The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"That is sweet of you," Eloise said, appreciating that Damien would cheer her on.

"Would you agree that it is deserving of a kiss?" Damien asked, tapping his cheek.

"It might be, but I am surprised you would choose your cheek instead of your lips. I was going to kiss your lips, but the cheek will do," Eloise said, leaning forward to plant the kiss on his cheek.

"Not so fast," Damien said, moving out of the way. "A kiss on the cheek is better. It has come to my attention that you haven’t been kissing me before bed. I was owed it for my good deed."

"Is that still necessary between us? That was before, when we rarely kissed. Now we are comfortable with each other," said Eloise.

Eloise liked the nights when Damien forgot and went to bed without asking.

"If you are going to be a businesswoman, you must honour your promises. If you don’t, no one will be able to trust you going forward. I say this only for your benefit," Damien said, his teasing nature showing.

Eloise shook her head. "I am not going to believe that it is only for my benefit. You are using this to get what you want, and because of that, you won’t get a kiss," she said, moving to get off the bed. "Even you must face punishments at times."

Damien didn’t respond. Instead, he remained on the bed, watching as Eloise walked off, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. He drank in her appearance and now wondered if they needed to go down to dinner.

"How important is it for you to have your dinner in the dining chamber? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to eat here?" Damien asked, trying to sway her.

"I can read your mind. I know what you are plotting, and for tonight, since I am tired, I will need to save myself from you. Besides, we have guests," Eloise said, reminding Damien of Rosalie’s presence. "We would be bad hosts if we left her with your siblings. They still don’t know how to behave themselves."

"What if I send all of them out of the estate?" Damien suggested.

Eloise turned around to look at him. "You are quite determined to get what you want. I am close to admiring it, Damien," she said, returning to bed. "We’ve had a long day, and unlike you, who never seems to need any rest, I do. I shall make this up to you in the coming days."

"You must, because you owe me-"

"As do you owe me. Remember, you are the one who said something about a table," Eloise said, purposely trying to work him up.

"You are right," Damien said, turning his attention to the table in the chamber. "We’re going to need a larger table placed in here."

"W-Wait," Eloise stuttered, following his gaze to the table. "No, we do not."

"We’re going to need a stronger one as well. I can’t have my dear wife hurting herself. You are right that we should wait," Damien said as he got off the bed. "I have plans to prepare for."

"No, wait. This isn’t the turn I was intending for this to take," Eloise said, regretting that she had tried to tease him.

"You should go dress shopping with Viola or invite her here to sit with you while Beatrice shows off her collections," Damien suggested.

"I am starting to get the sense that you and Viola have been plotting in secret. For now, I am going to forget about your plans. Could you focus your attention on ensuring that dinner goes well? No one should ask Rosalie what they heard about her marriage," said Eloise.

Eloise didn’t want any of the siblings to pry too much.

"Forgive me, but sometimes it seems they don’t know how to think before they speak. The Hawthorne name doesn’t give them the pass to ask rude questions and expect others to accept it."

"You are thinking of Jane," Damien said plainly. "We could let her have dinner in her chamber."

"I think it is also a matter of correcting her behaviour instead of simply sending her away. I noticed that since I arrived, I have not seen Jane’s governess or tutor. I must set aside time to find a suitable one for her so she can be properly guided," Eloise said, making a mental note to write it down.

"Jane had a governess before your arrival, but there was an issue of reporting all that Jane did to outsiders. I must find someone I can trust to be alone with Jane and not to share our private affairs. Camille has shared her governess, but I declined," said Damien.

"Because they might report back to her," Eloise understood. "It is important for Jane not to feel watched. I shall look for one tomorrow. Would you care that it is not someone else’s ladies have used before?"

"No, as long as they are trustworthy. You might find great difficulty in using someone Jane has never heard of before. I wish you luck," Damien said, certain Jane would be stubborn.

"My father took education quite seriously. I hate to see a lady in Jane’s position not making the most of what she has. I would put my foot down concerning this matter," Eloise assured him.

Damien quite enjoyed this side of Eloise. "You must put your foot down more often."

"Even with you?" Eloise asked, turning the tables on him.

"Sometimes. I like your serious side. I have an important question for you, and you must answer me honestly. In spending the day hearing about Rosalie’s troubles, has it made you question our marriage?" Damien asked as he had been wary that she had her doubts for a moment.

"No, not at all. I remember you once saying that you are not Cole, and while Rosalie is a lovely woman, I am not her. Our marriage is different, so I didn’t place any of her troubles on us. Is that why you wanted me to take a break? Because you feared I would put myself in her shoes?" Eloise realised.

"That, and I also needed to check on her as well. I know how much she loved him," Damien answered honestly.

"Well, I don’t have any doubts about our marriage. I had them before, but not about cheating. It was mostly about our differences in upbringing, but I have gotten over that. It is sweet you worried, but I assure you it is not on my mind," Eloise promised.

"Good. I was going to have to throw Rosalie out of here if it did."

"Damien!" Eloise gasped. "That would be evil."