The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

In the Wilkins home, Iris snuck towards her father’s private room, searching for a clue about Thomas’s home.

Iris could no longer sit back and wait for answers to come to her. There was truth to Eloise’s claims as Iris noticed her father looked too guilty when Eloise or Thomas was mentioned. Then Agatha would silence Clive when he was close to speaking.

Iris didn’t know what she should be looking for, but hoped to stumble upon evidence which would expose the reason behind their strange behaviour. If she were right, no. If Eloise was right, Iris had to help her.

Iris knocked on the door of the private study, and after no answer, she opened the door and slipped inside.

Agatha wasn’t home, and Clive had stepped away for a moment.

Iris closed the door and looked around the study. "What am I searching for?"

At this very moment, Iris wished Eloise were present to give her some idea of what to find. They worked better together than alone.

"A will, a confession?" Iris listed out ideas. "He wouldn’t be foolish to write down what he did. You must think, Iris."

Iris moved away from the door and went behind her father’s desk to open all the drawers. She rummaged through the papers, searching for any paper with Thomas or Eloise’s name, but nothing was present.

Instead, Iris found papers with her father’s name.

"Debt? Why are there so many names?" Iris wondered as she flipped through the papers.

Iris’s brows were knitted as confusion clouded her features. She was trapped in a mix of disbelief and realising the state of her home.

Clive had written down all the money he owed to men around the town and crossed off what little he had already paid off.

"Why weren’t they honest?" Iris whispered, an ache in her chest forming with every name her finger slid over.

Iris knew her family wasn’t well-off, but they were in a position to survive, especially with the money sent by her brother from the work he did out of town.

"Why did they buy me new dresses if he owes this money?" Iris wondered, though the answer dangled before her. "Are they hoping for my husband to pay this off?"

Iris wished her parents would spend less time speaking of Eloise’s marriage and place their attention on how they would get out of the debt.

Iris memorised the names on the list as best as she could and placed the papers just as she found them. Before she could move to another drawer, the door opened.

"Iris?" Clive called his daughter. He examined the room in search of Agatha’s presence, but only found Iris. "What are you doing here?"

"Father," Iris stood up, deeply afraid of what would follow. She forgot to breathe for a moment, and her response was caught in her throat before having the courage to say, "I was searching for paper."

Clive approached Iris and grabbed her hands, though they were empty. "Do not lie to me, Iris. I have raised you to be better than this."

"Then you should lead by example. You said that we were fine, but you have all of this debt to repay. How is it possible to have these men pay when you work every day, and my brother sends money in all his letters?" Iris asked, seeking nothing but the truth.

"It takes more than you may understand to take care of a home. To take care of a family. I do my best for all of you. Don’t you enjoy the dresses you get to wear? The balls you get to attend? What of the-"

"I would like the comfort of going to bed without worry that there would be someone coming to harass us. You once said that if a gentleman could not see beyond pretty dresses and faces, that he does not deserve my hand, so why do you think I so desperately need them?" Iris asked, tears streaming from her eyes.

Clive disappointed Iris.

"I loved those dresses because they were from my mother and father. Had I known the cost of those dresses would place us in debt, I wouldn’t have accepted them. I would have been satisfied wearing rented dresses," said Iris.

Clive loosened his hold on Iris. "Your mother wouldn’t have accepted it, and I do not blame her. I want better for you."

"No, you wished for me to blend in with the other ladies and find a husband who would rid you of your debt. I thought you yearned for me to marry for love just as you did with mother. Were you going to push for me to marry a man like Percival just as you did with Eloise?" Iris asked, truth slowly coming to her.

Iris covered her face and turned her back to her father for a moment to cover her eyes. "Tell me honestly. Did you kill Uncle Thomas? I might not understand why she married Damien, but I know Eloise isn’t insane. If you bear any love for me, tell me the truth."

Iris slowly turned to face Clive, her hands trembling as her heart slowly broke from her father’s betrayal. "I want to hear it from you and not from anyone else. Did you kill him because you wanted the home?"

Clive avoided Iris’s gaze. "I did not."

"You did. You did because you will not look me in the eye. How could you?" Iris asked, stepping away from her father. "He was the only parent she had left. He was your brother!"

"I did not kill him," Clive maintained his innocence.

"You are trying to take her home from her. It is all she has left of her father. Why should you take what Uncle Thomas worked hard for all because you are drowning in debt? He did his part to make sure his family was well," Iris said, her disappointment replaced by anger.

Clive raised his hand with the intention of slapping Iris, but he couldn’t bring himself to. She was his sweet little girl, and though she angered him now, Iris did not deserve to be struck.

Iris watched as Clive lowered his hand. She wondered if he intended to hit her.

"I do not know who you are. You are not the man who has raised me," Iris said, yearning for her real father to return. "How could you stand there and lie to her? We have always been close to Eloise. You know what she faced after losing her mother."

"Iris, you don’t know what you speak of. I didn’t harm my little brother, and I don’t appreciate you coming up with these accusations. I am taking Thomas’s home because Eloise is not in her right mind-"

"He must have been afraid," Iris spoke up, her tears staining her cheek. "For you to be the last person he saw, yet you were the one who hurt him. He must have felt so betrayed. He must have been scared."

Clive’s response was stuck in his throat. His eyes fluttered as Thomas’s face flashed before his eyes. "Stop it," he demanded, not wanting to be pulled back into seeing Thomas’s face.