After Iris’s departure, Eloise returned to reading her book, using it to keep her mind off worrying about Iris’s return home.

Soon, the hour for dinner was upon the estate, so Eloise got ready.

Damien entered the bedchamber just as Eloise was brushing her hair. "We don’t need to go down if you don’t want to. We can have dinner here. Just you and me," he proposed.

Eloise set down her brush and stood up. "I am not going to hide, Damien. I want to have dinner at the table."

"How unfortunate. I wanted to be the only one to lay eyes on you," Damien said, admiring Eloise’s appearance.

"You’ll have to get over it in silence. I want to eat at the table as I always have done growing up, and you will join me," Eloise said, holding Damien’s hand to drag him along.

"What was it you said about holding hands so often?"

"Damien, I will let go of your hand and refrain from letting you hold my hand if you bother me now," Eloise said in a warning tone.

"Yes, ma’am," Damien replied.

Eloise sighed and shook her head. "Truly, I think you should share this side of you with others. Don’t let me be the only one to have all the fun. I beg of you."

"Others don’t amuse me as you do. Your reactions make you special," Damien said, shattering Eloise’s dreams.

"A pity," Eloise muttered.

"You have been summoned by the court. We are to go in the morning, so prepare yourself to face your uncle," said Damien.

"You will be with me, won’t you?" Eloise asked, needing Damien’s support.

"I would never leave you alone with those bastards. I will be at your side, and I have every right to be there as your husband. You won’t ever have to sit alone with Clive," Damien promised.

"Thank you. I think I am ready to face him and Agatha if she is present. I am ready," Eloise confidently spoke, ridding herself of doubt. "My only concern now is the battle at dinner."

"You mustn’t hold back when it comes to my siblings. I don’t," said Damien.

"I have been doing better in speaking to them," Eloise replied, her mind wandering back to her talk with Quinn.

Soon, Damien and Eloise entered the dining room where the others, minus Kyle, were already seated.

"Good evening," Eloise greeted Jane and Quinn.

Jane kept a watchful eye on both Eloise and Quinn, still yearning for the story behind the pair.

Damien pulled out Eloise’s chair and helped her to sit, then moved to his chair.

"What a gentleman you are," Jane commented. It truly was a sight to behold to witness Damien be so dutiful to Eloise.

"Eat in silence," Damien instructed Jane.

"Why? Dinner is meant for us to speak about our day, and since we have a new member of the family, we should use this time to get to know her. Don’t you agree, Quinn?" Jane asked, pushing Quinn to the spotlight.

"Eat in silence," Quinn repeated Damien’s words.

Jane pouted. "The two of you are no fun. Fortunately, there is another lady inside the estate. We must stick together if we are to survive this estate of men, Eloise."

"We must," Eloise agreed, playing close attention to Jane’s plot. "I will be going to the court in the morning, so you can make plans for us to sit together in the afternoon."

"Wonderful. I will have the head maid arrange it for us. It would be even better if we had other ladies-" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"No," Damien shot down the plan before it was heard. "It will just be the two of you. Don’t upset me more than you already have, Jane. I will forbid you from having visitors if you continue."

Jane looked to Quinn for support, but he was busy poking at his food with his fork.

Quinn ignored the conversation between Damien and Jane. He questioned himself for attending dinner when he could have had it sent to his room.

Quinn’s gaze moved from his untouched plate to Eloise, who sat beside Damien, being the only one to enjoy the conversations being had.

Eloise was radiant, far better than she appeared earlier when she was angry with him.

’Is she still upset with me?’ Quinn wondered.

Eloise didn’t look in Quinn’s direction to know if she was still holding on to their heated talk. She smiled and acted as though she had been among the family for years.

Quinn lowered his gaze before Damien could catch him staring, but unknowingly, it was already too late.

’I can’t do this,’ Quinn thought. He was placed in an uncomfortable position.

Quinn couldn’t escape his thoughts of wondering why Eloise chose to marry Damien.

Why go for Damien when he was the one closer to her in the past?

Was it because Damien was older?

Was it because Damien was the heir?

"I believe you two should give us more insight into how you two became acquainted again. Damien rarely attends social events unless it is for business, so how were the two of you fortunate to be reunited?" Jane asked, wanting to hear more of the tale.

If anyone were to speak of the love story between Eloise and Damien, it should be Jane, so she could twist it to make it more presentable for the town. It could not be a boring story, which would disappoint the town more than it was already disappointed by the union.

Quinn looked up, for once grateful Jane spoke too much. He, too, wanted to know when he had missed the opportunity, and how Damien knew Eloise was in town again.

Why did Damien keep Eloise’s return a secret until he decided to marry her?

"I said to eat in silence," Damien responded.

"You’re a bore," Jane said, folding her arms. "You want me to get to know her, but you don’t want to answer our questions."

"I already said we met at a gathering. What more is there for me to say? Are you planning to get the story so you can share it with others? You are," Damien guessed from Jane’s wide-eyed expression. "You are not to have any visitors until I allow it."

"Brother!" Jane exclaimed. "That is hardly fair. Kyle has been out all day with his friend and has not bothered to join us for dinner, but I am the one to be punished. I shall leave since I will only be mistreated."

Jane’s chair pushed back with a screeching noise. She rose from her chair and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a trail of anger.

Damien lifted a glass of wine and took a small sip, savouring the taste. He wasn’t a servant or pet to chase after Jane.

"I have somewhere to be," Quinn announced as he stood up. "I will bring Kyle home."

Eloise’s eyes fell on Damien after they were the only ones left. She tried to read his expression.

"The best ones are left at the table. Eat," Damien urged Eloise. "We mustn’t let the food go cold."