Eloise leaned down and claimed Damien’s lips with her own, savouring the quiet that had settled over them both. They both didn’t know when they would get a moment alone like this at the estate.

Damien’s hands rested firmly at her waist, keeping her close.

Eloise smiled against his lips, charmed by how quickly he made room for her even when he had wanted to be alone. She would never be turned away from his space, and she loved every bit of that certainty.

She playfully caught his lip between her teeth and pulled back from the kiss. "Easy there," she said, sitting up before things moved too far along. "I said we must be careful not to tire ourselves. You need to speak to the guards, and I must oversee the servants."

"There is plenty of time before we leave, Eloise. What are you afraid of?" Damien asked, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair back over her shoulder. "Getting caught?"

"If we are caught, then you will be the one to have the conversation with Jane. Don’t think my presence here will spare you from it. I think the sooner she knows, the better, so she understands what it is she is in such a hurry to rush into," said Eloise.

She pressed a finger lightly to his bare chest. "You must not wait until her wedding night to speak with her. Do it at the start of her season."

"Who gave you the talk?"

"My father, and a few ladies I was close to. They didn’t go into too much detail, but they said enough. What little more I came to know was from overhearing conversations I wasn’t meant to hear. I tried not to listen since it wasn’t something I had given much thought to. I hadn’t planned on marrying," Eloise said, her eyes dropping briefly to the ring on her finger.

"Not once did you think of marrying when you came of age?" Damien asked, shifting his left arm beneath his head. Hearing she didn’t want to get married always amused him as he was certain he had been waiting for him without realising it.

"No," Eloise said, shaking her head. "I told you that I had my father to care for, so leaving his side wasn’t something I could consider, and there was no gentleman who ever made me feel otherwise. I didn’t feel the need to rush, and my father never pushed me towards it."

"Did you not receive any proposals?" Damien asked.

"Why are we having this talk again? I told you that not everyone took kindly to my being raised without a mother. The gentlemen themselves were often fine, but their mothers were not. I was considered incapable of mothering children of my own, having not been mothered myself," Eloise said, the old words settling over her.

"I also heard I wasn’t ladylike and that I had no one to guide me properly. No woman wants to see her son married to someone she must teach everything to from the beginning. What they didn’t know was that my father had already seen to my education in all the ways that mattered," said Eloise.

"Their loss, and entirely my gain," Damien said, more than a little glad no man had been bold enough to properly court her.

Eloise smiled. "Indeed, it is. I think that is why some cannot quite believe I married a lord. My parents are gone, and my standing doesn’t match your own. Some worry I would be entirely at your mercy. That with no family behind me, you could do as you pleased."

"Who said this to you? Don’t listen to it."

"I know, and I have told them you would never harm me. They are simply people who care and can’t help showing it. In fact, the ones who asked were people whose concern I trust," Eloise said.

Eloise let the subject go and looked towards the window. "I would love to return here in the winter. I imagine the manor looks wonderful under snow."

Eloise noticed Damien’s expression, which showed he wasn’t all for her plans. "You don’t want to?"

"I don’t think a journey this long is wise in winter. There are far more accidents on these roads in the cold. We can come back once winter has passed," Damien said.

"Or we can simply forget it. You can’t be away from the estate too often as it is," Eloise said, letting the idea go. "Is it because of what happened to your parents with the carriage in winter? If so, I understand completely."

"We must all be careful in the winter. This family cannot afford any more loss. I promise to bring you back here more often so you can see your family and friends, just not during the winter. What about every summer, before the season begins?" Damien offered, trying to find something they could both hold to.

"Any time is good for me. As long as you are here, I am happy. I had a thought once that we might come alone and leave Jane behind, but now that she has a friend here, she will always want to come with us," Eloise said.

"If you want a trip for just the two of us, we could use a house in the capital. No servants and no one else. Just us. I am more than willing to let your little fantasy come true and cut firewood for you. I could even hunt," Damien said, followed by laughter.

Eloise shifted to move, but his grip held her in place.

"Do consider it," Damien said, not at all sorry. "Wouldn’t it be something if your secret little dreams came true? Speaking of which, have you ever dreamt of us being intimate, or found yourself thinking of me while pleasuring yourself? I hope you only ever think of me."

"Who else would I think of?" Eloise said and pressed her lips together. "You are absolutely insufferable. A gentleman does not ask a lady such things."

"I am not asking you as a gentleman asking a lady. I am asking as a husband asking his wife. Honesty is best," Damien said, still waiting.

Eloise dropped her head for a moment before looking back up. "I have never once pleasured myself whilst thinking of you. I am not certain what you expect of me, but I have thought about us being intimate together. Not everyone spends every waking hour of the day consumed by such things."

"When your partner is wonderful, you should," Damien said, the corners of his mouth lifting as he loosened his hold on her. "You are free."