The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Meanwhile, Eloise knelt beside Jane, who had not been so fortunate as to hold back long enough to reach her chamber before vomiting.

Eloise patted Jane’s back, trying to soothe what she felt.

"Stand back!" Eloise ordered the maids rushing forward. "No one is to come on this floor or the second. Turn around at once."

Jane pressed the back of her trembling hand to her mouth, mortified by the sight the maids had witnessed.

Her head felt light and dizzy, and the food she had eaten that morning now rested on the floor before her. More threatened to rise, twisting her stomach cruelly.

"Eloise," Jane whispered, her voice hoarse. "Do you have a handkerchief?"

"It seems I have dropped mine, but I can fetch one for you," Eloise offered, her eyes filled with concern.

"No," Jane answered quickly, shaking her head. "I can make it to my chamber from here. I apologise for the floor. I did not mean to."

Eloise brushed Jane’s damp hair from her face. "Jane, the floor is the least of my worries. I only want to know how you are feeling. Shall I fetch a bucket?"

"I feel as though I must empty all that lies in my stomach, and the world around me is spinning. I must sit," Jane murmured, collapsing onto the floor with a thud. "I am sorry."

"You must not apologise, Jane. The news was one too difficult to bear," Eloise said softly.

Jane’s thoughts spiralled. "I have always looked up to those two. I said aloud how I wanted a season like hers, to marry a husband as she did. He must have laughed when I said it. He must have thought of me as a silly little girl who knew nothing."

She lifted her tear-filled eyes to Eloise. "Do you think my parents would be angry with me for the way I have acted with Camille’s marriage? For placing it upon such a pedestal?"

"No, Jane," Eloise assured her. "No one would be angry with you. You knew nothing of what he was capable of. At that time, he was the only one who plotted against your parents. You looked up to the lady who was in your life then, and that was natural."

"I have spoken so highly of him to my peers, even to his face. I feel like such a fool. I realised too late that he was an awful husband to her, and now an evil man. How am I to tell if anyone is good or bad, when I could not tell with him?" Jane asked, doubting all the judgement she had made before.

Eloise hesitated. She did not know how to answer at first.

Jane continued, "I thought of him as family. As an uncle. He told me how he came to know my father, how he met my mother. He said it was unfortunate that I lost them both, but fortunate that I had Camille."

Her hands clutched at the bodice of her dress."I want my mother," she cried out. "It is hardly fair that I did not get many years with her. Why did I have to be the youngest, with the least amount of time? I needed my mother. I needed my father."

"I know," Eloise murmured, offering what comfort she could. She stayed silent afterwards, letting Jane cry her heart out.

Eloise kept watching their surroundings so none of the servants dared approach too closely. This moment needed to remain private, as Jane would want.

When Jane’s sobs quieted, Eloise spoke, "Let me help you to your chamber and clean you up. Lying down will help you to feel better."

"I am well now. Partly," Jane confessed, her voice still weak. "I must see my brothers, but I need to wash my mouth. You will stay at my side, won’t you?"

Eloise nodded without hesitation. "I will be right here with you."

She held Jane by her shoulders, steadying her as she rose. "I will send a maid to clean the floor once you are in your chamber. Do not worry about it. If you do not want anyone to know, I can clean it myself."

Jane clutched at Eloise’s dress, desperate. "No, you must not go."

At that moment, Eloise was the only lady in the family Jane could trust.

"Then I will remain beside you. Let us go so that you may join your brothers soon. Damien has more he wishes to say," Eloise said, guiding Jane carefully back to her chamber.

Not long after, Jane and Eloise returned to join the men.

Damien led the group to their parents’ bedchamber, unlocking it for the first time in years. He opened the door and held it wide so the others could step inside.

Quinn and Kyle stood back, allowing Jane to enter first, then followed her.

Eloise lingered behind with Damien.

"You may enter if you wish," Damien offered.

"No. This is a moment you must share with your siblings. I will find Iris and sit with her until you are done. Go, see their belongings," Eloise encouraged.

Damien left the door and joined his siblings to inspect the chamber.

White sheets covered all the furniture, so Quinn and Kyle began pulling them away, shaking dust into the air.

Jane turned aside, covering her nose and coughing.

Damien strode to the windows, pulling back the heavy drapes to let in light, then opening the panes to welcome fresh air.

Slowly, the chamber began to come back to life, resembling what they remembered.

Jane approached the bed and sat upon it, her fingers brushing against the blanket. "Does it smell of them?"

"It smells of dust, which is to be expected," Kyle replied.

"I see. Are we to keep the door unlocked now? It is not as though we welcome relatives here, for them to wander inside," Jane said, wishing she could visit more.

"I will have a key made for each of you, and allow a trusted maid to clean it often. There are perfumes left that belonged to her. Some are nearly empty, others untouched. You may take them, though I cannot promise the scent will still be pleasant," Damien said, moving towards the locked trunks.

"You are giving us what you locked away now?" Jane asked, astonished. "Like the jewels?"

"No. I am letting you look. When you are of age, you may take what has been set aside for you. During your season, I will allow you to wear her jewels, so long as you promise to be careful. For now, take a look," Damien said, lifting the first trunk.

He added, "The perfumes you may all take."

Damien unlocked the box and set it on the bed, allowing the trio to rummage through it.

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