Eloise stood up and exited the drawing room to give Jane time to speak with Camille.

Eloise didn’t make more than one step out of the drawing room before stumbling into Damien.

"Damien!" Eloise gasped, her right hand going to her chest to calm herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I said I would be near. Did you not hear me?" Damien asked, offering his hand for Elosie to walk beside him.

"I heard you, but as the others presumed, I thought you went to another room. Do you truly fear what Jane will say to me? Or were you worried about your aunt?" Eloise asked and placed her hand on Damien’s. "I can take what they say."

"Can you? Then explain your palms."

"I can be nervous and still face them. If I ever have trouble facing anyone, I assure you that I will speak of the matter to you. I gain nothing from keeping it a secret from you. You are the middle person here, so you can help with my troubles," said Eloise.

"Can you promise to never keep your feelings hidden away from me?" Damien asked, offering his hand for Eloise to shake.

Eloise shook Damien’s hand. "I promise. It would not work well for our marriage if we are not honest with each other. No matter how it started, I would like to have a good marriage. Well, here," Eloise said, expecting outside the estate to be chaotic.

"I cannot run away from everyone thinking I am pregnant with your child. I think the best response is no response, as time will reveal that I am not pregnant," Eloise decided.

It was tiring to keep repeating the same answer.

"It is starting to bother me that they skip the most exciting part and jump right into assumptions of us expecting," said Damien. "They must slow down."

"You wish to share that we have only lain in bed together? Are you not worried others might think you have trouble? Millie once thought you married me without hesitation because you wished to hide a lover," Eloise shared, still believing it wasn’t the case.

Damien stopped walking so he could face Eloise. "I don’t have a lover. No woman-"

"I did not say it was a woman," Eloise quickly corrected Damien. "I do not believe it is true. It was only an assumption. Sorry," she bit her lip to stop her laughter.

"I do not have a male lover nor a woman," Damien denied the accusation.

"I believe you. She was only trying to make sense of why you agreed so quickly. I assure you that Millie doesn’t genuinely think you have a male lover. At least not now," Eloise said, a little uncertain if Millie’s mind was completely changed.

"I am only interested in women," Damien said.

"Damien, you mustn’t take it so seriously. I believe you, and if it makes you feel better, I do not care who you have loved before. W-Wait," Eloise stuttered, startled by Damien pulling her toward him. Her hands rested on his chest as she tried to keep space between them.

"I find myself inclined to prove to you that I only care for women. That I only care for you, but I fear that when it is all done, the rumours about you might become true. Would you dare to confirm that I only have eyes for you?" Damien asked, his lips moving dangerously close to Eloise’s.

Eloise was too stunned to speak. She focused entirely on Damien, speaking of only having eyes for her.

"Damien."

"Lord Hawthorne."

Eloise looked away from Damien to his guard, standing close to where they were.

Silas turned his back on the pair. "Forgive me."

Eloise found relief in Silas’s timing. "No, you came at a good time. Damien, unhand me."

"We can ignore him," Damien suggested, already forgetting Silas’s presence.

"We shall not. You do not know the reason he has come to you. What if there is a fire?"

"Well then, he would be a fool not to run and yell fire," Damien answered.

Eloise shook her head. "Your name is Silas, right? I learned it from Aiden. Is the matter in which you sought out my husband important?"

Eloise turned away from Damien too soon to witness the smile after proudly addressing him as her husband.

"Um," Silas answered, uncertain of whether he could share it with Eloise.

"Oh, I see. This must be one of those talks I don’t want to be involved with," Eloise said, referring to dead bodies. "You can have him. I am going to give myself a tour of the estate so I no longer get lost. Damien, I will pinch you."

Eloise smiled, feeling triumphant after Damien listened to her. She walked away before she could end up back in his arms.

Damien’s gaze lingered on Eloise before moving to Silas. "You have awful timing, Silas. The next person to disturb my time with my wife will not live to see another day. What is so important?"

"We found the man named Orlo and brought him here. He has come here with news about Clive and brought along papers, but he is requesting a great deal of money," Silas shared.

"I expected no less from him. You acted ahead to ask him about Clive. Good," Damien said, patting Silas’s shoulder when he walked by. "Do not flinch, Silas. You would make others think I beat you."

"My apologies, Lord Hawthorne," Silas replied, and kept a distance between himself and Damien. "I did not mean to interrupt you."

"You saw us standing close, yet continued to approach and make your presence known. That was rather intentional, but since my dear wife is going to spend the rest of her time alone thinking about what I said, I will forgive you. You also acted fast to find Orlo," said Damien.

Silas sighed, relieved he had not placed himself in trouble. "I also have reports that Mr Wilkins has been frequenting the court. A will might have been presented, so your wife will be called upon soon."

"Then, we caught this man in good time. I need a man to send to the countryside where my wife used to live. They must be quick to get there and back. Find one when we are through here," Damien instructed Silas.

Silas led Damien to the stables where Orlo was kept.

"Lord Hawthorne," Orlo Yearwood greeted Damien with a smile. "You have a grand estate, yet I am forced to wait in the stables. That is not very polite."

"I do not allow strangers inside my home. What if you are unwell? Now, let me see what you brought for me," Damien said, getting down to business.

"Not so fast. You must promise me to pay the money I have asked for and not to report me to the court," Orlo said, keeping a firm grip on the papers he held.

Damien was going to be Orlo’s big payoff to get out of town.

Damien placed his right hand on his chest and said, "I promise to pay you what you ask, and I will not report you to the court. I am a man of my word."