The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

When night set upon the town, Eloise was seated alone in her bedchamber, though the others had gathered to continue their talk.

She sat before a mirror, brushing her hair, not wanting to trouble any of the maids.

Her mind kept wandering to Damien, curious if he was well.

"If there was trouble, they would have sent someone to inform us," Eloise whispered to herself, though doubt crept in. "Or would they have kept it a secret?"

She slowed her brushing, her brow furrowing. "You mustn’t worry, or the others will worry."

Setting down her brush, Eloise began to braid her hair into two parts. She only finished the right side before a knock at the door startled her.

"You may enter," Eloise said, turning around, expecting a maid or one of the ladies.

To her surprise, it wasn’t a maid at all. It was Damien.

Eloise’s eyes widened.

She rose quickly to greet him. "Damien. What brings you here?"

Damien entered and closed the door, locking it behind him. "Are you not happy to see me?"

"I am," Eloise replied softly as though she would disturb the others. "But you didn’t tell me of your visit tonight. I would have waited for you by the front door and kept some food warm. The cooks must have tidied up by now. I do not know if I can get you a plate, but I can try."

She sat back down, her hands fidgeting slightly as Damien approached.

Damien placed his hand beneath Eloise’s cheek, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. "I am not hungry, nor do you need to worry about a drink. I came to see you because I missed you."

Judging from his expression, Eloise knew that wasn’t all.

"I have missed you as well," Eloise said, deciding to let Damien share when he was ready. "Though I must admit that I have been having fun. Viola has offered me a bottle of wine to take home, but I will give it to you."

"Everyone seems to be interested in wines these days," Damien murmured, moving his hand away as he sat beside her.

"Are you well, Damien? You are always quiet, but tonight you are too quiet, as though a matter troubles you. You may speak to me," Eloise urged. "Did you find more clues?"

"I found a servant who will confess to what Hayden put him up to. Their deaths could have been avoided if the servant spoke up and Hayden wasn’t after our wealth. Camille got to him before I could," Damien shared with a bitterness heard in his voice.

"What do you mean? She killed him?" Eloise asked, shocked. "It is her brother, but I did not think she would be after him. So, he is dead now?"

"No, not yet. He wasn’t dead when last I saw him, and she wants to have him under her care, but I’m not going to let him be alive for long. I’ll let her speak to the court about his condition and then kill him," Damien said.

"But won’t it be harder for you to get to him if he is under her care? Unless she is trying to take suspicion from your name, she might not hand him over to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you continue to remain banned," Eloise said, worried Camille might choose to guard Hadyen.

"I know she is going to try to hide him away and move from town, but I will still get to her. She is sending for a doctor to look at him and likely plans to keep Hayden in a state where he cannot speak or move. That is how I shall kill him," Damien said without sharing too much.

"You’ll have the doctor do it while Hayden is in his care? But since you found proof of what Hayden did, won’t the court come to take him?" Eloise asked, looking for holes.

"The court will come to get him if Camille shares what he did. If she doesn’t, Hayden will remain in her care. The doctor she will send for has been with our family for years. He will not hesitate to take my orders to kill Hayden," Damien said, leaning back to rest his head upon Eloise’s lap.

Eloise moved her hands, arranging them so Damien would be comfortable. "What will you do if the court tries to take him? Are you calm because you have someone inside who will kill him?"

"If Hayden goes to court, he will end up in prison. I have a way of getting him killed there. No matter what happens, Hayden is set to die. I was almost blinded by rage, but Zayne kept me calm so I could avoid being arrested," Damien admitted, closing his eyes.

Out of instinct, Eloise’s fingers threaded through Damien’s hair, soothing him. "I must thank Zayne when I see him. I want you to avenge your parents, but I don’t want you to be arrested."

"It must be upsetting to you that he is not dead now that you are certain he had a hand in it. How are you taking it?" Eloise asked, surprised by Damien’s composure.

"I am very angry, but as much as I want to kill him, this might be the trap someone needs to get me arrested. I have to be careful with how I go about it. If I didn’t have anyone I cared for, I would have shot him long ago and waited for the court to come to me," Damien confessed.

"I imagine the men from the court would gather in crowds. I do believe they will still come here even though you did nothing thus far. Do you want me to say you were here?" Eloise asked, willing to shield him.

"No. I won’t pull you into this, and there isn’t reason for me to lie. Camille was the one who had her guard attack and is plotting to keep him within her control for now. All I need is your company," Damien said, his voice low as he reached for her hand.

"I don’t want to keep asking if you are well because I wasn’t too happy with it when my father passed. I am here when you are ready to share what you feel," Eloise said, resting her right hand upon Damien’s, steadying his trembling fingers.

"There can be silence. You like silence," Eloise added.

Damien moved his left hand to cover his face while his right clasped hers tightly. "I only desire your presence at the moment before I speak further."

"Then I shall allow you to have your time," Eloise said, granting his wish. She looked up just as she noticed a tear slip from his eye. Her heart ached at the sight, but she did not speak of it. "I will be here for you when you are ready."

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