Chapter 221: Failed plan [1]
In the market, Quinn and Kyle arrived at the gentleman’s pub in search of Teressa.
Kyle scanned the dimly lit room, trying to find a woman who bore some resemblance to Eloise, but no one matched the look. "Are you certain it was a woman who looked like Eloise? No one here fits the description. Did you make her believe she looks like Eloise?"
"No, I did not. I did not have many conversations with her. You have seen her once before. That is how I noticed her," Quinn replied, his gaze sweeping the crowd, searching for Teressa. From asking around, he knew that she was present.
"Me?" Kyle exclaimed, bothered that he was pulled into the mess. "Don’t place me in this. I am already in hot water when I don’t deserve to be."
"I am not casting blame onto you. I am only stating that you have seen her before. She was here the night I came and stopped you from drinking. You thought Eloise was present," Quinn explained.
"That is ringing a bell, but I can’t remember her face. We must find her fast before word reaches Damien that we are here, and he thinks we are here to drink while his marriage is at odds," Kyle said, forcing himself to look away from the bottles behind the bar. "I shall not have one."
"Quinn, do you think I could succeed in having a business like this one with Eloise?" Kyle asked, imagining himself as the owner of a business just like this one. He would be the host who made sure everyone enjoyed themselves.
"I would like to focus on finding Teressa, but if you must have an answer, I think you could succeed if you are serious. This truly isn’t the first business idea you have come up with, and the others before have not become more than a thought," Quinn said, offering the best advice he could manage.
"But I would have Eloise to keep me safe," Kyle argued, his voice softening.
"I think that is where his issue lies. He doesn’t want to see his wife constantly having to watch over you with the business. You are not a boy anymore, so we can ignore your mistakes or not take you seriously. You’re a man now," Quinn reminded him. "You must be more serious."
"I am quite serious about this. I know that I can excel in this," Kyle said with confidence, his chest puffed slightly.
"Then prove yourself. Do more than let this be a thought. Look for a location and create a plan for what you could offer," Quinn suggested. "Eloise will help with the ideas and getting money from Damien."
"You haven’t done much with yourself. Would you like to join us in this business?" Kyle offered, eager to make it a family affair.
"No. That kind of business doesn’t suit me, and there are already businesses I am to help Damien with. I see her," Quinn said suddenly, his eyes narrowing on Teressa.
"Where? Where?" Kyle inquired, his pulse quickening as he tried to spot the troublesome woman. He kept close to Quinn, following him as he stormed across the room, the crowd parting slightly to make way for him.
Quinn seized Teressa by the arm, halting her escape. "Remember me?"
Teressa’s eyes widened, her breath catching as she hadn’t expected to run into Quinn so soon. The memory of her last encounter with Lady Hawthorne still lingered in her mind.
Teressa forced a smile. "Who could forget one of the infamous Hawthorne brothers? Two out of the three stand before me. I feel so honoured."
Kyle examined Teressa’s features under the flickering lantern light. "Up close, you do not look like her. She is prettier."
Teressa’s face flushed as the insult struck deep. "It seems that you have heard about what I told Lady Hawthorne. She deserved to know the truth about what you did."
"There isn’t a truth to be told. I didn’t court you because you looked similar to her. I turned you away, and you kept pressing forward. Coming to me when you knew I was drunk," Quinn said, his voice low, carrying an unmistakable fury. "You had no right to approach her."
Kyle still stared at Teressa, trying to place why he had mistaken her for Eloise. Perhaps it was because she lacked Eloise’s grace and mannerisms that any resemblance vanished.
"You created this mess because I wouldn’t take you to my side as my woman. You should have had some dignity not to approach her with that nonsense. Are you not ashamed of your actions?" Quinn demanded.
"I am not the only one who needs to be ashamed of my actions. You might have been drunk, but your heart knew what you wanted," Teressa retorted, her chin lifting defiantly.
"Wait! He was drunk when it happened? Truly drunk, and you came onto him?" Kyle questioned, his loyalty shifting to Quinn now that the tale was clear. "That is embarrassing. On your end," he added before Teressa could twist his words. "Do not think I am on your side."
"I have heard the tales of what ladies will do to become a mistress, but this is the first time I have heard someone be so willing to act as someone else. If it were true, you were open to him loving Eloise whilst being with you?" Kyle asked, his curiosity now filled.
"Kyle," Quinn sighed, his patience thinning. "Do not go off course."
"I think we must. She doesn’t have much respect for herself. That was an awful position you were going to put yourself in. You were never going to succeed, and it isn’t because he pushed you away. You forget who Lord Hawthorne is," Kyle said, realising Teressa hadn’t thought her plans through.
Teressa rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows who Lord Hawthorne is. Why do you think I wanted to become one of your lovers?"
"You don’t grasp what I am trying to say. Quinn and I act like fools most of the time, but there is a third brother who is quite serious. A third brother who is very much in love with his wife. And a third brother who lacks patience," Kyle said, describing Damien.
"Lord Hawthorne isn’t quite like us. He isn’t one to speak when he can dispose of you. Your little plan didn’t just meddle with my dear brother here. You angered the eldest brother, and he is not very nice," Kyle warned, his words sinking into Teressa’s mind.
"Think with me here. When you bother the wife of a powerful man who lacks patience, what do you think shall become of you?"
