The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"Get some rest and stop playing with the flowers. The poor things weren’t grown and picked to become an ugly mess. Wait for Eloise to teach you how to make them," Damien said as he stood up. "The servants are resting, so you will need to clean this up yourself."

"Very well," Jane agreed, starting to move. "Why did you come to me? Shouldn’t you be with Eloise?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"She is asleep, so I thought to see if you were asleep as well. It’s been ages since we came to this home, so I thought you might be uncomfortable. Our mother used to love getting out of town. We should do it more often before our lives get busier," Damien suggested.

"Soon, Quinn and Kyle will marry. I did not think there would come a day when we would not all live in the estate. Only you would remain with your wife and children. I am in Aunt Camille’s position to lose my home," Jane realised the sad reality.

"You wouldn’t lose your home, Jane. The estate will always be your childhood home. You must stop worrying about the future. You might get so tired of your brothers that you yearn to get away when you are older. Enjoy your youth," Damien advised Jane.

Damien helped to pick the flowers from the bed. "If I pass your chamber later in the night, I shouldn’t see any light. You must sleep since we will leave early in the morning to head out to the market."

"Won’t we need Eloise to get around? Neither one of us is familiar with the countryside."

"We will be fine. If we get lost, we can ask a stranger or take a servant who knows their way around. Eloise will stay home or visit a friend," said Damien.

"Is she with child?" Jane asked out of the blue.

"No," Damien answered.

"I see. I heard that once she has a male heir, we will all be cast to the side-"

"Who have you been speaking to, Jane? I have only sent you to Camille," Damien said, realising his aunt was filling Jane’s ear with nonsense. "Don’t listen to others. Don’t let Camille push her feelings onto you."

"You mustn’t mention it to her. She didn’t speak to me directly, but rather, I overheard it," Jane admitted, fearing Camille would face trouble. "She was speaking to her maid."

"That makes the matter worse. She shouldn’t speak of our private matters to a maid. They are the ones who spread all the kingdom’s gossip. She shares one opinion to my face, and then whispers behind my back," Damien said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She didn’t mean any harm," Jane said, her palms becoming sweaty.

"She meant harm by speaking to her maid. She was even more careless since you were able to overhear her. Camille got married and left the estate. She was not cast aside or viewed as unimportant. She continues to act as though our father sent her out," Damien said, his anger brewing.

"Perhaps she still speaks of it because she didn’t have her chance to speak with our father. I do not think she meant any harm. If you must address it, can you not say that I overheard her? I like Aunt Camille," Jane said, afraid of losing another relative.

"I won’t say your name, but I must speak to her. Get to bed," Damien said, moving the flowers to the bedside table. "We will finish this talk in the morning."

"Are you angry with me?" Jane inquired, trying to read Damien’s expression.

"I don’t like that you withheld this from me. If others are talking about our family, and it makes you have bad thoughts, then share it with me. Hiding it only leads to misunderstandings. Always be honest with me. Do you understand me?" Damien asked, his voice stern.

Jane nodded and answered, "I do. I won’t do it again."

"Good. Good night, Jane," Damien bid goodbye.

Damien walked to the door, allowing Jane to get into bed and rest.

Damien returned to his bedchamber and found Eloise awake. "Did I wake you when I left?"

"No," Eloise shook her head. She propped herself up. "When I woke up, you were already gone. Do you go for a drink, or did you just want a stroll?"

"I went to see if Jane was well. She was awake, trying to learn how to make the headpieces. I told her to wait for you to teach her," Damien said as he got onto the bed.

"I am not surprised she tried to do it herself," Eloise responded. "I am sensing that someone placed you in a bad mood. It cannot be the flowers."

"It isn’t," Damien said, lying back and offering his arms for Eloise to lie on.

Eloise inched closer to Damien to rest on his arm. "Then, what is it?"

"Jane overheard our aunt speaking about what would happen after we have an heir. My aunt often likes to speak of how she lost the estate because I became the heir. I don’t want her getting inside Jane’s head to have foolish thoughts," Damien shared.

"Then, you must talk with her and make it evident to Jane that the estate will always be her home. It is too large for one man to have it alone, and considering she barged into our bedchamber, it doesn’t seem Camille lost her home. This reminds me," Eloise said, remembering a question.

"I meant to ask more about why my father was fired from the estate. It has slipped my mind one too many times. Can you tell me the full story now?" Eloise asked, wanting to hear the truth. "Did he leave on good terms with your family?"

"The reason your father was let go was because of my aunt being paranoid. She thought that if he continued to work there, he would speak of an incident which could ruin her plans to wed. Your father saved her from being attacked by a brute," Damien started the tale.