At the Hawthorne estate, Eloise finished reading the will and returned it to Damien so it could be taken for inspection.

"If this is real, my father left all that is in his name to me. None of it was to go to Clive," Eloise said, a smile slowly spreading across her lips. "This makes me feel much better. I would not like for Clive to inherit even a piece of paper."

"It appears your father did not trust his brother, and he had every reason not to. It’s been reported that your uncle went to the court, so he must have submitted the will. The court will soon call upon you to read the will. When they do, you expose him," said Damien.

"I wish they would call upon us now. I want to see Clive’s face and also Agatha’s. I hope the court listened to my request that no one should enter the home anymore," Eloise said.

"If they have sold any of your father’s belongings and you notice it is missing, you can make a request for it to be put back. If they cannot find it, they will need to return the value of you. I suggest you cry as much as you can to make it sentimental, so a pretty price will be attached to it."

"You seem to be well educated about the court. Either you spend too much time there, or secretly wish to work there. Which is it?" Eloise asked, enjoying the annoyed expression Damien wore.

"Neither. I simply like knowing the laws of this kingdom and how to get around them. Enough about the court. You did not finish telling me about your day. Did you get what you needed?" Damien asked, changing the subject.

"I did. It shall all be here in the morning. I did not spend too much," Eloise promised.

"Why not? I didn’t give you a limit. You should have bought all that you needed so you wouldn’t need to go again so soon. I already knew you couldn’t possibly spend more than Jane does. It is your money as well," Damien said, hoping Eloise understood this fast.

"I do not think it would be polite to spend far more than I needed. I got all that I needed for a reasonable price. I am used to being careful with money because we did not have a lot to waste. I’ll have to get used to the change," Eloise replied.

"In time, you will. I think I will have a good laugh when I see the bills. Perhaps I should have you shop for my siblings. It would save me money," Damien said, seriously considering it.

Eloise laughed and looked down at her lap. "I hope you don’t consider it. It would only make them hate me more. Please leave their lives as they were before I came here."

Eloise looked up after feeling Damien’s legs brush against her foot as he sat down beside her at the window.

"You are Lady Hawthorne. There are duties you now have that you and those around you cannot ignore. I will remain in control of their allowances, but if there are any plans you have or any requests, speak up," Damien instructed Eloise. "You won’t get anywhere walking on eggshells around them."

"Eventually, you will have to face the town as Lady Hawthorne. You had a glimpse of this life when you were a child, but you were on the sidelines then. You are now at the front, and the town will be watching. I advise you to be firm and speak up even if it upsets others," Damien advised Eloise.

"I know how to face the town. It is your siblings I am trying to be careful with, though I have already told Quinn that I will avoid him. I don’t want to be the cause of friction in the estate for your sake. I don’t want you placed in the midst of me versus your siblings," Eloise explained her concerns.

"You are thinking of me once again. Are you trying to have me fall for you, Eloise?" Damien asked, but he knew better.

Eloise chuckled since Damien’s question was out of the blue. "No, I simply care about not adding to your troubles. I am certain you have a lot of responsibilities, and now, you are helping with my father."

"It is nice of you to consider the work I have to do. I truly don’t have time to be bothered by others, but if you need my help, I will always be present for you."

"Thank you. What I say now mustn’t be spoken of with anyone, especially your brother. You must promise me never to speak to Quinn in private about it," Eloise said, holding up her pinky for a promise to be made.

Damien still found it silly, but he wrapped his finger around Eloise’s.

"Quinn said you would not love me as I want you to. Despite this not being a marriage done out of love, I say we are doing quite well," Eloise said, pleased she got along well with Damien.

"Quinn is a fool. I have always liked you, Eloise. Don’t listen to others," Damien said, annoyed that Quinn kept going on.

Eloise’s smile fell to a frown. "What?"

Damien reached his hand to move Eloise’s hair out of her face so it wouldn’t be hidden from him. "The reason I married you so easily isn’t that I had a lover I wanted to hide, or that I plan to use you. I have always liked you, and when you returned to town, those feelings sparked again."

Eloise could only stare at Damien as this was far from where she thought this conversation would lead.

"I had prepared gifts to send to your uncle’s home to court you, but those three fools I have for guards were slow in delivering them. Fortunately, I happened to run into you at the ball, and there was my chance to keep you at my side," Damien confessed.

"You did not accept, so I wouldn’t speak of the body I found?" Eloise asked, slowly realising she walked right into Damien’s trap.

"I didn’t care who you spoke of that body to. You could have gone to the court, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I intended to court you from the night you bumped into me. I am a man who knows what he wants and got you in the end. So," Damien said, enjoying Eloise’s stunned expression. "Don’t listen to others."

Eloise parted her lips to speak, but instead of words, a hiccup was heard. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth with her hand.

Damien retreated his hand, but first, he purposely touched her cheek. The warmth of her skin lingered on his fingertips. He consumed Eloise’s wide-eyed expression, which looked heavenly to him.

His gaze softened as he dwelt on the fact that he had managed to claim her hand. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Damien’s lips curled into a teasing smile. "You still have that cute habit," he commented, his voice low, but Eloise heard it. "And I still adore it."