The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Victoria looked to Cole for an explanation, but he was too busy tending to Rosalie to spare her a glance.

’He wouldn’t have,’ Victoria thought, refusing to believe Cole could be so evil. ’He was only to pay her.’

Despite how well Victoria liked to believe she knew Cole, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had killed Faye to bury the secret.

’What would he do to me?’ Victoria wondered.

Victoria had been quiet all along, but what if there came a day when Cole became afraid of the duke finding out? Would he kill her and act innocent as he was now?

"She died? How can that be? I don’t understand," Rosalie said, touching her temple. "I must speak to the town guards. Excuse me, Lady and Lord Hawthorne."

Cole guided Rosalie towards the guards, leaving Victoria with Damien and Eloise.

"Are you well, Victoria?" Eloise asked, accidentally making Victoria flinch. "Did you know the maid?"

"I did. She was tasked with tending to my chamber while I stayed with Rosalie. She was a good woman. I am surprised by her death," Victoria answered.

"Are you?" Damien’s simple question troubled Victoria.

"What are you trying to say, Lord Hawthorne?" Victoria asked, sensing an accusation.

"You were close to her during your stay. Did you notice anything strange, or were you too wrapped up in other affairs?" Damien inquired, his suspicions growing.

"I noticed her enough to remember her name, but I didn’t pay enough attention to know she was in danger. It is not very often that guests give the servants too much of their attention. If you would please excuse me," Victoria said, followed by a curtsy.

Victoria desperately needed to get out of Damien’s presence since he made her feel uncomfortable.

"I do not understand," Eloise said, puzzled by Victoria’s rush to leave. "Do you know about this maid?"

"No, but I get the feeling there’s more to this story. For now, only befriend Rosalie. Don’t speak of this to anyone else," Damien said.

Damien watched the interaction between Victoria and Cole as she walked by.

"Why?" Eloise asked, trying to piece together what Damien noticed.

"Because there is trouble in Rosalie’s marriage. I will share the reason after I talk with Rosalie. It is only an assumption for now. Instead of you going to Rosalie’s home, invite her to the estate. I don’t want you near her husband," said Damien.

Eloise glanced at Cole. "Do you think he had something to do with the maid?"

"That and so much more. I need to speak to Rosalie before we leave. Unfortunately, she isn’t going to believe me, so I might need to go to her father," Damien said, eyeing the duke. "Only once I am certain of my assumption."

"Well, if Rosalie is in danger, you must tell her quickly. Must we stand here with them? I know you are still counting down the hours," Eloise said, remembering the deal.

"Do you wish to dance?"

"No," Eloise shook her head. "After some thought, my first dance with you shouldn’t be here. I would prefer a better setting with people we truly like. I am certain there will be balls in the countryside."

"Did the wine spoil your night?" Damien asked, noticing that Eloise looked dejected.

"No, it didn’t. You cannot see it, and Rosalie did well to get it out. I am enjoying myself, and it will be a sweet memory to look back on. My first ball was with you," Eloise said, still happy. "I got to look around the palace a little."

"I am yet to decide if your optimistic nature is good or bad. If you change your mind, I am willing to dance with you. Now, let us forget about their troubles and enjoy the ball," Damien said, offering his hand to Eloise.

Eloise placed her hand in Damien’s and walked with him back to the crowded ballroom.

On the way back, Eloise passed Victoria and noticed how she bit at her nails.

To know a maid who had looked after you had died had to be awful, but Eloise was certain Rosalie would soon comfort Victoria. In fact, they both needed to comfort each other.

Meanwhile, Rosalie listened to the guards’ account of what they found.

Rosalie bid goodbye to her father, who promised to take care of the matter while she focused on the ball, but how was she to focus?

Cole saw the town guards off. "We won’t have to speak to them again until the morning. I have invited them to our home, and I will do the talking." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Cole, was Faye the one who stole from Victoria?" Rosalie asked, remembering the story Cole told her. "You didn’t speak of that tonight. You didn’t speak of escorting her away from our home. Why?"

"Her death still stuns me, and truly, I didn’t want to name her a thief. She has died. It would be wrong for us to sully her name," said Cole.

"Still, they asked if she still worked for us, and you didn’t give them a proper explanation. There is no reason to hide the truth from the guards. We don’t have anything to hide. Right?" Rosalie asked, confused by Cole’s actions.

"We don’t. You are right that I should have shared all of it. I was thinking of not spoiling her name, but a thief is a thief."

"We don’t have to damage her name. Only state the truth, because it is important. If you keep having holes in your story, the town guards would start to suspect you were involved," Rosalie said, certain it would be so in the morning. "You should go and tell them that you gave her a ride."

"Your father said he would-"

"My father only knows what you told him. If he repeats what you said, only to later learn it wasn’t the full truth, then he will be upset, and he would have every right to be. It is better to be honest with everyone. If you aren’t, I will be," Rosalie said before walking away.

"Do you doubt me, Rosalie? You are acting like you do," Cole said, reaching for Rosalie’s hand to stop her.

"I don’t. I merely find it odd that you didn’t share the full story. If you didn’t tell me about her stealing from Victoria, I would be clueless now. I don’t have any reason to suspect you, so why even ask?" Rosalie asked, her earlier feeling returning.

"Truthfully, I feel bad for not taking her all the way home. Perhaps she would have been-"

"No one knows when she died, Cole. Why do you think it was that night?" Rosalie inquired, her suspicions growing.