The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Kyle panicked, fearing Quinn might do the worst now that Damien was no longer in the estate. Now wasn’t the time for Quinn to be speaking to Eloise. In fact, he shouldn’t speak to her at all.

Kyle turned to Eloise, wearing a smile that betrayed all he felt. "Eloise, would you mind if I speak to my brother before he speaks with you?"

"No, not at all. I shall be in the garden when you are ready to speak, Quinn," Eloise said, leaving the two brothers together.

Aiden eyed them closely as he followed Eloise. Something was amiss, and he intended to uncover the truth before the day was done.

"Brother, please do not tell me you intend to confess your feelings to Eloise while Damien is away. Usually, I enjoy the drama, but not when it is within our family. Now is not the best time," Kyle advised.

"Why is Damien not in the estate? I wished to speak to him as well," Quinn said, glancing past Kyle at the open front door. "Did he not return with her?"

"He did. He left because someone said her cousin is missing. Damien has gone to search for her."

"You fool!" Quinn exclaimed, his hand twitching as though tempted to strike Kyle. "I said I was taking care of it. That was my way of offering an apology. Can you not keep your mouth shut for once?"

"We both know I cannot keep my mouth shut, so why ask? Besides, is it not wrong to hide from her that her cousin is missing? I understand you want to prove yourself, but a person is gone, and Eloise is worried. I did what was right," Kyle said, standing by his decision.

"I know, but that was part of my apology. I was going to confess that I had feelings for her-"

"Are you mad? Why would you choose now, when Damien is not in the estate, to tell his wife you had feelings for her? What do you expect? For her to understand you, or perhaps to accept your feelings and return them?" Kyle asked, alarmed at the thought of Quinn ruining a marriage.

"She will not return my feelings, and I do not want her to. I simply wish to say it before someone else with a big mouth mentions it. I also need to apologise for how I treated her," Quinn said, his guilt eating away.

"You do need to. She feels she has not fit into the family, and with you against her, it is no surprise. I think you should apologise, but keep the feelings to yourself. The timing seems poor, don’t you think?" Kyle pressed, sensing trouble ahead.

"I would not want to hear my husband’s brother has feelings for me when my husband is away, and my cousin is missing. It is too much for one day," Kyle added.

"You might be right."

"I know I am right," Kyle replied.

"Should I not speak to her now that you have changed my plans?" Quinn wondered, his eyes following the path Eloise had taken.

"Are you mad? Avoiding her now would only add to the awkwardness. Go speak to her and let the conversation flow. I have a business to plan, and your shyness is getting in my way. Excuse me," Kyle said, striding off and leaving Quinn to suffer alone.

Quinn watched his brother abandon him. He sighed, then followed the way Eloise had gone.

He stepped outside into the garden where Eloise stood near the door, her posture composed yet guarded. Quinn approached, his confidence quickly fading as he wasn’t certain the talk would go well.

Aiden moved discreetly aside to grant them privacy.

"It seems you have kept the estate in good order," Eloise said, attempting to ease the tension. "You should receive some compliments from Damien."

"I am not seeking compliments. I am simply glad he trusted me to watch the estate in his place. I once envied that he became Lord Hawthorne, but now I see it is too much work," Quinn admitted, his gaze drifting across the garden. "I wanted to apologise to you."

"Oh," Eloise said, turning to face him.

"How I treated you was not appropriate, and I was not honest. It was good to see an old friend, yet I lashed out because of reasons beyond your control. If I could take it back, I assure you I would," Quinn promised.

"Are we finally going to address your feelings, or shall we continue to dance around them?" Eloise asked, her words startling him. "I did not know you liked me for long. I wish you had been honest. Then we would not have had this conflict for so long."

Quinn froze, realising she already knew. "Did Kyle speak of it to you?"

This revelation surprised Eloise. "Kyle knew? Why was everyone keeping it a secret? No, that does not matter. Let us address it outright now. I am tired of going in circles. This could have been handled better."

"It could have," Quinn admitted, shame evident in his voice. "I did like you when we were younger, and seeing you again stirred something, but I know it was not love. I do not think we would have been happy had you married me."

"I do not expect you to return my feelings, nor do I want pity. I simply needed to say it and apologise. I snapped, and I was wrong in how I tried to warn you about Damien. I must apologise to him as well," Quinn confessed.

"I truly wish you had approached me before it grew so out of hand. I was excited to see you again, only to be let down by how you acted. I thought that aside from Damien, I could lean on you for support. I can accept the apology," Eloise said, wanting to move on.

"Being at odds only places Damien in the middle, and I do not want to trouble him. There is nothing more, is there?" Eloise asked, hoping this would settle the tension between them.

Quinn thought briefly of Teressa and whether he should confess what he had done. "No, that is all," he answered.