Ingrid stepped to the side, but she wasn’t ready to give up. She was in need of customers again to sell out all the dresses she had in storage. If she couldn’t sell her dresses during the most important time of the year, how was she to survive?

Ingrid didn’t know how Damien did it, but young ladies stopped frequenting her shop after the incident with Lady Hawthorne.

Ingrid could only partly scold herself since she shouldn’t have been impolite to the simple woman. No matter her appearance, Eloise was still a Hawthorne.

Eloise couldn’t hide her smile.

It was expected that the townspeople wouldn’t believe Damien would be so protective. Seeing their realisation was a good show.

’Am I awful?’ Eloise thought, wondering if her enjoyment now was evil. ’No,’ she killed that thought.

Ingrid had her fun looking down on Eloise, so now Eloise could have a bit of enjoyment seeing Damien defend her.

"Dear," Eloise’s sugary tone caught the attention of the two others. "We must move on if we are to find a dress for the palace ball before the day ends."

Ingrid turned to Eloise with a wide-eyed expression, surprised to hear they were seeking a dress for the palace ball. Seeing how Eloise smiled, Ingrid suspected it was done on purpose to mention the ball now.

Eloise stared at Ingrid, certain that Ingrid got the message. She could be petty as well.

"We shouldn’t trouble her longer," Eloise said, tugging on Damien’s arm to move along.

"Trouble her? She stepped onto our path," Damien replied.

Ingrid was left alone as the couple went on about their day. She dwelled on the fact that she had missed the chance to style Lady Hawthorne for her first appearance in the palace. She could have had her name attached to the gossip.

"Dear?" Damien repeated Eloise’s way of addressing him. "Since when am I your dear?"

"Since a moment ago. I have realised it only now, but for newlyweds, we don’t have sweet names for each other. Honey or dear," Eloise contemplated, thinking of the best one. "It is how I shall address you when we are out in town."

"You are putting on a show for the town?"

"Somewhat. Others will pick at every action and try to find evidence that we are not happy. This ensures we have one less rumour to address," Eloise explained.

"I don’t address rumours," Damien replied, uninterested in proving the town wrong. "The town can say what it wants to as long as it doesn’t interfere with my money or harm my family."

"What if others were to go about claiming you to be a man with secret children?" Eloise asked, dwelling on what was said before.

"This again? I would be entertained by watching them search for children who do not exist. This town comes up with new gossip each day. Am I to keep up with it and find ways to end it?"

"No, you mustn’t. Referring to you with a sweet name is easy for me. I get to tease you and portray that our marriage is well. Dear," Eloise said, drawing closer to Damien.

"While I don’t like the reason you are doing it, I enjoy the tone in which you say it. Pumpkin pie," Damien said, deciding on his name for Eloise.

Eloise frowned, disliking the way she was addressed. "Pumpkin pie? You are a wise man, Damien. Surely, you could come up with a better name. I do not like pumpkin pie."

"You don’t like the name, or you don’t like eating it?"

Eloise let go of Damien’s arm and stepped away. "Both. You can say dear as well."

"I happen to enjoy pumpkin pie," said Damien.

Eloise shook her head. "This day is starting to feel spoiled. Aiden," she said, turning to her guard. "We will go ahead without my husband. You are far more pleasant to be around. This way," she said, leading the way.

Aiden wished to step behind Silas so he could avoid Damien’s gaze.

"Go," Gage said, purposely pushing Aident towards Damien.

Silas chuckled. "If you shoved him a little harder, he would have collided with Lord Hawthorne."

"I’ll try harder next time," Gage said, watching as Aiden scrambled to follow Eloise.

Damien followed Eloise, getting in front of Aiden to be back at her side. "I’ll place him to work at the gates if you keep this up."

"Keep what up? I cannot have a guard I adore at my side when my husband annoys me? Do you think you are not capable of annoying me?" Eloise asked, and judging from Damien’s smile, he was about to annoy her again.

"I know I am capable of it since I do it on purpose. Neither of us must have names for each other. I don’t want it to stick, and when we are in bed, you say dear instead of Damien-"

Eloise covered Damien’s mouth with her hands, though there wasn’t anyone to hear him. She pulled away after Damien bit at the palm of her hand.

"You are insufferable," Eloise said.

"I believe the right word would be a tease. As hard as you may try to deny it, you know that you love this side of me. Now, where are we going to find your dresses?" Damien asked, uncertain of where to take Eloise.

"There is a lovely dressmaker straight ahead," said Aiden.

Damien turned around to look at Aiden. "What do you know about dressmakers? You don’t have sisters or lovers, and your mother makes her dresses herself."

Eloise smiled, finding it cute that Damien knew such a detail about Aiden’s mother.

Aiden scratched the back of his head.

"He frequents the dress shop when he doesn’t have to work. If you are thinking he goes there to try on dresses in his free time, I have to disappoint you that he doesn’t," Silas said, causing Gage to snicker.

Aiden glared at Silas. "Why would your first thought be that I would try on dresses?"

Silas shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you were experimenting as some lads do. I wasn’t angry, just disappointed I couldn’t see you in a dress."

Eloise chuckled.

"Lady Hawthorne!" Aiden whined. "It is not as you think. I don’t have such a hobby."

"The woman there is your lover," Eloise guessed. "I did not for a second think you were going there for dresses, but I did imagine you in one. Forgive me."

Aiden wished he could get far away from the group.

"I will believe you and visit this lovely woman. You are back in my good graces," Eloise said, allowing Damien to hold her hand again.

Gage wrapped his hand around Aiden’s shoulder and said, "Stop pouting."

"Red would be a good colour for you," Silas said out loud. "Now I know what to give you."

"I’m going to kill you!" Aiden yelled, chasing after Silas.

Damien’s lip twitched.

"Leave them be. Their good mood is spreading," Eloise said, enjoying the banter.

"I pay those three a fortune to watch you. Children could do a better job," Damien said, his patience at its wits’ end.