The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Damien stopped walking and returned to the front door just in time to stop Nathan from leaving.

"Nathan!" Damien called. "I have one question to ask you."

Nathan stepped back out of his carriage. "As long as it doesn’t affect my work, then go ahead."

Standing before Nathan, Damien asked, "Do you recall where Hayden was during the accident with my parents?"

Nathan thought it over. "I believe he was with your aunt. We sent a group of men to deliver the news to her and her family, as well as another set to come to the estate. I was among the group who came to you," he said.

Nathan understood what Damien was implying. "He would be mad to kill the brother of his wife."

Damien thought Hayden was mad enough. "You’ve seen such cases before more than once. My wife faced her uncle killing her brother over a small home. Think of what someone would do for an estate and land."

Nathan considered this. "He was never a suspect, as it had been ruled an accident. I hate to think there are more greedy men with pockets already full, still seeking out good money."

Nathan pressed on. "If you now suspect that he had a hand in that accident, then it won’t be very easy for you to prove. Far too many years have gone by for evidence to remain where it happened, and he will claim he was at home with your aunt."

This wasn’t enough to turn Damien against it. "These days I find that he is rarely at home and always out of town. He said it was because he needed a break from his family. Looking back, he has always been missing. If I do find that he had a hand in their deaths, there will be hell."

Nathan sighed. "I was hoping this fight would not last. I doubt you’ll find any proof. The only way you would succeed is if you prove he is after the estate now. Even then, he won’t show that those are his plans."

Nathan’s gaze drifted upwards to the estate. Its grandeur was undeniable, but Hayden also had a mansion of his own and still resided on Hawthorne land.

"I will never understand it," Nathan murmured. "I only seek enough money to get food and occasionally dress myself. The wealthy have enough to last a lifetime, yet they are never satisfied."

His eyes softened as he looked back at Damien. "I know nothing I say now will convince you not to go after him. I only ask that you be careful. Going after Hayden might be exactly what he wants from you now. You should keep focusing on your marriage and siblings."

"If it is that he had a hand in it, then he should receive punishment. Do not worry, as I have a calm way of getting him to confess it. Do have a good day," Damien said, turning to leave once more.

Nathan responded, "I don’t trust this calm way. Damien, I have a soft spot for you, as I remember when you had been tasked with taking your father’s role, but I can’t spare you from getting arrested if you go too far."

Damien paused, his hand resting against the doorknob. "Then a wise man would look into the incident far faster than I can. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Nathan tilted his head back, staring at the grey sky.

He was already tasked with providing aid for those affected by the rain, and now he was being pulled into the feud between two wealthy men.

"I should have moved to another court," Nathan muttered bitterly, turning back to his carriage.

Inside the manor, Damien strode towards the servants’ quarters. He pushed open the door and woke Aiden, Gage, and Silas from their rest.

"Silas asked for leave so he could go to his mother’s home. There was a path of homes that were flooded. Shall I send for him?" Gage asked.

"No. Let him deal with his family. Have the men still been doing what I ordered concerning Hayden?" Damien inquired.

"They have. Just as you ordered, they’ve been scaring him. Never hurting him. Do you want us to hurt him now?" Gage questioned, eagerness flashing in his eyes.

Damien shook his head. "Not yet. Keep scaring him for now. It seems he has been going to the court, which doesn’t surprise me since he was meeting with a man in private. That fool didn’t think to avoid the court after I caught him."

"Will you reveal this?" Gage asked.

"In due time," Damien replied, leaving it for a later card. "I do not doubt that he is coming after the estate to remove me as Lord Hawthorne. Either by having me arrested or by trying to kill me. Neither option will work."

"But for now, keep the men well-behaved. Hold off on going after anyone," Damien ordered the pair.

"As you wish," Aiden answered, though his brow furrowed with worry. "If I might interject. If he is after you, then won’t he go after Lady Hawthorne? I’m certain the thought of you having an heir would upset him."

Damien’s chest tightened at the thought. "He will try to go after her. Fortunately, she tends to stay within the estate, but she is meant to see the countess today. I’m against it, with all the water that will be on the road, so she will not be leaving."

"Lady Hawthorne seemed quite excited to see the countess. Will she take this well?" Aiden asked, worried there would be an argument.

"She will, because I will give her good reason not to attend. With all the damage done to the town and having to look over what happened to the estate, now won’t be a good time to send her there. I will send her soon," Damien said.

Damien continued, his tone softening slightly. "I trust the countess to look after my wife while I deal with Hayden’s plots. So, I will be sending you two there to look over my wife, sister, and Iris. No harm is to befall any of them while they are away. I am trusting you both."

"We will protect your family with our lives," Gage promised.

"That is all for now. Rest for a moment longer, but be prepared to join me to overlook the state of the estate and the rest of the land. We shall take our horses, and if I am so lucky, I might stop to have a word with my aunt," Damien said, a plot already forming.

Damien knew he couldn’t force Hayden to admit to the deaths, but all he needed was to plant seeds of doubt within Camille’s mind. Once doubt took root, she would seek the truth, and Damien would have his answers.

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