"The rumours must be true. Her husband was taken by the court."

"What a vile woman to show her face to Lady Hawthorne after what her husband did."

The mutters all around reached Agatha’s ears. Her face turned pale as her worst nightmares came true. The town now knew of her family’s darkest secret.

’It wasn’t meant to be like this,’ Agatha thought, upset by the turn of events. ’They were to be judging her.’

Agatha could only glare at Damien with hate as he walked away, leaving her to face the crowd.

Iris wanted to run away. "I told you that we should have left. Now they are all speaking about us. I am done," she said, letting go of Agatha’s arm.

Iris walked away from Agatha, leaving her mother to face the crowd alone. They could have had a peaceful outing if not for her mother wanting to confront Eloise.

Agatha cleared her throat as she gathered the last of her pride. She lifted her head, showing that she was unaffected by the rumours.

"I am not my husband," Agatha announced. "I cannot be shamed for his actions. My daughter and I don’t agree with what he did, so we abandoned him. To shame us for his actions is wrong."

Iris stopped walking and turned around to face Agatha. ’Is she crazy?’ She wondered.

Iris stormed over to where her mother stood and forcibly grabbed her by her arm to pull her away. "You are embarrassing yourself."

"Embarrassing? I am saving our good name. They know your father is a thief. We should now distance ourselves from him," said Agatha.

"After you have gone about the town spouting nonsense about how Eloise was a liar? Now you would throw your husband under a carriage after what you said before?"

"I will say that he lied to me," Agatha decided.

"Unhand me!" Agatha commanded Iris. "I told you that she would abandon you."

Iris took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Why would she speak to me when you were harassing her? No, when you were making a fool of us? When you act as you do, it spoils my name."

Agatha scoffed. "So, is my name not important?"

"You are already married. Your time has come and gone, but mine is only just starting. You are ruining my chances, and you cannot see it," Iris said, letting out her frustrations.

Iris looked around, noticing that they were still being watched. "I am going home to enjoy it while it is still in our name."

Iris walked off a second time and didn’t look back.

Agatha followed Iris, wanting to get away from the prying eyes. She would fix this mess and turn the gossip back against Eloise soon enough.

Meanwhile, Damien entered the dress shop to a very worried Eloise.

"What happened?" Eloise softly asked, mindful of the dressmaker inside. "How did you silence her?"

"I mentioned her husband is a thief. That silenced her since it got the attention of the crowd," said Damien.

"Thank goodness it was easy. I prefer to ignore Agatha. Let her speak, and she’ll ruin herself without any help. This is our day to enjoy each other’s company. We mustn’t entertain others," Eloise said.

"Should I have Gage personally remove anyone who stands before us from this point onward?" Damien suggested it partially as a joke.

"Yes," Eloise answered. "They are our guards. They should do their part so we aren’t approached. You are a Lord. Why is it that so many people can get close to you, and your guards stand still?"

Eloise’s response surprised Damien.

"That is true. The three of them should be quicker and not wait for my command," Damien said, eyeing the three men in question.

"You should have a word about it when we return to the estate. We are being watched," Eloise said, pointing out the dressmaker. "I will greet her."

Damien was left alone with his three guards. "If Agatha ever tries to approach my wife again, and you three stand still, it will be the last day you work for me or breathe."

"It won’t happen again," Gage assured Damien.

"Hmm."

Damien left the others to focus on what he said and joined Eloise.

"Lord Hawthorne," Beatrice, the dressmaker, greeted Damien with a curtsy. "It is a pleasure to have both you and Lady Hawthorne in my humble shop."

"Aiden suggested your name to us. I trust that you will do well in preparing a dress for my wife to wear to the palace ball. If you do well, you can prepare several others," Damien proposed.

Beatrice held her breath for a moment.

Preparing a dress for the palace was intimidating, but a job she would never turn down.

Beatrice took a deep breath and asked, "What is the theme of the ball?"

"It is a masquerade ball," Eloise answered.

"Hmm. For a masquerade, many of the guests will wear black, white, red, or green. Would you be open to wearing a royal blue to stand out amongst the guests, or do you intend to blend in?" Beatrice asked, hoping it wasn’t the latter.

"Stand out," Eloise replied without a second thought. "Most will expect me to fall in line. This ball is a chance for me to do a bigger introduction of myself, and I want it to be memorable."

"It is a good choice. Lord Hawthorne, you should sit down since I will need to measure Lady Hawthorne," said Beatrice.

"If there is a dress already made, I want to see it. While I trust your judgment, the mere fact you entertain Aiden leaves room for worry," Damien said.

Beatrice looked at the back where Aiden stood. She wanted to hit him for sharing that they were intimate, but on the same hand, she had to thank him for bringing such a wealthy customer.

"My time with Aiden is brought on by drunken moments. There is a dress I have been working on in secret, and I never had the perfect customer to show it to. I will help Lady Hawthorne try it on and get your opinion. This way," Beatrice said, pointing to the dressing room.

"Can you make a mask as well?" Eloise inquired.

"I can. I can get the materials for it by the end of the day. I am truly grateful you have come to me," Beatrice said, determined to keep Eloise as a customer.

"I know you are wondering why I have not gone to the other shops," said Eloise.

"It has crossed my mind, but instead of concerning myself about the others, I want to prove myself to you. My shop might be small both in size and name, but I have a passion I feel is lost in this line of work. Trust in me, Lady Hawthorne," Beatrice pleaded.

"This is only the beginning, but I already have a good feeling we will work well together. Let us grow our name in this town together," Eloise said, having a good feeling about Beatrice.

"I look forward to helping you stand out," Beatrice said, determined to succeed with Eloise.