Chapter 247: A storm [2]
Damien soon departed the home with the carriage set for Camille’s mansion.
He gazed out the window, his fingers tapping his thigh in rhythm as he fought to keep himself calm until he arrived.
Damiwn hadn’t been away long, yet already there was another problem to fix. One that should never have arisen because Camille knew better.
Kyle had not written the full details of what had happened, but knowing Camille had slapped Jane was enough to set Damien in motion.
"I believe her husband is still out of town," Gage informed him.
"It doesn’t matter. I am not going there to speak to him, though it would have been useful to have him present. He is always one to involve himself in matters that do not concern him," Damien replied, uninterested in Camille’s husband.
"When he returns, he will come to you," Gage said, certain the matter would not end today.
"I am certain he will," Damien muttered, turning his gaze from the passing scenery. "I leave for one day, and already there is trouble."
"You have ignored my suggestion to place your siblings in the dungeon. They would have nowhere to go to create mischief," Gage suggested once more.
"Or I could place everyone else in the dungeon," Damien considered, leaning towards imprisoning the rest of the Hawthorne family.
They were all a bother, and now, Camille showed that even the ones he gave the benefit of doubt to would eventually upset him.
"This wouldn’t have bothered you before," Gage pointed out. "Not the slap itself, but your siblings stirring chaos."
"I have a wife now, and soon I shall start a family. My attention belongs to her, not to my siblings or other relatives. At this present moment, I think it is unlikely we shall attend the family reunion. I am not in the mood for it," Damien said, rubbing his temple.
"Eloise would struggle with those people, so I would rather spare her."
"You were stabbed once by a relative. Who knows what they might be bold enough to do to her?" Gage said, then immediately regretted it. "Surely, no one would be so foolish."
Gage didn’t want to make Damien angrier while he was heading to Camille. Camille was the one relative Damien could once depend on outside of the estate. They should maintain a good relationship.
"They would, because they assume she is taking my wealth. They believe the wealth belongs to them. This is making me angrier," Damien admitted, his jaw tightening as he tried to master his temper.
"If you must calm yourself, then think of your wife. The supper she began smelled delightful. Even the guards spoke of her food," Gage said, attempting to soothe him.
Damien ignored the words, his eyes fixed on the mansion coming into view. He would not be surprised if Camille abandoned this home and chose another to reside in. Her children would be cared for by the servants regardless.
The carriage came to a stop before the mansion. Damien stepped out immediately, striding to the front door and making his way to Camille’s bedchamber. No matter where she tried to hide, he would find her.
Gage followed, bound by Eloise’s secret orders to remain close. There was no telling what Damien would do in response to Camille.
Damien reached the chamber door and entered without hesitation, as though he owned the place.
Camille sat with a book in her hands. "Didn’t anyone tell you to knock before entering a chamber?"
"I remember you storming into my bedchamber when I was alone with my wife. Consider us equal now," Damien said, stepping inside without Gage.
"Leave us," Camille ordered the maid, setting the book aside. "That was fast, but at least they managed to bring you back from hiding. You belong inside the estate, Damien."
Damien closed the door as they didn’t need an audience. "I don’t care where you think I belong. I care that you took it upon yourself to slap Jane."
"I know it may have startled her, but it is time we were harsher in correcting her," Camille suggested.
Damien chuckled, but the sound was devoid of warmth. "We? Jane is in my care. I am her eldest brother."
"And I am her aunt. I have been the one constant woman in her life. It doesn’t matter that you are married now. That place will always belong to me, especially when Eloise isn’t capable of caring for herself. I mean no harm by it," Camille insisted.
"You expect me to believe that? It seems you are competing with my wife. Do you hate that Jane has grown close to another lady?" Damien asked, his eyes narrowing.
Camille laughed at his accusation. "Competing with Eloise? Damien, you forgot I was born a Hawthorne."
"I never forget it. But it must sting to see Jane turn to Eloise instead of you. You are meant to be the mature one, yet you acted childishly. Jane can turn to both you and Eloise for her needs," Damien said, annoyed by Camille’s need to control Jane.
"I don’t mind that she does, but I am concerned about her upbringing. Why would you reject the governess I offered, yet accept the one Eloise chose? I have the experience, the knowledge," Camille argued.
"I will not argue about what my wife should or should not do with you. The estate is not under your command. It never was," Damien said harshly. "You were bold enough to strike Jane, and I know you did it because I was not there. You would not have dared otherwise."
"So what? Have you come here to strike one of my children?" Camille asked, her heart pounding. She wouldn’t admit it, but she feared how Damien would respond.
"Your children? Why would I skip you and go after them? Why would that even cross your mind? Were you hoping to sacrifice one of their cheeks to make this go away?" Damien asked, his voice menacingly calm.
"Of course not. I would never allow you to lay a hand on my children. I hope you didn’t come here thinking of harming me," Camille said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
Damien’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "Harming you? Camille, you mistake me. I did not come here to harm you, though I am tempted to return the slap. I won’t lay my hands on a woman."
"I came here to remind you that there are consequences. You struck Jane, and for that, you will learn what it means to provoke me. I am not the boy you once ordered about. I am the man who decides what happens in this family now," Damien said, approaching Camille where she sat.
Damien leaned forward, placing both hands on the arm of her chair to cage her. "You thought a slap was discipline. I see it as betrayal. And betrayal, Camille, is something I do not forgive."
Comments