The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Chapter 264: Tearful reunion [3]

Inside Damien and Eloise’s bedchamber, Zayne crept inside with the careful movements of a man who believed himself to be far more stealthy than he was.

A broad smile spread across his face the moment he spotted Damien asleep on the bed. He couldn’t resist the chance to startle Damien. Damien had disturbed his sleep enough times over the years, and this felt like a long-overdue moment to settle the score.

Zayne left the door open behind him, deciding the noise of closing it wasn’t worth the risk.

Like a thief, he tiptoed towards the bed, his gaze fixed entirely on his target.

Just as he raised his arms to strike, Damien’s eyes opened, and he did not look pleased.

"Get out," Damien said, without asking why Zayne was there or how he had got in. "Get out now."

Zayne lowered his arms, deeply disappointed by this outcome. "How did you know I was here? I was quiet. Why are you so easy to wake?" he asked, settling himself comfortably on the bed.

Damien’s brows furrowed, and without a word, he reached for a pillow and swung it at Zayne. "Get out. Where is my wife?"

"Your dear wife is speaking to her cousin," Zayne replied, catching the pillow and tucking it beneath his head. "I brought Iris to the estate. She has been working in my home as a maid and finally decided it was time to let Eloise know where she had been."

"This entire time that I have spent going around this town and sending men out to search for her, she has been with you?" Damien asked, the irritation in his voice unmistakable.

"Yes. You cannot be angry with me, since you never thought to come and ask whether I had seen her. That was your mistake. And don’t throw another pillow," Zayne said quickly, ducking as the second one came. "That was rather rude of you. You should be thanking me since the search is over."

Damien covered his face with his arm. "Get out of my chamber. I am too tired for this."

"You are tired, and yet Eloise is walking around perfectly well. I would have expected it to be the other way around. Fine," Zayne said, shifting to the edge of the bed. "I won’t say another word about your wife. I have a proposal for you."

"Keep it."

"This is one you’ll want to hear. I know you aren’t fond of having people in the estate, so here is my offer. Convince your wife to let Iris stay with me. She doesn’t have to work. Just stay there as a guest," Zayne suggested.

Damien lowered his arm from his face and looked at Zayne for a moment. "Have you fallen for her cousin in so little time?"

"You fell for Iris’s cousin in so little time," Zayne returned without missing a beat.

"I knew Eloise in my youth. How long have you known Iris? And is this one of your schemes to follow my lead?" Damien said, watching Zayne’s face.

"You are getting far too ahead of yourself. I never said that I loved her. Iris is merely a friend," Zayne said, but he didn’t sound too confident.

"It makes no sense for a young woman who is not related to you to stay in your home, unmarried. Unless you intend to damage her name, I suggest you drop this plan entirely," Damien said.

"I don’t want to damage her name. I want to protect it. Because she is a friend," Zayne added, when Damien gave him a look that said he wasn’t buying it.

"I don’t recall you treating me as well as all that when we were friends," Damien said, closing his eyes again.

"I have treated you well over the years, and besides, you are not a powerless person. You have the means to protect yourself. Iris does not," Zayne said.

"Keep trying to convince yourself. I could do Iris a favour and find her a decent gentleman to wed and take her out of town-"

"You bastard," Zayne muttered, knowing exactly what Damien was doing and hating that it was working.

"For a man who has no feelings for her, you seem particularly bothered right now. Iris isn’t going to stay with you. I know my wife, and as we speak, she is offering Iris a place here. It’s only a matter of time," Damien said, certain that Eloise would soon come to ask.

Zayne preferred a different ending. "Iris doesn’t want to be a bother to Eloise. She likes working in my home."

"Wait for it," Damien said.

Zayne fixed his gaze on the door. "I hope it doesn’t happen. She has become quite the companion. I don’t want her to leave."

"Her mother has gone missing after setting their home on fire. Iris might have left eventually to go searching for her regardless."

Zayne’s expression changed. "Her home was destroyed? I didn’t know, or I would have told her. I would have taken her there myself."

"Are you doing this to make your uncle upset? Or your parents? You’ve already made them unhappy enough by turning down another proposal from the king," Damien said.

"They were foolish to think I would want to marry a princess and spend the rest of my life tied to the royals. I already resent having to attend the balls. Imagine being required to sit through every court meeting," Zayne said, the horror of it giving him a chill. "Now my uncle has decided I should marry Rosalie."

"She is in the midst of leaving her husband. I doubt Rosalie will want to step directly into another marriage, and I doubt the duke would welcome a new man so quickly. Besides, you aren’t suited for Rosalie," Damien said.

"I agree. I don’t want Rosalie," Zayne said, his gaze moving to the door as it began to open. "It is really quite unfair how well you know your wife."

"You woke him," Eloise said, the disappointment clear in her voice as she came in with Iris a step behind her. "I had asked everyone not to disturb him since he felt warm when I left, and I wanted him to rest before it grew into a case of the flu."

"I told him to leave," Damien said, opening his eyes. "He wouldn’t go. Even when I coughed."

"He did not cough once. Your husband is a liar," Zayne said.

"I believe you both," Eloise said, ending their childish behaviour. "Zayne, thank you for looking after my cousin. I feel in your debt. Iris wants to continue working, but I would like her to live here until my father’s home is ready for her," she said, glancing at Damien as she spoke.

Zayne turned to Damien, annoyed that he had predicted this so accurately.