The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

In the morning, Damien was the first to leave the bedchamber. The manor was quiet around him as he went in search of Hannah, wanting Eloise’s breakfast brought up to the chamber.

"Damien!" Jane called, her footsteps quick as she walked towards him. "You have woken quite late. So did Eloise. Is she not well?" she asked, the concern in her voice genuine. "She is to take me to learn to make the headpieces. The festival is tonight, so we don’t have much time left."

"You will go when she wakes up. Allow her a little more time to rest," said Damien.

"This morning, some people came to drop off baskets with baked goods, jams, and fruit. Are the country folk always so generous?" Jane wondered, tilting her head.

"Eloise is here. They are doing it for her. Where are the baskets?" Damien questioned, already moving to find them.

"In the kitchen. No one has eaten from them yet. Your guards had a look and put them in the kitchen. Are you going to throw them out as you do at the estate? Some of the pastries smell wonderful," Jane said, eyeing the direction of the kitchen.

"They may be fond of Eloise, but I cannot trust everyone," Damien replied.

Considering Eloise had recently had some conflict with an old friend, Damien could not trust what had been sent.

Jane pouted. "How disappointing. It all looks so lovely. No wonder Eloise enjoys the countryside. Everyone feeds her, and when we were in the market, they were offering her goods for free. You would have saved money if she had joined us when I went shopping."

Damien glanced down at Jane. "Don’t you have somewhere else to be?"

"No," Jane shook her head. "Eloise is asleep, and you are here, so it makes perfect sense to bother you. I heard you visited a countess yesterday. Is she a family friend?"

"She is Eloise’s friend. It wasn’t my place to invite you into the home of a woman I hadn’t seen in years. She will be joining us on the journey back to the estate. I expect you to be on your best behaviour," Damien said as he made his way towards the kitchen.

"I am always on my best behaviour, brother."

Damien looked to his right at Jane. "Are you?"

"Of late, I am. What is it truly going to take for you to forgive me for how I behaved when Eloise first came to our home? I have been kind to Eloise of late. I have been listening to her speak about her old life, and I am joining her to make headpieces," Jane said, making her case.

"Weeks ago, I would have laughed at anyone suggesting that I sit and fashion flowers into a headpiece. Even the suggestion of leaving the capital for the countryside would have made me laugh, but I am here, and I have been engaging," Jane said, wanting some credit.

"You have been present, but you cannot expect everyone to simply forget your past behaviour. That is your first lesson about the real world, Jane. I hope you learn from it. Don’t eat from those baskets," Damien instructed, not breaking his stride.

Jane pouted. "You know what? Your opinion doesn’t matter. Eloise seems to care for me. That is all I need," she decided.

"Good. Then why are you bothering me?" Damien muttered.

"You made the mistake of dismissing me. There was a gentleman who came to speak to Eloise, but since she wasn’t awake, he left. I would tell you what he said, but since I am stuck in my old ways, I won’t," Jane said, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Damien turned to face her, desperate for a name. "What was said, Jane?"

"I think I am bothering you, so I shall return to my bedchamber and read until Eloise wakes. For you, I shall remain the same old Jane, while Eloise gets to enjoy the new side of me. Good day," Jane said, bidding Damien goodbye with a small, victorious lift of her chin.

"There is no hope for you. You will always be like this," Damien said, doing his best to deflate her satisfaction.

Damien left the baskets for the time being and went in search of a guard. "Silas," he greeted, finding him at his post.

"Lord Hawthorne," Silas returned the greeting, straightening slightly.

"Who came to see my wife this morning?"

The question made Silas pause. "Your wife? Do you mean the people who came with the baskets? They seem to be under the impression that your wife is with child, so they came bearing gifts. There appears to be a rumour going around."

"Was there not a man wanting to see her?" Damien inquired.

"No man. Just a young boy coming with his mother to carry the basket. I can ask the others if there was a man at some point, but I was standing guard all morning and only saw the boy," Silas assured Damien. "Should I look into it?"

"No. It is Jane toying with me. Look into the rumours and send away anyone who comes speaking about a child. When are people going to break the habit of asking about children so early?" Damien said, before pausing. "What?" he questioned, catching the direction of Silas’s gaze.

Silas considered staying silent, but found he couldn’t quite manage it. "There is a scratch on your-"

"Be silent," Damien ordered.

Silas pressed his lips together, holding back his laughter. Now he had his answer as to why Damien and Eloise hadn’t woken early. It also meant he had won a bet.

"Speak to Aiden about a man who came to speak with Eloise previously. If rumours are circulating, he is the first I would look to as the culprit. His name is Peter. I don’t know the surname, and I doubt Eloise will be forthcoming," said Damien.

Damien pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the love of all that is good, if I hear so much as a chuckle from you, I will throw you out the front door. I was just beginning to like you, Silas."

Silas cleared his throat. "Forgive me, Lord Hawthorne. I was thinking of a joke Gage told me."

"You’re not a very good liar, Silas. Focus on your work. I can see now why Aiden believes he should be my guard. He has a little more sense," Damien said, leaving Silas to his amusement.

Silas placed his hand over his chest. "Now you wound me, Lord Hawthorne. You have broken my heart."