The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Damien parted ways with Eloise and went to the chamber assigned to Rosalie. He knocked on the door and waited for Rosalie to give him a response.

Rosalie being in the estate didn’t bother Damien as she needed the company, but the timing of everything that had happened so far wasn’t the greatest.

Damien would have liked a calm return to please Eloise so she wouldn’t be bothered by the town right away.

"Eloise!" Rosalie exclaimed as she pulled open the door. "Oh," she pouted, disappointed. "I was hoping to see your wife. Has she grown tired of me?" she inquired, leaning forward to see if Damien was alone.

"No. I told her to return to our chamber while I had a word with you. May I enter, or must I leave?" Damien asked, hoping it would be the latter. "The door will stay open if I enter."

"How could I ask you to leave when it is your home? You are most welcome to enter," Rosalie said, stepping aside to make room for him. "Are you worried about me, or did you do this to give your wife a break?"

"Both," Damien answered honestly. "She is already worried about her cousin, and another cousin came with more news. She needs a moment to clear her mind, so let me take her place for a moment."

Rosalie walked to the bed and sat down, the mattress sinking softly beneath her weight. "Well, whatever the reason is for you being here, I am grateful. I needed a break, so I am using your estate for the day. I had to get away from hearing about Cole and what awaited me."

"Eloise is quite fun. I see more evidence of why you decided to marry her. She is a lovely girl, and I am happy that I chose to turn to her for support rather than to go to others," Rosalie confessed.

"She is lovely," Damien agreed, his tone softening as he spoke about Eloise.

"I know you have just returned, so don’t worry. I am not planning to ask that I get to spend the night here. I am going to leave just before dinner to return to my parents’ estate. I’ve been staying there since my home doesn’t feel like home," Rosalie said, followed by a sigh.

"I thought I would have at least one child by now, and I would still be happily married. Instead, my husband and my best friend have grown close together while I am left alone. It is unfair," Rosalie said, her hands twisting the fabric of her dress. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Unfair because you want to be with him?" Damien inquired, his brow raised.

"I do not. If he can cheat on me once, then he can do it again. I don’t even want to be his friend in the future. It is just unfair that I have this ending. All I wanted was to have a family of my own. To be a wife and mother, but now I have to start over," Rosalie said, her voice trembling.

"Better to start over than to go on unaware of what your husband and friend do in secret. You should be fortunate that you discovered this before you shared a child with him. Others don’t find out until years later," Damien said, thinking Rosalie was lucky.

"I know. I know that I must be grateful, but it doesn’t change how I feel. You know how the town looks at women who get divorced. Some are already making a mockery of it because a man below my father’s status had an affair," Rosalie said, thinking of the whispers that followed her.

"I was the innocent one in all of this. The town knows there was an affair, but they have yet to know it was with Victoria. I am quite tired of this town," Rosalie muttered, annoyed that she was somehow making a joke.

"Then go take a trip out of town and find happiness in peace. I did with Eloise, and I am quite eager to do it again. Your father has vast lands and homes. You can go where you won’t be disturbed," Damien suggested, certain a few days away would help Rosalie.

"Rosalie, I urge you not to try finding love so soon to prove yourself to the town or end the gossip. If you rush into another marriage, the doubt you have now will pour over. Give yourself time," Damien advised. "You have a kind soul, so you will always be courted."

Rosalie smiled, touched that Damien spoke of her soul and not of her father being a duke. "Once it has all been settled, I just might take your idea. My parents could join me out of town. You better hope Eloise won’t hate you for sending her friend away."

"I said you could take a trip out of town. I never said you could stay there forever. Still, if you like it so much that you stay, Eloise would understand. Your happiness is what matters. Go find what makes you happy," Damien urged.

"I will. I won’t stay out of town long since I happen to enjoy Eloise’s company, and considering she hasn’t made many friends yet, I should stay. I also want to ease her mind about her cousin. Did you find her cousin?" Rosalie asked, only now remembering Damien had gone out on a search.

"No, we haven’t found her. Her brother has returned to town, so he will finish the search for today. I’m going to send men back out in the morning to continue where he left off. It is likely her cousin is well, but hiding for now to be away from her mother," Damien said, trying to ease Rosalie’s worry.

"Knowing that someone has so many troubles they would run away from home, I truly should be more grateful for my life. I mean, the divorce isn’t so bad that I felt the need to run away from home." Rosalie realised she might have troubled Eloise with a small matter.

"I hope I didn’t annoy Eloise in speaking of my troubles when her cousin has bigger problems to worry about. I did try to distract her as she tried to distract me. I won’t speak of my marriage any longer," Rosalie promised, not wanting to appear insensitive.

"I truly doubt Eloise felt annoyed. Since it concerns Iris, she would have told you if you bothered her. You should rest for a little while, and if you fall asleep for too long, I will write to inform your father that you are staying here for the night," Damien said, willing to keep his doors open to Rosalie.

"Thank you, Damien."