The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Chapter 266: Tearful reunion [5]

Damien traced Eloise’s rings with his finger. "Are you sitting with me now because you’ll be busy with Iris for the rest of the day?"

Eloise flashed a guilty smile. "I am. There is so much for us to speak about, and I must send someone to search for Reece. Do you not think it strange that, since the fire, he has not come to us? I cannot believe he would have run away with his mother without finding Iris first."

Damien found it odd as well. "Hopefully, she didn’t run off with all the money, leaving him with nothing, and now he is chasing after her. If he were wise, he wouldn’t have spoken of the money to his mother. I’m certain that, if she knew of it, she would already be scheming."

Eloise twisted the fabric of her dress, worried that Reece had found himself in danger. "I hate to think she was the one who burned the house. They could have sold it."

"Unless it was no longer in her name," Damien mused. "Your uncle wasn’t a very wise man."

"This reminds me. I must have Viola visit the estate soon, or I shall go to her. She wanted to speak to Agatha. I still think it is unlikely that she was the one who set the home on fire," Eloise said as though she were trying to convince herself.

"You won’t know until we sit with her. For the record, I am not unwell," Damien replied, recalling Eloise’s earlier comment.

Eloise leaned closer, her hand brushing against his forehead, feeling the warmth. "Your body felt warmer than usual. Are you still afraid of being seen by a doctor, Damien? You are not a little boy anymore. You shouldn’t fear medicine."

"I don’t fear medicine. I simply know that I am not sick," Damien argued.

"Then if I were suddenly to come down with the flu, we would know that you are ill, wouldn’t we? I don’t want to get sick, Damien. I’ve been looking forward to personally placing the lanterns in the garden. Would it hurt you to take a bit of medicine and rest for the day?" Eloise asked, her question coming out with the tone of a plea.

"It would unless you join me in bed. We had plans for returning to the estate. Or have you forgotten?" Damien asked, releasing her hand.

"I haven’t forgotten about our plans for children. We’ve only been distracted because of the incident with Jane, and now Iris has returned. There is still time, and it gives us the chance to plan. Has Quinn told you of wanting to leave the estate?" Eloise wondered.

"He has, but we don’t need my siblings to leave simply for us to have a child. There are plenty of chambers. A few of them are right beside our chamber," Damien said, already envisioning the rooms emptied.

"That isn’t what I meant. For now, we should keep our plans between us. I won’t even share them with Iris until we are certain there is a child. No one will feel as though they must make room for us, and there won’t be any questions about when it has happened," Eloise explained.

"I didn’t intend to tell anyone, but I am still going to empty the chambers nearby."

"Chambers?" Eloise repeated, her brows lifting. "That is plural. You only need one. I’m a bit concerned about you. You have so much money, and you might not know what to do with it. I had one room growing up."

"We live on an estate. There is so much we can do here. Why are you pushing me back down?" Damien asked, his eyes going to her hands pressing gently against his chest.

"Because you must rest. If you aren’t going to rest, then take some medicine. Please stop the flu early," Eloise pleaded, her voice breaking slightly. "I don’t want it to become worse and have to see you lying sick in bed for longer."

Damien’s thoughts drifted to Eloise’s father. "Forgive me. I didn’t think about what you were fearing. I will take the medicine."

"Wonderful," Eloise said, her mood lifting. She knew Damien would remember how her parents caught the flu so easily.

"Did you just guilt me?" Damien asked, realising the trick, his lips twitching into a reluctant smile.

"I don’t know what you speak of," Eloise denied, though her eyes sparkled with mischief. "I am going to send for the medicine and for your bath to be prepared. You are fortunate that Zayne is here at this moment to provide you with some company."

Damien sat up, preparing to escape before Eloise returned with the medicine. "It is not that you want him at my side. You want to keep him away from Iris."

"I do not. Iris can make her own decisions, but we should keep an eye on them. What is this I am hearing about Zayne’s home being dark? Iris was excited because he let light into his chamber from the windows so she could walk around," Eloise said as she opened the door.

Being excited over light was odd, so Eloise wanted to see the inside of Zayne’s home.

Damien sat still, lingering on her words. "You are certain that is what she said?"

"I am certain. What else could I have heard?" Eloise asked, laughing at his dramatic pause. "Is there an issue with what Zayne did?"

"No, there is none. I have been visiting Zayne for years and almost tripped with each visit because his home is dark. I have asked as kindly as I could for more light, but he has denied it. Iris comes into his life, and suddenly there is light," Damien pointed out. "I fear he is more than smitten."

Eloise’s gaze lingered on Damien. "She doesn’t seem to know, which is odd, since Iris notices such things. She is all about romance."

"She didn’t notice it was you whom I wanted instead of her," Damien reminded Eloise. "Most don’t tend to notice when they are the ones involved. I can say that for you and my feelings.

"That is true," Eloise muttered.

"But with how that fool is acting, Iris might know. She might be pretending because she doesn’t share his feelings. The only way for you to get the answer is to ask her," Damien encouraged her, but he had other plans. "It might become awkward to let her work where her employer is falling for her."

"While that is a good concern, I have a feeling you want to see Zayne suffer. I will speak to Iris alone. You mustn’t speak to Zayne. You are awful," Eloise said, shaking her head.