The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

The carriage came to a stop before the manor, and inside, Damien was the only one awake, as both Eloise and Jane rested their heads on his shoulders.

Both were fast asleep, having long since given up their fight against drowsiness, and Damien had become the softest surface for each to use.

Gage opened the door but didn’t say a word, mindful not to wake either lady accidentally. He looked to Damien for orders.

"Lift Jane and take her to her bedchamber. Find her maid to undress her. No," Damien changed his mind at the last second. "I will carry her," he said, knowing Jane would be more comfortable in his arms. "Lean my wife to the side for a moment. Be careful not to wake her."

Since Jane leaned more heavily onto him, Damien had no other choice but to take her first.

Gage succeeded in having Eloise lie along the seat, and before she could wake, Damien carried Jane out of the carriage with Silas leading the way, opening doors as they went.

After setting Jane, Damien returned for Eloise. He carried her in his arms, leaving her belongings in the carriage to be dealt with in the morning.

Damien carried Eloise to the bedchamber and set her down gently on the bed. The room was quiet and dark, with only the moonlight through the curtains. Since Hannah had the evening off, he wouldn’t bother to send for her.

In her sleep, Eloise shifted to draw closer to Damien, likely searching for warmth, as the carriage had grown cold on the ride back.

Damien smiled and brushed her hair from her face so it wouldn’t irritate her. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, bidding her good night, before placing a blanket over her.

Damien rose from the bed, leaving Eloise to her rest, as his business for the day was not yet finished.

He returned outside to where Silas and Aiden still stood, the cold night air still around them.

"Lord Hawthorne," Silas greeted Damien.

"I’m not completely satisfied with the way I left that bastard," Damien said, still thinking about Peter. "He’s going to keep running his mouth to ruin her name. That doesn’t sit well with me."

"Would you like us to deal with him? We can find him by morning," Silas promised.

"No. Everyone has seen your faces around me. We mustn’t invite trouble so soon before our departure. I don’t trust paying the men here to deal with him, so I will need to employ the help of a new friend. In the morning, I need two of you to deliver a letter to the Countess," Damien shared.

’The Countess?’ Silas thought.

"Lord Hawthorne, we can do it ourselves. We’ll go to him in the silence of the night-"

"No. She knows the countryside like the back of her hand. You must know when to let someone else take the lead. She has more ties here and will be able to work around the town guards. It will also keep me completely innocent," Damien explained.

Damien raised his hand, turning it slowly to examine his knuckles. "I’ve given him too much of my time, and if I send you to him, it will be to kill him."

Since Viola also cared for Eloise, Damien was certain she wouldn’t let the matter be dealt with lightly.

Damien had reached the point of wanting to kill Peter, but a large part of him still wanted to keep him alive. To ruin Peter’s life and let him live with the knowledge that he had lost Eloise.

"He seems to live a quiet life. When we return, send a man back to the countryside to offer Peter a business deal he cannot resist. I want to own his life," Damien said, satisfaction settling in his expression at the thought of having Peter in the palm of his hand.

"That reminds me. I haven’t toyed with Stanley in a while. Is he still alive?"

"Yes, Lord Hawthorne. You said to keep him locked away since he couldn’t pay the debt," Aiden answered.

"Hmm. I shall visit him when I return to the estate. Don’t drink too much tonight. I need you both in the morning," Damien said, turning his back on the pair as he headed inside.

As the Hawthorne manor quieted down for the night, Rosalie sat in her bedchamber, preparing for bed.

Rosalie had yet to address the obvious affair between Victoria and Cole. She didn’t know how to approach the matter, as she wasn’t ready to face the two people she loved so dearly.

Rosalie was well aware that this couldn’t go on. Her marriage wouldn’t survive being like this, and she wouldn’t settle for Cole entertaining another woman.

’Why haven’t either of them confessed?’ Rosalie wondered.

Even after she had visited Victoria, and what was said about a child, why hadn’t Victoria felt guilty enough to confess?

Why hadn’t Cole felt guilty about his wrongdoings after their argument?

Rosalie gripped the brush in her right hand, her knuckles pale. "They are both taking me for a fool," she muttered.

Her chest ached because it was the two very people she had believed would never betray her. She would have been forgiving had they come to her honestly, but they continued to be secretive. Even meeting each other recently at the palace ball.

Rosalie stared at her reflection in the mirror, the candlelight casting long shadows across her face. Why did good people always have to get hurt?

The soft creak of the chamber door brought Rosalie’s attention to Cole stepping inside.

"I am not here to fight with you, Rosalie. I only came to fetch my shirt for the morning," Cole said, making his way to his belongings. "But while I am here, don’t you think we should speak? This has gone on long enough. I want to be back here in our chamber."

"It has gone on far too long," Rosalie said, her grip on the brush loosening. "I invited Victoria to sit with us in the morning. Perhaps all we need is to sit down together like old times. She is still distraught about her maid dying, so we can help each other through it."

"You said she was busy finding suitors," Cole said, surprised by Rosalie’s plans.

"But she’s never too busy for me. You liked it when she was living here just as much as I did, didn’t you?" Rosalie questioned, watching Cole’s expression carefully. "It doesn’t matter what you think, because she will be here in the morning. I suggest you sit with us."

"Rosalie, you are acting out of the ordinary. You mustn’t let this death change you. The town guards have already put it to rest, so you should too," Cole said, desperate to move on.

"This isn’t merely about the maid. It is about so much more. There will be another guest joining us as well, so pick a better shirt, and when you are done, leave my chamber. Tomorrow, I assure you, this will all be settled," Rosalie promised, planning a show to reveal the truth.