The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Eloise kept the matter of the body to herself for two days. She had other plans to focus her attention on as the night of the ball came, giving Eloise and Iris the chance to carry out their plans.

Eloise fidgeted with the dress given to her by Agatha. It paled in comparison to the vibrant pink dress Iris wore, but it didn’t bother her since her intentions were not to enjoy the ball.

"Here you are," Iris whispered, taking a pink barrette from her hair to place in Eloise’s. "A little colour to finish your dress."

Eloise touched the barrette Iris gave her. "You are too kind."

Eloise knew the barrette would need to be returned once Agatha noticed she had it, but she didn’t want to spoil the moment.

Iris held Eloise’s hand and walked toward the entrance of the mansion behind her parents. "Do you remember the plan? As soon as the next dance starts, I shall distract both of them. Do you have the coins to pay for a carriage to take you?"

"I do," Eloise answered, revealing the pouch with coins she saved and Iris so kindly offered. "Are you certain you will be well?"

"It is not my well-being we must worry about. You will be going off alone to ride a carriage at night. If only we had a horse for you to ride. I wish I could join you," Iris said, placing her hand on Eloise’s. "Or, if only my brother were home."

"I will be fine. I know not to speak to strangers and to keep to myself. No, that man is here," Eloise whispered, horrified by Percival’s presence. "The man in the red is the one I spoke of. The one who wants sons."

"We must keep you far away from his sight. If he approaches, then my father will thrust you into Percival’s arms for a dance. Make yourself unnoticeable," Iris suggested.

"I think I have the dress for it," Eloise joked.

Iris covered her mouth to silence her laugh, but it was still heard by Agatha.

Agatha looked back at the two young women. "You must be on your best behaviour. Your father went through a lot of trouble to get us an invitation. Do not embarrass him."

Agatha looked away, but did a double-take after noticing Eloise’s hair. She let go of Clive’s arm and walked over to Eloise to remove the barrette from her hair.

"No one likes a thief, Eloise. Do you not have plenty at home to wear?" Agatha said, taking the barrette. "You mustn’t get in Iris’s way."

Eloise only smiled in response.

For some reason, Agatha was making her disdain more known as the days went on.

"Mother," Iris said, putting up her hand to stop Agatha from placing the barrette back in her hair. "I was the one who gave it to Eloise. Don’t you think her dress is rather plain for the ball? Everyone else is dressed in beautiful colours, while she wears a dress that is no longer white. It is pale."

"It is all that I had. Would you have preferred she be left home alone? Do not talk back to me, Iris. I will not allow it," said Agatha.

"I am grateful for the dress, Aunt Agatha," Eloise spoke up to stop the tension. "It appears a couple wants the attention of you and my uncle."

Agahta looked back to see who had approached. She forced a smile and returned to Clive’s side.

"I apologise for how she is. Our finances have been bad as of late, but she should have allowed you to wear one of your dresses. I think our troubles are starting to make her act a bit odd. She will be back to normal," Iris promised.

"I do not think of it," Eloise replied, keeping her feelings about Agatha to herself.

"Oh! There he is. I was worried Lord Hawthorne would not show," Iris said, clinging to Eloise when she spotted Damien.

Eloise froze, nervous to be in the same space as Damien.

’He doesn’t know what you found,’ Eloise thought, keeping herself calm.

"Damien is present with his siblings. It must be a long time since you saw them. Would you like to say hello?"

Eloise built the courage to face where Damien was. He stood off to the side with his three siblings. "No, I don’t. We are no longer close, so I should keep my distance."

"What a shame. It seemed like there was an opening for you two to rekindle your friendship. It would have helped me. Do reconsider," Iris advised Eloise

"Iris, tell me honestly. If someone were to go to the town guards to speak of a crime Lord Hawthorne committed, would it go well?" Eloise inquired.

Iris snorted. "That person would have to be mad. I would not want to be caught up in exposing the Hawthornes. A family with that wealth is not someone you would want to go up against, especially if you are the little people like us. His deeds could be covered up easily, and then the town would avoid you."

"You assume this, yet you are eager to marry him?" Eloise asked.

"Of course. There is security in becoming his wife. No one would trouble Damien. Why do you ask? Did you learn something about him?" Iris asked, curious.

"No, I was just curious about the power he bears now," Eloise replied, taking one last look at Damien. "It wouldn’t be wise for anyone to trouble him."

Eloise panicked when her gaze met Damien’s. She was quite certain he was looking directly at her, so she looked away and guided Iris to move elsewhere so he would lose sight of her.

On the other side of the ballroom, Damien followed the frantic Eloise. She was behaving strangely.

Their last meeting wasn’t bad for Eloise to be avoiding his gaze now unless she found out something.

’Still a curious little lady,’ Damien thought. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

It seemed he had all the more reason to keep an eye on Eloise.