The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"I advise you not to disturb the two of them. You likely got his wife all pretty, and now they are in a small room together. It seems we won’t have to wait too long for the Hawthorne heir," said Gage.

"Aiden, run," Silas said, watching with great amusement as Beatrice marched over to where Aiden stood. "She doesn’t look happy."

Beatrice walked over to where Aiden stood and grabbed him by his shirt. "You told Lord and Lady Hawthorne we’ve been intimate."

Aide looked down at Beatrice. "It wasn’t me. It was those two," he said, pointing at Silas. "I was going to keep why we know each other a secret."

"If it will keep you angry with him, he made it quite apparent that he has been seeing you," Silas said, trying to carry on the fight.

"Bastard," Aiden muttered.

Beatrice gripped Aiden’s shirt and pulled him close, "You, come here tonight with the wine I like."

"What just happened?" Silas inquired, turning to Gage for an answer.

"I think you just helped him to get a good night while we have to work on the estate," Gage answered.

Beatrice loosened her hold on Aiden and playfully tapped his face. "You brought one of the richest men in town to my shop. His wife is going to be my new customer. How could I be angry with you?"

Beatrice needed to celebrate, and there was no one better to do so with than Aiden.

Aiden stared at Beatrice in shock. "I thought you would be upset."

"There is still time for me to be angry with you, but I’m too happy. Can someone enlighten me as to why the town guards are staring at my shop? Aiden, I don’t want any of my dresses destroyed," Beatrice said, eyeing the men outside.

Aiden turned around to see what Beatrice spoke of. "It might be time for Lord and Lady Hawthorne to leave. Too many eyes are on us."

"Who is going to be the one to disturb them?" Gage asked, not wanting any parts in it.

"I will," Aiden volunteered. "Didn’t you two hear Lady Hawthorne’s request to be better at our work?"

Aiden went towards the dressing room and knocked on the door. "Lord Hawthorne?"

The door soon opened with Damien blocking Aiden’s view of inside the room.

"Town guards are watching us, and there’s a crowd forming. We should move instead of staying in one place for too long," Aiden suggested.

"Send for the dressmaker to dress my wife," Damien said, stepping out of the room and pulling the door so Eloise would have privacy.

"Right away," Aiden replied.

Damien followed Aiden to see the guards for himself.

"Are we leaving the market?" Gage asked.

"Why? I’m not going to spoil the day I am having with my wife, all because of a little crowd. Bring the carriage around. We’ll ride to another shop away from the crowd," said Damien.

Silas left to get the carriage while Aiden and Gage kept an eye on the crowd.

Damien looked out the large windows, staring at the guards waiting for him to make a mistake. "I’ve got a lot of enemies," he said after some thought. "Start disposing of them."

"All of them?"

"Was it not apparent? Why spare any of them?" Damien said, turning to Gage. "There’s no reason to keep pests alive for too long. They’ll keep coming back to trouble me, and now, I have a wife. I’m not going to put her in harm’s way, so kill all of the men who are a threat."

Damien noticed the doubt on Aiden’s face. "It’s either them or me who will die. One day, they will come up with what they consider to be a bright plan to target my wife to hurt me, just like they tried with my siblings."

Damien stepped closer towards the windows to wave at the guards. "Before they can think of such a plan, kill them. Before they could get a scratch on her, I want them dead, and buried where they can’t be found."

"I’ve ignored them for a while now, granting them more time with their families. Death awaits them," said Damien.

"We’ll start removing them tonight," Gage promised.

"Lord Hawthorne, if they all go down at once, the town guards and courts will come to you with questions. It will reach Lady Hawthorne’s ears. Perhaps we should spread it out," Aiden suggested.

"Do what you must to cover your tracks. My only concern is getting rid of anyone who poses a threat to my family. If the court or guards come around, I’ll do what I always do. Give them a distraction," said Damien.

"What about the man who owes you money? Stanley? Should we kill him too?" Aiden inquired.

Damien thought it over. "Leave him. He can’t get out of the dungeon, and he still needs to repay me. His pathetic life amuses me."

Damien remained at the window, waiting for Eloise to be done getting dressed.

It wasn’t long before Eloise returned with Beatrice.

"We have to cut this visit short. Prepare your best dresses, and visit the estate tomorrow at noon. Prepare dresses suitable for my sister," said Damien.

Beatrice’s lips parted as she couldn’t believe she would make dresses for Jane as well.

Damien held Eloise’s hand, not having time to wait for Beatrice to come out of her shock. "We need to leave," he said, leading Eloise out of the shop.

"It was nice meeting you, Beatrice. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow," Eloise bid Beatrice goodbye.

Eloise’s spirits were now lifted, and she had confidence for the palace ball. She followed Damien out to the carriage, which was brought forward by Silas.

Eloise entered the carriage after it came to a stop, and Damien held the door open. Once seated, Eloise thought back to her interaction with Damien when they were alone and events from days before.

"We aren’t leaving the market, just getting away from the crowd to be safe," Damien informed Eloise.

"Damien," Eloise said, placing her hand over his.

Damien looked away from the crowd to Eloise just in time to witness her grab him by his shirt, yanking him towards her for their lips to meet.

It was short, much to Damien’s dismay, but he still welcomed it.

The kiss caught Damien off guard.

"Is this a show for the crowd?" He asked, noticing the prying eyes watching them.

"No, I just. I just needed to test my feelings for a moment," Eloise said, letting go of Damien’s shirt. "I am quite certain now that I am starting to have feelings for you," she confessed.