my cakes and pastries that sell."

There were a couple of women behind them on tables, chattering and sipping coffee. The Duchess pointed to one near the high arched window that overlooked the streets of people hustling and dawdling by to their destination in closer detail.

"You want to sit there, Louise?"

"Anywhere will do for me, my lady."

"Honestly, you're going to have to stop calling me that eventually."

"It is too disrespectful to even think."

As they bought two pastries and two coffees, they went over to the table that the Duchess had chosen and sat opposite each other. Never in her life had she ever thought this would be a chance in her life.

To sit and eat like nobility and not worry about anything.

To sit opposite nobility and eat like equals.

There was no need to worry about hurrying back to her master, polishing shoes, cooking meals and cleaning. She had her own freedom, choices that were her own to make. Years of always having something to do made her shift in her seat; not doing anything and only eating was as if she was doing nothing in her life.

As if she was worth nothing more than work.

"Did you used to come by here often?" she asked, taking a sip of the coffee. The sweetness mixed with the bitter foam made her relax; this was coffee. This was what the aroma of dark roasted beans in the air tasted like.

It was an odd taste, one she didn't know if she really liked or not. It grew on her the more sips she took.

"Yeah, with Beau and Richard when they were both much younger. We used to do a lot of things together as a family but as the boys got older, they began to do their own thing. We're not an ordinary family. There are responsibilities. Sometimes I wish we never had them." The Duchess fingered the porcelain cup with a dainty brown finger.

A deep drop in her stomach sprang back. The Duchess looked so torn, she looked aged. It didn't do her pretty features any good.

"My lady, may I ask what you used to do as a family?" she asked, wanting to change that frown into a smile. "I would like to hear about it."