The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Eloise rushed out of the chamber, forgetting what she was wearing. Her nightgown clung to her frame, and the necklace Damien gifted her swayed as she moved.

Damien did not call her back. He wanted the realisation of her attire to draw Eloise back to him, to remind her of the intimacy they had shared moments before. Yet she did not return.

Eloise hurried to the front door, eager to greet Reece. Though her heart warmed at the thought of seeing her dear cousin well, her mind remained fixed on Damien. The man she had left behind in bed.

Their time together had been interrupted far too often, so Eloise was determined, almost desperate, to continue what they had begun that morning.

"Eloise," Reece called, spotting her first. His eyes widened in surprise. "Your morning attire is rather odd. Do you always wear expensive necklaces to bed, or do you rise early just to put one on? And with your nightgown, no less."

Eloise’s hand flew to the necklace resting against her collarbone. "It was a gift from Damien this morning. I was in such a rush that I had no time to change into more suitable attire. Forgive me."

Reece chuckled, shaking his head. "We grew up with the strangest fashions, so you are excused. I recall one time I wore that hideous shirt, and neither of you told me how dreadful it looked. The neighbour caught a glimpse of me-"

"This is all very charming," Eloise interrupted, hurrying the talk along. "But you must tell us where you have been, and what has happened."

"It seems our cousin is eager to return to her husband," Iris remarked, urging Reece to be quick.

Reece sighed, still troubled by the last few days. "I left home after an argument, taking my money with me. It is here," he said, gesturing to the worn bag at his side. "I decided not to help her. She intended to use the money for your dowry, Iris, so you could marry the man she chose."

Iris frowned, disappointed but not surprised. "I ran away from home without a word, yet she remained focused on marrying me off? I thought she might have worried where I had gone. I should have known better."

"She was not pleased to hear that I had married without informing her or that I have a child on the way," Reece continued, still angered by the reaction. "She wanted me to abandon my family. I cannot take her to my wife’s family. I must keep the money and secure a home for my wife."

"It is best," Eloise agreed softly, her heart aching at the cruelty of their mother’s demands.

"I had planned to sell our home, to use the money to settle debts," Reece confessed. "But a house so burned will never hold the same worth. Had I been there, I could have stopped the fire. I could have convinced her not to do it."

Eloise touched his arm. "You might have been hurt had you stayed. Or the money could have been taken. It was better that you were not there. You cannot know what might have happened."

"I agree with Eloise," Iris said on the verge of tears. "Mother is not in her right mind. To destroy our childhood home was too far. And now she wishes to force me into a marriage I do not want. We must step away from her."

Reece shook his head, torn. "We cannot abandon her, Iris. There is little we can do, but I cannot simply leave her. I must know she is well before I go. I cannot bear that weight upon my conscience."

"I understand," Iris replied, her voice trembling with both love and frustration. "But she will not change. She did not change when I ran away. She did not change when I spoke of father. She did not change even when father was wrong. She has carried on, pushing her wants upon us."

Iris continued. "I care for her, and I want her to be well. I will help to settle the debts, since they fed me, but I will not be pushed around by her. I will not bend to her will any longer. I love her, but I must be honest about what she has become."

Eloise remained silent, allowing the siblings to decide their course.

Her thoughts drifted back up the staircase, to Damien waiting in their chamber. She longed to return, to feel his arms around her again.

’I do not want the water to go cold,’ Eloise thought, her lips pressing together. Yet she did not wish to appear insensitive to Reece’s return.

"I understand what you feel," Reece said at last. "I will not try to change your mind. I do not need you to help with the debts, Iris. Take care of yourself. With our father gone, I am considered the man of the house. Let me shoulder it."

"Reece, you have a wife and child to care for. I cannot let you bear all the responsibility," Iris replied, refusing to let him take the burden alone. "I have money saved from working as a maid. I can offer that. I can begin anew, to care for myself."

"My father left money for Iris," Eloise interjected. "She would need to go to court to claim it. I am giving her my father’s home to use."

"I shall be well, Reece," Iris assured her brother. "We can both offer what we can, then return to our lives. We must not be burdened by our parents’ mistakes. There is a friend of Lord Hawthorne courting me. I do not want Mother near him."

Reece’s eyes softened. "It is good to know you have a chance to be courted this season. The main reason I wished to settle the debt was to free you from being chased by those men. I would not have to worry if you joined me out of town."

"I am not leaving town," Iris said. "I was raised here, and I wish to remain. If I marry Zayne by the end of the season, his life is here. His home and his family are all here. I do not want to leave."

"Then I must do what I can so those men will not trouble you," Reece said, sticking to his earlier plans. "Perhaps I could go to court, to have them stopped. I do not want you harassed."

"I shall not be harassed while I remain here on the estate," Iris assured him. "Reece, go home to your family."

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