"I have had enough," Eloise spoke softly, pushing Damien’s fork away. "You are the one who needs to eat."

"Don’t you feel lonely, Jane?" Zayne asked, feeling uncomfortable with Damien’s display of affection.

"No," Jane responded, focusing on her food. "Can we not give him a plate and send him off? It is getting late. What if he decides to stay here?"

"For a lady, it might be late, but for a man like myself, it is quite early," said Zayne.

"It is not too late for you to leave. It is bad enough that I have three brothers, but now their friends are frequenting the estate. It is unfair. My friends cannot visit the estate as I want because their mothers don’t want them around unmarried men," Jane said, frustrated.

"I can send the men out of the estate and host your friends. I would leave you alone so you don’t feel crowded," Eloise offered.

Jane’s eyes lit up. "You would do it?"

"I would if it is what you want. You should be allowed to have guests if your brothers have their peers visiting. A lady needs to be with her friends at times. I will arrange it as long as you promise to be on your best behaviour," said Eloise.

Jane nodded her head. "I will be on my best behaviour, and so will my friends. We will stay in one corner of the estate."

"I will speak to my husband about it and decide on a day," Eloise replied.

Zayne found it to be an odd sight how Jane was warming up to Eloise, but he didn’t question it out loud. Jane was in need of interaction with a lady within the estate.

"I thought you were going to rest, Kyle? I didn’t know Quinn was home," Zayne said, watching the two brothers enter the dining chamber.

Eloise looked up after hearing Quinn was present. She noticed the bruise on Quinn’s face and turned to Damien.

Damien knew what she wanted, but instead, he offered his fork with more food.

Eloise suspected that the argument had gotten out of hand, and Damien had hit Quinn. Seeing that the two weren’t fighting, the matter was settled, so there was no reason for her to get involved.

Eloise continued eating her food, having said enough for the night. She had an important day tomorrow, so she didn’t want to waste her time with petty arguments.

Dinner surprisingly went smoothly, even with the return of Quinn and Kyle. Zayne started a light conversation to kill the tension.

Eloise set down her napkin and stood up to return to her bedchamber. "You will need to see your guest off. I will go up to our bedchamber first."

"Can I walk with you?" Jane asked, standing up abruptly.

The request startled Eloise at first.

"You may," Eloise allowed.

Kyle stood up to leave as well. He was too tired to linger around to join Damien and Zayne if they were going to drink.

Quinn was the last one to stand up. He glanced at Damien, wondering if this was a good time to apologise for his earlier antics and to express his feelings, but decided now was not a good time.

"What’s gotten into him?" Zayne asked after Quinn left the dining chamber. "Oh, right. You told me."

"Come with me," Damien said, getting up from his chair. "We’ll speak outside."

"There’s no one around. What servant would be so bold as to sneak around in your home?"

"Get up," Damien commanded Zayne.

"And here I thought your wife had placed you in a good mood," Zayne muttered.

Zayne followed Damien outside.

The front door was closed, and they stood at the bottom of the steps.

"I spoke to my uncle like you wanted, and as I expected, he wasn’t happy about it. That bastard tried to fight me, and I injured my back. You owe me for this, Damien. I always avoid that old man, but I went to him just for you," Zayne said, holding out his hand for a reward.

"You got the dinner you wanted. That’s good enough payment," Damien replied.

"You’re all bastards. I should gather my belongings and move far out of town. My uncle hasn’t agreed yet, but he has asked to meet with you. You might be able to convince him when you meet with him. He seems to be overwhelmed because of the king," Zayne shared.

"Why?"

"The king appears to be imprisoning men left and right. It is overwhelming the prison and the court. There needs to be time for the court to oversee the cases, and for the prison to make room. I expect we shall soon be called to the palace. You are going to the ball," Zayne said, knowing from Eloise and Jane’s talk.

"I am. It will be a bigger introduction for Eloise, and the queen cannot target her for not showing her face. We aren’t going to stay for long, but I am certain someone will try to keep us there," Damien said, already annoyed.

"Just remember not to reveal your gun or threaten anyone. The palace is no place for you to pick a fight. I understand needing to show your face, but I am surprised you are taking her so soon. I will attend the ball," Zayne decided. "I will offer more protection."

"Hasn’t the king been attempting to get you to marry one of his daughters?" Damien asked, surprised that Zayne would go.

"He is, but I will continue to reject the proposal. Life is already stressful. I don’t need to add marrying a princess to it. I don’t understand why he is so insistent that I marry his daughter. There are princes elsewhere and noblemen around the town. Bother them, not me," Zayne sighed.

"Still, the palace is pretty, and for a young lady like Eloise, she might enjoy seeing it just once. I hate the people there, but it is pretty. You will get to see my uncle there as well. Now that I’ve confirmed that you are happily married, it is time to leave," Zayne said, eager to get back home.

"It’s the light in my home that’s bothering you, isn’t it?" Damien asked, knowing Zayne wanted to crawl back to darkness.

Zayne nodded. "It is a bit, but I do want to get home before the dangerous people roam. I’d hate to have to kill someone after having a lovely dinner. I will come by again, and next time, I will make sure I stay the night."

Damien didn’t object or accept because his answer depended on how Zayne acted that day. "Go now, and do not wander off to get killed. I will wait to watch you leave."