The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

In a gentleman’s club out in the town, Quinn stepped out of his carriage. Without having to ask around, he knew that Kyle would be here with his friends, either drinking or spending too much money.

Quinn entered the gentleman’s club alone without guards at his side. He wanted to be alone, and there was no doubt in his mind that if he walked with guards, they would report back to Damien.

Quinn searched the gentleman’s club for Kyle and immediately spotted him among a group of young men.

"Get me a rum," Quinn said to a worker walking by.

"Right away."

Quinn kept his gaze set on Kyle as he slowly approached.

Once close enough, Quinn stood behind Kyle and watched the game of cards he was losing.

"Your decisions trouble me, brother," Quinn said, resting his hand on Kyle’s shoulder.

Kyle froze and lowered the cards in his hands back down onto the table. He forced a smile and turned around to face Quinn. "Quinn, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at dinner?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Move," Quinn commanded the other gentleman and claimed a chair beside Kyle. "You should be at home."

Kyle’s peers scattered, but remained close enough to keep an eye on the money on the table.

"I am doing the newlyweds a favour. I am away from the estate so our dear brother can peacefully do his part in giving us a nephew or niece. What? What did I say wrong?" Kyle asked, afraid after Quinn’s glare. "You have been in an awful mood since the wedding."

"I am not in the mood for any weddings," Quinn replied and reached for the drink in front of Kyle. "Is this your drink?"

"It is, and I want to finish it. Or, you can have it," Kyle muttered, disappointed he did not get to enjoy the last sip. "You owe me a drink. I thought you swore off drinks and coming here? Has Damien getting married made you feel the pressure to get married?"

"Why would I feel pressure?" Quinn asked and set the empty glass before Kyle.

"Isn’t it obvious? You are the second oldest, though Jane likes to think she is. You can take a bride right now. You should be happy because Damien’s marriage means a new heir shall soon come. We can stop hearing about duties," said Kyle.

"I will not rush to get married just because he has. If you ask me, he got married too fast, and he is hiding the reason," Quinn said.

"So what? What matters is that he has gotten married, so the relatives can stop approaching us. I didn’t want to be responsible for providing heirs, and I certainly don’t want to do Damien’s work. We must drink," Kyle said, raising his hand for more drinks.

"Our new sister-in-law seems to be lovely, though she doesn’t want to help against Damien. When I heard you used to be friends, I thought you would welcome her. Now, here you are like a sad little puppy. What’s on your mind? Did you like her?" Kyle asked as a joke.

"No. It’s been years since I last saw her. I know nothing of what she is like now, and he did not give us time to get acquainted with her," said Quinn.

"So, speak to her now. She lives on the estate. You and Jane are making this simple matter complicated. Fortunately, that works out for me. The more you two upset Damien, the more he will forget about what I have done. Where are those drinks?" Kyle muttered and turned around to find a worker.

"I told him to stay close to me, and I would pay him well. Ah!" Kyle screamed, his right hand clinging to his chest.

Quinn stared at Kyle, curious if their parents had ever dropped Kyle on his head. "What is the matter with you?"

Kyle hunched forward, trying to calm himself. "That woman in the red looks a lot like Eloise. I thought she was here, which meant Damien was here. I think I had enough drinks for the night."

Quinn turned around to see who Kyle spoke of. He found a woman with similar features sitting with another group of men, but he did not think she came close to Eloise’s beauty.

Still, Quinn saw why Kyle mistook her for Eloise.

"Their hair is different," Quinn pointed out.

"But from this distance, their face is the same. We must hope that Damien never mistakes the two ladies and causes a scandal. You have ruined my night, so I will join you if you are going home. You’ll owe me a drink another night," said Kyle.

Quinn eyed the young woman Kyle spoke of. "I am not going home, but you are. You’ve had enough for one night, as you said."

"Can’t I stay the night at your-"

"No," Quinn replied.

"When will Damien grant me a house in town? I am a man who craves privacy. I need my own place for comfort," Kyle demanded.

"Then save for it instead of gambling, drinking, and chasing after the ladies here. Go home before I embarrass you more than you already have embarrassed yourself," Quinn advised Kyle.

Quinn looked away from the young lady, who now noticed she had his attention. She deserted the group she stood with and stalked over to where he stood with Kyle.

"Why do you get to drink and be surrounded by women? Mark my words, brother. By the end of the season, I will be out of the estate," Kyle said, setting a goal for himself. "I need to find Samuel before I leave," he said, searching for his friend.

"He has his face planted in a lady’s chest. Get him and take him home before his father tries to strangle him again," Quinn advised Kyle.

"That bastard was having fun without me," Kyle said, marching over to where Samuel stood surrounded by ladies.

Quinn awaited the drink he asked for, and while he waited, he was approached by a lady.

"You are without a drink. Your hand shouldn’t be empty for long," said Teressa, a patron of the gentleman’s club. "Shall I get you a drink, or would you rather enjoy my company?"

Quinn stared at the woman who now bore less resemblance to Eloise now that she was near. "All I want is a drink," he said.

"I can get you both. I do not like to see a gentleman like yourself looking so sad. I will get you a drink and comfort you with my presence. You must wait here," Teressa said, eager to entertain one of the Hawthorne brothers.