The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"Why the long face, Nathan? It doesn’t suit you," Damien said, deliberately bothering Nathan the moment they came face to face.

"Lord Hawthorne, I was hoping not to have to come back here so soon, but there’s never a moment of peace when you are involved. I heard that your aunt’s husband was severely beaten because he attacked her," Nathan shared, though he knew Damien was aware.

"Oh?" Damien replied, playing coy. "Is he well?"

"Don’t play innocent with me. I am not buying the story that he attacked her and her guard came to defend her. Those two have been in love-"

"You must stop thinking nothing is amiss all because of what they show you when they are before the town. You don’t know what occurs behind closed doors. As a man of the court, you should be sensible enough to know this," Damien said, disappointed that Nathan assumed too fast.

"Still, it came out of the blue," Nathan said, frowning.

"It’s been brewing for some time now that their marriage hasn’t been going well. You don’t know as much as you think you do, so don’t come here placing me in the middle of their marriage. I am only concerned about mine," Damien replied, his patience running thin with Nathan.

Nathan wanted to believe Damien, but he couldn’t. "You are not going to like what is stirring up now. Your aunt is adamant that you didn’t have a hand in it, but there are some of my peers trying to place you in the middle."

"Like you? I thought we had an understanding, but each time there is trouble, you come here trying to place me in the middle of it. I had other matters to look into, like the servant who overlooked my parents’ carriage," Damien shared.

"And what did you find? Was it an accident or more?" Nathan wondered, leaning forward.

"First, I would like to say that the court is awful at doing their job-"

"Damien," Nathan sighed, his patience tested. He kept himself calm, as nothing would come from arguing.

"Do not address me so casually, as I am contemplating where we stand with each other. I am already angry with myself for not thinking of it sooner, but that is your work. You should have questioned everyone involved," Damien pointed out.

Damien continued, "Instead, you were so quick to write it off as an accident without looking into it. I read the papers, so don’t deny it."

"How did you get your hands on those papers?" Nathan asked, surprised. No one had informed him.

"They concern my family. They are not so difficult to get my hands on. I will offer you a bit of advice, and I will say it only once. If you don’t want anyone taking justice into their own hands, do better at your work," Damien advised Nathan coldly. "The court is becoming useless."

"Damien, I truly am sorry that we missed someone with the questions, but that doesn’t mean you can take your anger out on us," said Nathan.

"I speak not only about how my parents’ deaths were handled, but also how my wife’s father and now my aunt’s husband are handled. Look into it instead of running here for confessions. Do you not intend to do your job?" Damien inquired.

"Forgive me for coming here to see that you were well and hoping you were not involved in the matter. I would hate to see you get arrested," Nathan said, though he understood how Damien felt.

"It would be nice to have a pleasant greeting instead of jumping right into your accusations. And for your record, I did not have a hand in him getting that beating. If he tried to harm her, why don’t you look into that instead of coming to me?" Damien asked, his voice laced with disdain.

"Oh, yes," Damien added, a smile touching his lips. "You rarely ever care what happens to women. I’m becoming interested in how many cases there are where wives are hurt by their husbands but never get justice."

"I shall ignore all that you say because you are misdirecting your anger at me. It isn’t fair, but I shall take it. Where is the man you spoke to about the accident? The court will take him and question him," Nathan said, ready to reopen the case.

"I shall keep him in my hold for now. He resided on my land and was once a servant of the estate. I have every right to imprison him here for now," said Damien.

"But not to kill him. You can get arrested for killing him without speaking to the court," Nathan warned Damien.

"When did I state I was going to kill him? You mustn’t put words in my mouth. I said that I am going to keep him in my hold for now, as I have more questions for him, but I will send him to the court when I am done. He will be alive," Damien assured Nathan.

"And you mustn’t tell him what to say. I am not saying it is what you shall do, but I want you to be very careful about how you handle this matter. Right away, most will believe you have paid him to speak out against someone, and I will assume it is Hayden."

"Just do your job and question him when he is in your hands. If you are truly good at your work, you will pick out the truth. I want the true person behind their deaths to be imprisoned," Damien said, offended that Nathan thought he would punish someone innocent.

Damien looked at the door. "While I usually find humour in our conversations and like to entertain you, I am quite over this. There is too much on my mind for me to be arguing with you now. You know your way out."

"I am not against you, Lord Hawthorne," Nathan said, respecting Damien’s wishes. "I sometimes think you are misunderstood, while at other times, you have done what you are accused of. I come here first always to make it easier for you."

"I don’t need you caring for me. If you truly want to remain in a position where you can visit my estate and be allowed entry, I suggest you leave right now. I don’t want to hear about Hayden or anything more you have to say," Damien said, turning his back on Nathan. "Good day."

Damien left before Nathan could bore him again.

Nathan remained still, watching as Damien retreated. He had more to say, but he considered himself lucky that Damien hadn’t banned him from the estate all because he upset him once.

Nathan turned to leave.

The only person he could turn to now with questions was Camille.

Her story was a bit odd, and then there was the fact that she wanted to care for the man who attacked her.

Nathan’s peers saw her as a wife who understood her duties, but Nathan’s instincts told him otherwise.

"This town has gone mad," Nathan muttered.

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