The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"Do you have to leave already? I was thinking of making the two of you some dinner. You know, a proper way to send you off since you won’t have a celebration after. Since you must get your bags, allow me to cook for you," Millie requested.

"I would love to eat your food. Will you join us, Damien?" Eloise asked and noticed his attention was on his siblings.

"I will join you, but we are not bringing my siblings with us. I am going to send them back to the estate for now," Damien decided.

"Very well," Eloise agreed. It seemed like she had already tortured Damien by having him invite his siblings to the wedding.

"Good. There’s a little vegetable stall right outside. I must get a few things," Millie said and rushed out of the church.

"I think between us, Millie is most excited that we are now married. Her son is grown, but he didn’t invite her to his wedding, so this is all exciting for her," Eloise shared.

"Why wasn’t she invited?" Damien inquired.

"I do not think he was honest with the young lady he married about where he grew up, so he tried to hide it by not inviting Millie. Millie knew where the wedding was, but decided not to go. She still tries to speak to him, but there is hardly any response. She is a good woman," Eloise said, watching Millie from where she stood.

"You can invite her to the estate when you miss her."

"It might be too soon to bring strangers around your siblings’ home. I can meet with her around the town," Eloise replied.

"I am not against you having guests, Eloise. It is now your home as well. I would only be concerned if I woke up one morning and found your uncle in the estate. You must get used to it being your home," Damien said, but he knew it would take time.

"It is a little strange to think the estate is now my home, but I will. I have a question for you, and you do not need to answer if it is not for me to know. I spoke to Quinn, but he did not look pleased. I know we haven’t seen each other for a long time, so we might not be close again," Eloise rambled.

Damien touched Eloise’s shoulders to calm her. "Breathe. Do you think he hates you now?"

"I do not think it is hate, but he looked as though he was upset to see me. What can I do to fix it?"

"Nothing," Damien answered. "Don’t waste your time trying to get anyone to like you. That goes for more than my siblings. You have too much on your plate to worry about my brother."

"I see. Still, we will all be living together in the estate. I don’t want to create problems for you," said Eloise.

"Is this you thinking about me again?" Damien asked, his view changing.

Eloise nodded. "Yes."

"Then I shall take care of it," Damien promised. "My guards are outside. You can join Millie in deciding what is for dinner."

Eloise took a hint that she shouldn’t be around for Damien’s talk with his siblings, so she left.

Damien watched Eloise until she made it outside and then turned to his siblings. "I should strangle all three of you."

"What did I do? I spoke with your bride and sat with her for a moment," Kyle said, failing to see why he was in trouble.

"You created a debt in my name," Damien answered.

"Oh, right," Kyle sat down. "I do deserve to be strangled."

"I wasn’t wrong. I had every right to raise questions about this rushed wedding. Do you not think it is strange that you didn’t kiss your bride? There is something amiss here, and I will get to the bottom of it, even if you threaten to send me away," said Jane.

"Do you think she has bewitched me? Blackmail or force me into this union?" Damien asked, listing out what Jane would come up with.

"Certainly not. You are far too smart to be fooled by a woman of her very little standing," Jane answered.

"Then consider that I am the one who wants this. Kyle, take Jane and go home. Kyle," Damien said, grabbing Kyle’s arm when he stood up. "You are to go straight home and stay there."

"Yes, brother. I wouldn’t dare to go elsewhere with Jane. Congratulations on your wedding," Kyle said, trying to get on Damien’s good side.

Kyle grabbed Jane’s hand and pulled her along before she got the two of them in trouble.

"Quinn, what is your issue with my wife?" Damien asked before Quinn could move.

"I don’t-"

"Don’t play with me, Quinn. You have been in a sour mood since I spoke of marrying Eloise. I understand why Kyle and Jane are acting as they do since they don’t have any memories of Eloise, but you do. As far as I am concerned, she didn’t leave us on bad terms," said Damien.

"I don’t have to explain myself to you," Quinn said, uninterested in the conversation. Why did his feelings matter?

"No, you don’t, but if you want to have peace in the estate, I suggest that you do. Is it that you once had feelings for her when you were a boy? Oh, so that’s it," Damien said, getting the answer from Quinn’s expression.

"I do not have feelings for her. I have not seen her in years to care about her. Like Jane, I share concern about why you have decided to marry our former groundsman’s daughter. Eloise was a good child to play with, but not a suitable woman to marry," said Quinn.

The match made no sense in Quinn’s eyes.

"Don’t you mean she wouldn’t make a suitable woman for me to marry? Had you come across her first, you would have courted her. I can tell it from your anger now. Do not be cruel to her just because your first love was stripped from you. I simply claimed mine," Damien said.

"To make this easy for you, I suggest you spend a few days in another residence to calm yourself and settle your emotions before you return to the estate. It would be wrong of you to be rude to her when she has not-"

"You suspect I once had feelings for her, yet this is your response?" Quinn asked, upset that Damien was brushing it off.

"What more do you want from me? I didn’t know you cared for her so dearly until now. Do you expect me to end the marriage for you? Grow up, Quinn. She didn’t belong to you."