Chapter 269: Proposal [1]
Back at the Hawthorne estate, Iris and Zayne walked alone, waiting for Eloise or Damien to find them.
"These estates are quite large. I always wondered how long it took them, as children, to remember where all the rooms were. One of these bedchambers might be the size of my home," Iris said, gazing around in awe.
Iris never got tired of looking around the large homes.
Zayne examined the portraits. "You find yourself getting lost after a while. I believe they organised it so that portions of the estate belong to the siblings. So, Damien will stay near the side you saw him on, while the others will have their own side."
" It will switch when there are children," Zayne explained.
"I see. And what if Eloise and Damien were to have children before the others move away from the estate? What happens then? Do the children have to stay on Damien and Eloise’s side?" Iris wondered.
"Truly, I do not know. There are enough chambers for the children to go to. Do you think they will have some so soon? They have only recently married," Zayne said, but he looked forward to being an uncle.
"Enough time has passed for the town to start having questions about children. Especially Damien’s family. Besides, those two are so in love with each other that I wouldn’t be surprised if they have spoken about it," Iris assumed, certain it was discussed.
"Damien didn’t speak a word about wanting to become a father to me."
Iris chuckled softly. "Why would he speak of it to you? You are not his wife, and quite frankly, it is not our place. I always found it too much for others to ask about it. Ladies already face so much pressure in finding a husband, and then it is followed by the pressure of children."
"Well, the Damien that I grew up with wouldn’t allow anyone who would pressure Eloise to get close. There once was a relative who spoke of Jane starting to look for suitors as soon as she bled. Damien didn’t take it too well," Zayne recalled, a grin tugging at his mouth as the memory surfaced.
"I always love balls where someone has made Damien upset. I get a nice drink and stand at the front of the ground to watch. Don’t worry," he added, noticing Jane’s judgmental stare in the corner of his eye. "I pull him away when he’s given his fair share of hits. If I pull him sooner, then Damien will be upset and hit me."
"I am trying to place how the two of you are friends. You seem to be such opposites. I don’t expect you to be the same, as I am different from my peers as well, but you two seem to be far more different. Then again, I don’t know you quite well," Iris admitted, believing that was why.
"There could be plenty you are hiding from me," she added.
"I am not hiding anything. I am always far too tired to be faking my personality with you. I think I get along well with Damien because we are different. I don’t try to be like him or please him. Most times, I stay away to let him have his privacy," Zayne explained.
Zayne looked down at Iris and asked, "Do you think you are quite alike, Eloise?"
"We have plenty in common, but we are very different. We are surprisingly close despite her once living outside of town. I suppose it would make sense for opposites to find comfort in each other," Iris concluded.
"Hmm. Will it not be a burden for you to have to travel from here to my home? I am quite happy that you haven’t given up working for me. It means that I have been treating you well. I’m surprised you want to leave the mansion to stay here at night," Zayne said, hoping to sway her.
His eyes lingered on her face.
"I must spend some time with Eloise. I owe it to her after scaring her with my disappearance. She has offered me her father’s home, which should be a little bit closer. I am nervous yet quite excited about having a home to myself. I thought it would only come with marriage," Iris said, her heart fluttering at the thought of independence.
Zayne couldn’t force himself to sway her mind after seeing how excited she was. "Well, if you need furniture for this home, I have plenty to offer you. Some that have never been used."
"That is kind of you, but Eloise has already offered to give me some of the furniture they have in storage. I want to thank you now for all that you have done for me thus far," Iris said, realising how much help Zayne had provided her. "I don’t want to forget to thank you."
"Why does it sound as though you intend to leave me eventually?" Zayne asked, hating the thought.
"You have gotten that thought from me, thanking you? This is why I say that I cannot leave you alone. I don’t know how you will be without me there at your side. I wonder how you managed to think for yourself for all the years that I was not present," Iris said to tease Zayne.
"If I were you, it would be wise to stop before you put yourself in a position where you are to be at my side doing all the thinking forever," Zayne said, letting his feelings slip, watching closely to see how Iris reacted.
Iris placed her hands behind her back. "Then you would have to promote me to being the head maid. That means better pay and getting to tell the others what to do. That would need to happen in time when the current head maid has left her work, of course."
"I am starting to realise that you aren’t so innocent. You are plotting to take work from a woman who is not ready to stop her work. How shameful," Zayne said, shaking his head as he pretended to judge her.
"That is not what I am doing. I am merely securing the position for the future. I have overheard that the head maid intends to leave within a year because the work is becoming too much for her to keep up with. Is it not wise that I am thinking ahead?" Iris asked, seeing nothing wrong with her actions.
"It is wise, but you certainly know how to push yourself forward. I will consider whether I want to let you have that much power in my home. I do wonder now if you seek to be the head maid because you will be good, or because you want to get even with the maids mistreating you," Zayne said, believing it was the latter.
Iris forced a smile and said, "It is all about the work."
"I will pretend to believe you."