After having their bath, Eloise and Damien settled down in her old room.

Eloise tried to tidy it so it would be more pleasing to the eye for Damien, who was used to big chambers. Unknown to Eloise, Damien didn’t mind the look of the room as the worn-out furniture carried a charm.

"You don’t have to clean. There isn’t much left here besides drawings and old books, since all your belongings are at the estate. Do you have more secret drawings?" Damien asked, his gaze drifting over the shelves as though searching for hidden treasures.

"They might be in my father’s belongings, which I sent to the estate. I wasn’t very good at drawing, and you know it. Must you continue to tease me?" Eloise asked, wishing she could hide her drawings.

"You used to say that you couldn’t tell what it was I had drawn, and now you want to see more. Is it to tease me as you used to do?" Eloise wondered, remembering all that he once said to her.

"No. I happen to enjoy your strange drawings now. I must admit that as a little boy, I didn’t have an eye for good art, but now I do. Tell me, was I the husband in your drawings?" Damien asked, staring at the faded drawing he had noticed earlier.

He longed to touch the paper, but since it was clearly fragile with age, he resisted, fearing it might crumble beneath his fingers.

"Were you not listening? I rarely drew a husband in my drawings. The only times I drew you, you couldn’t make out what it was. I am thankful you couldn’t, so I didn’t embarrass myself. Those drawings are long gone," Eloise said, satisfied.

"They might be at the estate. As long as a maid wasn’t too curious and didn’t rummage through our old storage, the drawings might still be there. I wouldn’t have thrown them away, but if found by a maid, they may have been discarded," Damien said with honesty.

"I hope they cannot be found. You were too honest when you were younger. I cannot bear what you would say now at this age. Why are you so interested in my awful drawings? The heads were always too big for the bodies, but then again, you said it was accurate," Eloise said, glaring at him, though her lips twitched with amusement.

"You were mean as a child, Damien. I am reconsidering if I truly want to have a child with you," she teased, her tone playful though her eyes sparkled with challenge.

"You knew I was only toying with you at times. But if someone had a big head, was I to lie and say it was small? Would you not prefer our children to be honest, as I am?" Damien asked, finally turning from the drawing to meet Eloise’s fiery gaze.

"My head was no bigger than your own, and no, I don’t want children going around hurting anyone’s feelings. They should be honest, but not about someone’s appearance. You needed more taps on your hand as a boy," Eloise said, tempted to do just that even now.

"Hit the young heir? Whoever dared would have faced my mother’s wrath. Despite my teasing as a boy, I turned out to be a good gentleman. Wouldn’t you agree?" Damien asked, pulling Eloise against his chest. "Am I not a good husband?"

"You are, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t awful as a child at times. Despite that, I still yearned to play with you, so perhaps the fault lies with me. You will be a good father, but I must keep an eye on what you whisper to children. We must go to bed," Eloise said, stifling a yawn.

Damien startled her by lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed.

Eloise clung to him, her heart racing with the sudden motion, worried she might slip.

Damien set her down gently and lay beside her.

While Eloise fretted that the bed was too small, Damien rested his arm across her waist, enjoying that she had nowhere to escape.

"If the room were bigger, I would place a larger bed inside, but it would take up too much space," Eloise murmured.

"Eloise, the bed is fine. I can imagine that if you had stayed in town, I would have snuck here to see you."

"You would have entered the room of a young lady not yet married, to spoil my name?" Eloise asked, her brows arching.

"How many times must I remind you of our marriage when we were children? We wed long before our seasons had started," Damien said, keeping her close against his chest.

Eloise shook her head. "There wasn’t a priest, and we were children. Who would think anything of the marriage? I regret being so interested in weddings when I was younger and asking you to be the groom. If only I had known I would be haunted by that decision years later."

"Haunted? You had a good eye when you were younger to select me as your husband. I am going to search for the drawings and hang them in our bedchamber. They may be cold and carry an awful smell, but they are to be cherished," Damien said.

Eloise wasn’t thrilled by the plan, though she knew she wouldn’t succeed in stopping him.

"How good is your drawing now?" Damien wondered.

"It hasn’t improved, since I have not once practised to make it better," Eloise admitted.

"Good. If I can’t find the drawings, then I shall have you draw them over. If we are fortunate, you will draw them so poorly that they still look as though a child drew them," Damien said, earning a playful swat to his side.

"You are cruel," Eloise said, turning her back to him. "It is not too late for me to go to my father’s bed and leave you alone here. Do not push me to it."

Damien kissed the back of her head and said softly, "I’m sorry. If it will make you feel better, I cannot draw well either. Would you care to see?"

Eloise considered it. "Only if it is poorly drawn," she answered, her voice muffled against the pillow.