“Where’s Erna?” Bjorn asked.
The head maid, Karen, flinched and swallowed hard upon hearing Bjorn’s stern words.
These days, Bjorn asked that question as a kind of greeting, causing all the servants in the Grand Dukes household to speculate a lot on the Grand Duchess’ movements. It wasn’t that they feared reprimand for not providing an adequate answer, but because of the disdainful look on the Prince. He looked like he was ready to cast anyone out that wronged him.
“I believe Her Highness is in her bedroom, taking a bath,” Karen said, pulling the words out.
Bjorn strode down the hallway’s in a hurry, taking huge, open strides toward the Grand Duchess door. It had been a taxing day to say the least, with Duchess Arsene’s intrusion and Leonid’s impudent behaviour. To top it all off, a letter had depleted Bjorn’s last reserves of patience.
The letter from the Baroness Baden came to him and not to Erna, pleading him to let Erna stay at Baden Street. Erna’s exhausted face came to his mind, the face of a woman that would divorce him should he wish it. Had she really come down to begging her own Grandma for help to escape the palace?
“Your Highness,” Lisa said, catching sight of him heading for the bathroom.
“Move,” Bjorn said.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess has not finished her bath yet.”
“I said move,” Bjorn practically shouted, but Lisa did not falter.
“Doctor Erickson said not to do it until at least next month.”
“What are you…” Bjorn realised what Lisa meant.
“Your Highness, please, just wait a little, think of the child.”
“Lisa, I’m not,” Bjorn almost burst into laughter. Though taken aback, Lisa was still in his way, Should I just kill her?
As he gave the matter some serious thought, he could hear water splashing on the other side of the door.
“It’s okay Lisa,” Erna’s soft voice came through the door.
“But…”
“I said it’s okay, let him in.”
Obeying the command, Lisa reluctantly stepped aside. She scowled at Bjorn as he moved past her to the door.
I should really kill her.
Bjorn went through the door into a steam filled room. Ray’s of sunshine illuminated thick, drifting clouds of moisture. For a moment, Bjorn had forgotten why he had come and looked at his wife, glistening from a film of water on her pale skin. Then he noticed it.
“The baby bump…” he said softly.
Erna’s belly was still flat, but the way Erna sat, hunched forward in the water, Bjorn thought he could see the first signs of his child. His mood became divergent from his intentions and thoughts spilled from his mind. Though he realised that he didn’t really care.
“No, according to the doctors, we will probably not see a bump for another week or two.” Erna replied absently.
“Well, I don’t really know about that, but what I do know is your chest,” Bjorn said, shifting his gaze up.
Erna blushed, though it was hard to tell, she was flush from the heat of the bath, but the change to her breasts was evident. Erna looked away, as if in shame and brought her knees up to hug them. Erna’s guard reminded Bjorn of why he was here, but his anger had been blunted considerably.
Now that he had calmed down and became more rational, he realised his outburst had been misplaced and he was acting foolishly.
Erna was not the kind of person to use her Grandmother in such a manner. Neither was the Baroness Baden. She was just a loving old woman concerned about her Granddaughter, who was grappling with the challenge of pregnancy. Once he came to terms with that, the anger vanished altogether.
“Why are you here Bjorn?” Erna looked at him, confused.
Bjorn looked away from Erna, affording her some dignity and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. He let out a sigh. He felt like such a despicable fool.
“I, er… wanted to ask if you wanted to eat dinner together,” the unexpected words came out. “I will prepare it.”
Without waiting for a response, Bjorn left the bathroom. As he opened the door, Lisa stood right at the threshold, a face of murder. Bjorn made his way past her without taking much notice.
Once clear of the Grand Duchess’ suite, he let out a laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair.
“You crazy bastard,” he chuckled to himself.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
The Grand Ducal couples dinning table was set on the balcony, overlooking the magnificent fountain and the garden.
Erna sat at the table, looking as elegant as ever in her evening gown. Bjorn arrived earlier and greeted her with a tender gaze and a smile, trying to recapture the mood of the earlier days, of blissful togetherness.
Erna tried to smile, as if attempting to banish the dark mood within her, but it felt hollow. She aimed to be the charming corsage this man wanted her to be. At present, what Bjorn wanted and what she could offer were two completely different things.
The pleasant summer evening was accompanied by a soothing breeze. As the night deepened, the candles grew brighter. Their conversations run smoothly and the food was delicious.
“The Baroness sent me a letter,” Bjorn said.
Erna was caught off guard and paused as she brought the last bite of Sea Bass to her mouth. She stared at Bjorn, wide eyed.
“She asked if you would like to stay at Baden Street for awhile.”
Despite her strong desire to be with her Grandmother, she felt compelled to lie. If her Grandmother, who had suffered a heart attack after last years scandal, were to see the situation now, it might have serious consequences. The mere thought of it sent Erna into shock. It would be better to keep a distance from her Grandmother for a little wile.
But if she could escape to Buford, even for just a little while.
“Did you reply already?” Erna asked, then stuffed the Sea Bass into her mouth.
“Yes, I told her it would be better for you to stay here,” he smiled lightly and took a sip of wine. “Mostly because it would be more continent for the child to have access to a doctor. You would not have that in the remotest parts of the country. Plus the travel in your weakened condition.”
The candlelight highlighted Bjorn’s lips, he almost looked like he cared. While Erna’s eyes only deepened in the candlelight.
“Yes,” Erna said without difficulty.
Everything Bjorn said made sense. Erna could fully understand that it was the most rational decision for her and her child. She just had to accept that.
“Instead, I will bring the Baroness here.”
“No,” the answer was abrupt. “I just, I like things the way they are.”
The words had no strength to them, but saying them was easy. The anxiety she had felt suddenly became meaningless and empty. Perhaps the road to becoming a good wife was this easy all along. Frustrated, she wandered along the thorny road on her own, a road that wasn’t really a road.
“Erna…”
“Really, Bjorn, I’m okay. Thank you for caring so much.”
After that, Erna averted her gaze from Bjorn, fortunately, the next dish was served promptly and the uncomfortable silence was replaced with their eating.
The breeze that blew in from the river was no longer a soothing cool, but a chill. The sound of the fountains water gurgled out of the deepening night and added to the ambiance of the summer night.
Erna’s demeanour seemed a little brighter, although Bjorn knew it was just a polite smile, he refrained from commenting. It will be difficult to go back to the way things were. Bjorn accepted that and filled his empty wine glass.
After emptying the glass almost immediately, he filled it again and looked at Erna, who was still casting her eyes away from him and down to the fountain. He found himself unable to look away from her, captivated by her beauty, her windswept hair, light blue ribbons and the white linen dress that draped over her slender figure.
When he made the decision to marry Erna, he had already considered Walter Hardy’s temperament. As long as he stayed within his boundaries, there wouldn’t be any issues, but, if he crossed that ling, he knew he would need to take care of it promptly, there were no cases outside of the boundaries.
Bjorn had no intention of divorcing Erna and definitely not because of Walter Hardy, but he also lacked the drive to pursue the matter aggressively. He felt that cutting Walter out of Erna’s life and moving on was sufficient. He had never considered Erna’s position on the matter, he assumed that no matter what challenges she faced, so long as she was by his side, she would have the best life she could hope for.
It was, or at least, it should have been.
Bjorn refilled his glass.
The glass quickly emptied again, but it did little to satiate the intense thirst. He looked intently at Erna, even thought she wasn’t looking at him.
In order to prevent Walter Hardy’s incarceration, Bjorn had to pay out a hefty sum. He wasn’t overly concerned, he had provided the Hardy’s with enough funds to relocate far away from here. Establish a new life. He didn’t worry about them and only thought of Erna.
Bjorn didn’t care if Walter went to prison, or if his family ended up homeless on the streets. As long as Erna was safe and happy, that was all that mattered to him. He hoped that Erna’s life as his wife would be less painful going forward and help her forget about her unsavoury father, even if it was impossible to fully remove the shadow of Gladys. Bjorn was willing to meet any cost to avert trouble for Erna, just to see her smile again, her eyes shine bright, for her to whisper his name.
But why is she…
Bjorn’s train of thought came to an abrupt end when he realised the wine bottle was empty. Erna still hadn’t looked at him.
Why are you like this to me?
Bjorn decided against using the call bell and getting another bottle brought out. Instead, he closed his eyes and attempted to organise his thoughts. When he opened them again, his eyes were that of a cold, calculating banker.
“Erna.”
As he calmly called her name, Erna turned to look at him. Her face was undeniably beautiful, but it wasn’t the face that matched the price he had paid.
“Smile.”
There was nothing left that could be considered an expression on Bjorn’s face, which made demands of her without hesitation.
Erna blinked, her blank eyes staring and gently raised the corners of her lips. She was like a well behaved child. Although things were not the same as before, it was a necessity and therefore, worth it. Time would pass and there was a child coming to the world. That meant he would still emerge victorious.
“Again,” he said in a much lower tone, the original Bjorn Dniester composure.
Erna hesitated, but smiled again, prettier than last time. He deserved to have it.