A Noble Marriage - Chapter 64

Chapter 64 – Karenin In Laces

“Anna.” Karenin whispered.

Anna panicked for a second before a small snort of laughter left her lips. She quickly pressed her lips together and blinked once as she locked her eyes on Karenin who was walking towards her. His gait was firm and his expression was calm, but because she knew him, she knew something was wrong.

From his familiar leather shoes and well-tailored trousers, that showcased his long legs, to the hem of his uniform coat and his navy-blue scarf, all greeted her silently. Finally, when Karenin came to her, she had to look up slightly. She looked up from his chin to his Adam’s apple, and at last at his stormy ocean eyes.

“You came to pick me up, didn’t you?” Anna chirped before he could open his mouth and swayed giddily from side to side as she smiled shyly, when in reality she was a bit scared of what his reaction would be.

Karenin looked down at his youthful wife, with her black hair mischievously exposed from the brim of the hat, thin and delicate eyebrows, big eyes and plump red lips. He raised his hand and took off her hat, much to Anna’s bewilderment, and saw the black hair pinned up on her head.

His inexperienced hands reached for the tight coils and groped blindly for the pins that held her hair up. After a few seconds of exploring, he finally got it right and watched the wild curly hair slip down her shoulders.

Karenin’s slender fingers slid onto Anna’s round cheeks. Under his own darker skin, his wife’s skin color was like ivory. He hooked up a curl between his index finger and thumb, brushed it behind her ear.

“Dressed up as a doorman, huh?”

That sentence was posed as a question, but it seemed like an accusation beneath a hundred hurt feelings. Anna couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She put her hands in front of her, locking her fingers together, and made a gesture of “forgive me”.

“Pavel, Annushka’s cousin, goes to Mr. Maillard’s house…” she began her tale and honestly told Karenin everything.

As Karenin heard his wife’s lies, his eyes widened a fraction, but that was enough for Anna.

“I know, I know, I was wrong!” Anna began to beg for mercy, then blinked again, “but you didn’t recognize me, did you? Doesn’t this mean that I did it successfully. Now my previous ideas are feasible, right?”

Her words made Karenin silent for a moment before he put the hat on her head again. He looked at her, really looked. His eyes stayed on the “unshaven stubble” for a long moment.

Facing this handsome doorman, Karenin broke the silence and asked: “Are you hungry?”

Anna nodded eagerly. She had been ready to go to the kitchen and sneak something to eat, but she had been called over by Mr. Peter at Karenin’s orders at the very last minute. She hadn’t eaten yet and regretted sending Annushka to bed, but not enough to feel like she shouldn’t have. She didn’t think it right to involve others too much while she was fooling around.

But husbands aren’t others, are they?

“Did you hear my stomach growl?” She grinned at him.

“No.”

She stared up at Karenin’s stoic face as her mind churned up her options. Karenin’s family didn’t have a habit of preparing a midnight or even a post-dinner snack. Three scheduled meals were the only ones served. Anna herself didn’t have the habit of eating in the middle of the night. Which is why they were in a problem now. She had three options to fight the lack of food.

Dig up Sasha from her sleep like a vampire.

Drag herself to prepare something to eat.

Ask Karenin to prepare something.

A strange expression crossed her face as Karenin saw his wife looking at him eagerly, and him being a wise man, he instantly understood what she meant. He frowned as he thought about it carefully.

“I’m not good at cooking.”

Sure enough, Anna sighed.

She really didn’t expect men of this age to cook, especially those who were rich and powerful like her husband.

Karenin saw her deflate and couldn’t help himself from blurting out.

“Is curry soup and bread okay?”

Anna’s eyes rushed back to him.

“You know how to make it?”

“I can’t say.” He said uncertainly.

“But…”

“I know what to do, but I haven’t tried making it.” Karenin answered her unspoken question, then as if inspired by something, took Anna by the hand and led her to the kitchen.

On the way they met Kearney, and Karenin told him that they would be using the kitchen temporarily.

“I can…”

“No need, Kearney.” Karenin directed and continued leading Anna to the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Karenin took in his surroundings thoroughly. Although he had lived in this house for a long while, it was the first time he had set foot in the kitchen. The cook he hired kept the place in good order, and the kitchen utensils were scrubbed spotlessly.

Anna stood by and watched her husband get a general understanding of the structure of the kitchen. He then took off his coat, untied his cuffs, and pulled his shirt sleeves to his elbows, all of which was done in a blink of an eye. In an instant, Karenin was holding a potato in his right hand. She decided to mess with him a bit.

“Here, so your clothes don’t get dirty.” Anna handed him a white lacy apron and tried her best to hold her giggles.