Chapter 325: Chase [2]
Eloise and Iris found their way to a grassy area and sat down.
"Are you truly well, Iris? You don’t need to pretend for my sake. It’s your father," Eloise said.
"It isn’t that I want to pretend for anyone’s benefit. I know it is expected that I cry, but that’s not how I feel right now. Whatever I feel will come out tomorrow, when I finally see him," said Iris, staring out at nothing in particular.
"I see. Do you know if your mother intends to see him at all?" Eloise inquired. "Has she been told this news?"
"They said she declined. That news doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, but it does sting that she never even mentioned it to Reece. I thought she would at least tell her favourite child. This is nowhere near how I imagined our lives turning out," Iris said, pouring herself more wine.
"Neither did I," Eloise added softly. "I imagined my return here would look different. I thought I would be arriving to see you get married not long after I came back."
"I thought the very same. I do wonder, sometimes, who I might have married had everything gone differently. Did I miss my soulmate somewhere along the way, or did I find him in another way? I’m quite content with my life now, but I still wonder what might have been waiting for me otherwise," Iris said, followed by another slow sip of wine.
"I think of it too. What might have happened had I never married Damien. I don’t believe I would have found interest in anyone else at all. Can you even imagine it?" Eloise asked.
"No," Iris shook her head. "You would have gone on disappointing gentlemen forever, or my father would have kept pushing you towards someone you couldn’t stand."
Iris set her glass down in the grass beside her. "He’s getting what he deserves. That’s why I can’t quite bring myself to feel sorry for him. It hurts to know I’m losing him, but it’s fair, isn’t it? I can only imagine how it felt for you, losing your own father the way you did."
"You shouldn’t think of me right now."
"But I can’t seem to stop myself. Had he only tried to steal your home, I don’t think I’d feel his death was warranted. But he stole your father from you. Robbed you of ever saying goodbye. It feels unfair that I get mine when you never got yours," Iris said, her voice cracking.
She pressed her palms to her face, hiding the tears now falling freely. "I’m sorry you never got your goodbye. And I’m sorry that I still get to have mine."
"Iris," Eloise said softly, inching closer until their shoulders touched. "It’s more than fine that you get to say goodbye. I don’t resent you for it. Not for a moment."
Eloise continued, "He may be the villain in my story, but he is still your father. Go and get the goodbye you deserve. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on you, not ever."
"Truly?" came Iris’s muffled response.
"Truly," Eloise replied, lowering Iris’s hands from her face.
Iris sniffled loudly. "Am I still pretty, at least?"
Eloise laughed at what occupied Iris’s mind now. "Yes, you are. Even covered in tears and snot. Come, we’ll wipe your face before we go back to the others."
"If a gentleman can’t love me at my very worst, then he doesn’t deserve my love at all. Tell me, have you never cried in front of Damien before?"
"More times than I could count," Eloise answered with a small, knowing smile.
Iris reached for her glass and clutched it as she lay back in the grass, spilling a little wine across her dress in the process.
Eloise lay down beside her to look up at the sky.
"I do like that we can find a bit of fun, even in a moment like this. I’d rather laugh than cry all day. As much as I love my brother, I didn’t want to be left alone with him today since he would make me far too emotional," Iris confessed.
She turned her head to look at Eloise. "Do you think there’ll be a good ending for me in all this? That the town will eventually move on?"
"You’ve hurt no one, Iris. I see no reason your life shouldn’t turn out well. As for the town, you mustn’t waste time worrying over them. The townspeople will always find something to whisper about, regardless of what you do," Eloise said.
Eloise glanced over at the bottle, still half full beside them. "Shall we have a bit of fun toying with the men now?"
"I adore your mischievous side," Iris said, already sitting up, eager to join in.
Meanwhile, the men remained at the table.
Zayne and Damien found no shortage of entertainment watching Reece, now slumped forward, after consuming too much rum.
"I almost want to fetch a stick and poke at him, just to see if he stirs. Though this might be the best sleep the poor man’s had since arriving in town. Perhaps we should let him rest," Zayne suggested, smirking.
"You only say that because you don’t want him getting in the way while you spend time with Iris," Damien said, seeing straight through Zayne’s plot. "You seem to forget I’m an older brother myself. Some of your plans don’t sit well with me."
"You make it sound as though I’d run off and marry her the moment he’s asleep. Speaking of running off," Zayne said, abruptly rising to his feet. "Where exactly are they running to?"
Damien took one final sip of the last of his rum before standing to follow after Eloise. "They’re running in opposite directions. They’re toying with us, but this is the kind of game I enjoy."
Damien spared one last look at Reece. If you let his sister run off and hurt herself in the process, that’s reason enough for him never to like you. Don’t follow me, or my wife," Damien warned Zayne before leaving the table behind.
Zayne didn’t hear a word of what Damien told him since he was too preoccupied chasing after Iris through the garden.
Only Reece remained slumped at the table, blissfully unaware of everything unfolding around him.
Damien strolled through the gardens, following the path Eloise had taken.
He knew exactly the game she was playing. She wasn’t truly drunk, but rather enjoying herself. Despite knowing this, he intended to fall right into her trap.
"Eloise," Damien called out, announcing his presence. "I am faster than you."
Eloise glanced back over her shoulder. She welcomed the challenge to see who was faster. "We’ll see about that," she replied before running faster to get away.