The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

The carriage stopped in the heart of town, where many gathered to do their shopping.

Aiden opened the door for Eloise and offered his right hand. "Your friend is here," he informed Eloise.

"Thank you, Aiden," Eloise said as she stepped out of the carriage. "I will think of you two and not be long for this outing," she promised.

"We do not mind, Lady Hawthorne. It is our duty to protect you, and we shall do it no matter how long the outing is," said Aiden.

"Still, it would be boring for the two of you to follow me along all day while I shop. An hour or two will suffice," Eloise decided. "Truthfully, I do not want to be here long, but knowing Millie, she will want it to be for hours."

"Eloise!"

Eloise turned around after hearing Millie’s voice. After the morning she had with Damien’s siblings, she welcomed a familiar face.

"Millie," Eloise returned the greeting and embraced Millie in a hug when she got near. "I have missed you."

"It has only been one night, dear," Millie said, backing away to get a good look. She fixed the hat on Eloise’s head. "Lovely hat."

"Damien gave it to me. It is not needed since the day is warm," Eloise said, considering taking off the hat.

"Leave it. You look like a stylish young woman, and he cared for your well-being," said Millie.

Eloise glanced behind Millie to where women walked near, whispering whilst gazing at them. "Is it? It seems to be gathering attention."

Millie followed Eloise’s gaze. "You’ve arrived in the busiest part of town in Lord Hawthorne’s carriage. I assure you that it is not the hat. It is expected they will all be curious about your relation to the Hawthornes. We must dress you to look the part of his wife."

Eloise didn’t believe it was solely about the carriage, but she pushed those thoughts to the side and walked with Millie.

"You will need dresses for gatherings the Hawthornes need to attend, and everyday dresses. I will not allow you to be undressed for anyone to make fun of you. How much money are we to spend?" Millie asked, realising the most important matter.

"I do not know. Damien is the one who sent me to shop and pushed for me to use his money. He said to give his name for the bill and to send what I buy to the estate. We should give ourselves a limit to not worry him on the first day," Eloise suggested.

"Eloise, that man didn’t give you a limit because he can afford what you will buy. If he were worried, he would have sent you with money. Still, I shall keep in mind that you don’t want to spend too much. We should go here," Millie said, pulling Eloise along.

Eloise happily followed Millie since she didn’t have the slightest clue which shop to go into first.

"All the socialites come here to get their dresses," Millie whispered as she held the door open for Eloise. "I have always wanted to enter.

Eloise looked back and found Aiden entering behind her while Gage stood outside to guard the door.

"Welcome. Oh," the shopowners’ dejected voice was heard.

"We are here to buy a few dresses," said Millie.

Ingrid Wells, the shopowner, eyed the pair of women from head to toe. One wore a dress which was clearly made at home, while the other lacked colour.

Neither of the two women were regular customers and didn’t appear to have wealth, but the man behind them captured Ingrid’s attention. She assumed they were shopping for a lady.

"Did your lady send you with a list, or are you here for an order?" Ingrid asked, holding out her hand for the paper.

Eloise peered down at Ingrid’s hand before looking back at the face of the woman judging them. The forced smile gave away that they were not welcome because they were not dressed for the part of a socialite who could afford dresses.

Millie placed her hands on her hips. "What list?"

"We weren’t sent with a list," Eloise said before Millie’s anger got the best of her. "I came personally to select my dress, but if this is how you greet customers because they are undressed, I shall take my business elsewhere."

Ingrid lowered her hand. "Well, I have never seen the two of you before, so I assumed you were here on behalf of someone. All are welcome as long as they have money to spend."

"She is Lady Eloise Hawthorne, wife of Damien Hawthorne," Aiden said to speed the interaction along.

Ingrid frowned.

No one told her Damien Hawthorne had gotten married.

"Lady Hawthorne," Ingrid greeted Eloise in a sweet tone. "Pardon my lack of manners. Lord Hawthorne’s sister Jane frequents my shop each time she comes to town. If you adore her dresses, then I am certain you will find dresses you like for yourself."

Eloise didn’t enjoy the change in attitude. She knew this was a regular occurrence and accepted, but it didn’t feel right to stay and spend Damien’s money here.

"No, I don’t think I will," Eloise said, deciding to leave.

There were plenty of dress shops in town to find a more welcoming one.

"So, it is true that Lord Hawthorne has gotten married. I didn’t want to believe all the gossip going around this morning," a customer in the shop said.

"Mrs Robinson," Ingrid greeted the customer.

Lucinda Robinson, the wife of a prominent man in town, came forward to get a good look at Eloise. "I think you will survive without taking Lord Hawthorne’s wife as a customer. Rumours are going around that she stole the man intended to marry her cousin. Is it true?"

Lucinda couldn’t find any reason why a man like Damien would marry such a simple woman when there were far more suitable options. The rumours had to be a joke.

Eloise finally learned the reason behind all the stares. She knew the one behind this was none other than Agatha.

"I married a man who didn’t have any prior engagements," said Eloise.

"Still, if you knew your cousin had an interest in him, it would be wrong to go after him. You are quite bold to show your face in town today and have it be announced that you are his wife. The rumours are spreading fast, and to everyone, you are an evil woman," said Lucinda.

Lucinda couldn’t wait for the next gathering to speak of this gossip with the other ladies.

"I advise you to run along and hide somewhere," Lucinda said, preferring not to see Eloise’s face.

"Who do you think you are for me to listen to you?" Eloise asked, humoured by the woman before her.

"W-What?" Lucinda stuttered, surprised by Eloise’s boldness. "You do not know who I am?"

"No," Eloise shook her head. "And whoever you are doesn’t matter, just like your opinion."