Two days later, the palace ball was upon the town.

Eloise and Damien rode in a carriage with their guards towards the palace.

"We’ll head out of town in the morning, so we must leave in due time so you get plenty of rest tonight," Damien informed Eloise. "I’ve already told Jane not to stay up waiting for us."

"I do not think she will listen to you. Jane has asked that I keep a good watch of the guests so I know all the gossip and share it with her. She will be awake when we return. She will pay the price in the morning," said Eloise.

"Kyle spoke to me about joining us on our outing. I said that he would have to seek permission from you. Did he approach you?" Eloise asked out of curiosity.

"No, and my answer would be no. This trip was planned for us to be alone. Jane is to be the only exception, so do not allow him to join us. We have other homes around the kingdom for Kyle to visit if he wishes to get away from the estate," Damien replied.

"I will leave it to you to break his heart. I assume Kyle believes you would leave him in charge of the estate again. That is why he doesn’t want to stay. Have you spoken to Quinn yet?"

"I will speak to him tonight," Damien answered, uninterested in his brothers. "Your attention should only be on me tonight."

"It is, but I might be captivated by the palace and look away from you at times. I apologise in advance, but this is a dream for me. I could only see the outside of the palace in passing, and now I am going inside," Eloise said, excited. "We must leave before drama spoils the night."

"Then, we must set foot inside, turn, and leave. That is the only way you may avoid drama," Damien said, certain they would face drama.

"You are scaring me a bit. You mustn’t leave my side at any point tonight. Only if you are pulled aside by the king would I allow it, but not for others. If you leave me alone, then another bedchamber would be in use tonight," Eloise warned Damien.

Damien’s right brow raised, intrigued by the threat. "You would leave our bedchamber?"

Eloise’s brows furrowed. "Me? Why would I leave? I would send you out of our bedchamber for abandoning me. Since you want to leave alone so badly, shouldn’t you be the one to leave our bedchamber?"

Damien chuckled, amused by how Eloise easily spoke of throwing him out of the bedchamber. "You are quite bold."

"You said the estate is now my home, so I am treating it as such. If I don’t want to sleep in the same bed as you, I don’t need to," said Eloise.

"Then, if I stay close to you all night, do I get a reward? It wouldn’t be fair if you only focus on punishing the bad moments. What do I get if I stay close to you all night long?" Damien asked, a playful smile forming.

"A happy wife," Eloise responded, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough.

"You’re always happy, Eloise. Try again," Damien responded. "How awful that you only know how to come up with punishments for me. Don’t you love me enough to reward me?"

"I do!" Eloise exclaimed.

"Oh. You love me? This is how I have to hear it from you?" Damien asked, teasingly. "I don’t know whether to be disappointed or thrilled."

Eloise sighed, annoyed with herself for falling into his trap. "I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I suppose you are right that I should be just as quick at showing how grateful I am. Then, when we return to the estate, you may show me how to explore these feelings without us going all the way," Eloise said, careful with her words.

"You said we can explore our feelings by simply touching each other. It has been on my mind," Eloise confessed.

Damien’s mood switched. "Eloise, are you aware of what you are asking of me?"

"You said that I am a wise woman. Why now would you think I don’t know what I speak of? I know what it entails. Well, kind of," Eloise said, missing a few details. "There are feelings between us, some more on your side, but we are married. I won’t shy away."

Eloise stared at Damien as he also watched her. "You cannot ask for the carriage to be turned around, nor can you rush me to leave the ball. We both agreed on an hour. We won’t leave a second before unless there is danger. And no, you cannot create the danger."

"That was not within my mind, but I am considering it now," Damien said, pondering how he could leave early.

"Damien, you must remember what I asked of you. I would not like to see my husband arrested, and then I will be panicking as I try to get you out. Let us have a good night and then return to our estate peacefully. Can you promise me?" Eloise asked, her fingers crossed.

"I can promise you as long as you save my reward for our outing," Damien said, yet to promise.

Eloise found it odd that Damien wanted to wait. "Why? What are you plotting?"

"You will be tired after the ball, even though it will just be an hour. I will feel cheated if you fall asleep when we return. It is only fair," said Damien.

Eloise shook her head, judging Damien. "I have only now realised how much you speak of what is fair and what isn’t. Very well," she agreed. "But you have yourself to blame if I shy away from you then. You are giving me more time to ponder what will happen between us."

"It sounds like you are suggesting that I give you some insight now to keep your interest. A pity it would ruin your beautiful dress," Damien said, his gaze lowering to admire the dress in question.

Eloise looked out the window, grateful that the palace was now in view. "We are here. Now I am even more excited to see the palace, so I can get out of a closed space with you. Forget about what I have offered and be on guard. We must both be careful."

Eloise felt overwhelmed just from looking up at the palace. It was grander than she had imagined, and there were many carriages outside. This wasn’t some small gathering at a friend’s home, but a large ball where one mistake could ruin her.