Chapter 270: Proposal [2]
"There you two are," Eloise said, unknowingly disturbing the moment. "Damien is waiting for his medicine, and then he shall join us. Or not," she added, realising she had arrived at the wrong time. "Should I leave? I don’t mind."
"Why would you leave?" Iris asked, stepping away from Zayne’s side to approach Eloise. "You are right on time. The estate is lovely. Have you done any decorating?"
Eloise glanced at Zayne, catching the subtle shift in his expression. "I haven’t as yet, because it is perfect as it is. I think I will go to see if Damien is drinking the medicine. Excuse me for a moment."
Iris’s arm slipped from Eloise’s. "Eloise? Is she abandoning me? Why?" she asked, turning to Zayne with confusion clouding her features.
"I do not know," Zayne admitted, trying not to sound too thrilled. "But I truly like Eloise as a friend, and as a wife for Damien. You should allow me to finish the tour."
Iris watched Eloise walk away. "She is behaving quite oddly. You all are. It must be this estate," she muttered.
"Perhaps that is why you shouldn’t stay here," Zayne said, placing his hands behind his back to appear more innocent.
"We have settled this matter already. My only concern is how his siblings will react to having a guest they do not know inside the estate. I will try to prepare my father’s home in due time, and perhaps, on a day when it is too late to travel, I will stay at your home," Iris considered.
"I think the siblings will accept you. Jane might enjoy having a lady who cares so much about the season around. If the brothers don’t take to you well, or they try to court you, send for me. I’ll deal with them before Damien needs to," Zayne offered.
Iris chuckled. "And what would you do? Drag them away? I thank you, but I don’t want to place you in a position to help me even more than you already have. I would hate to see you at odds with the brothers."
"I have always treated them as though they were my siblings. In fact, when they got into trouble, they used to take a carriage to my home. Our families have been close for a long time," Zayne informed Iris.
"I see. That is why you like to think he is your family. It is wonderful that you managed to stay friends for so long. I had hoped that many of my friendships would be like that," Iris said, but it seemed to be unlikely at the moment.
"You don’t have many friends?" Zayne asked, surprised as Iris seemed as though she could make friends easily.
"I had many friends. Before I ran away, I tried to meet with a few as we carried on with our normal days, but they didn’t want to meet. Why would they, when news was spreading about my father? Some responded, sharing that they felt sorry for me. I am thankful for those few," Iris said.
"You should meet with them now," Zayne suggested, wanting her to be happy.
Iris shook her head. "I would love to, but that wouldn’t be a good idea. Especially after the fire that occurred. There is too much drama and trouble that follows my family of late."
"Their mothers wouldn’t be thrilled about them meeting with me, and I don’t blame them. My mother would be the same," Iris admitted.
She knew well that if one of her friends had been enduring what she faced now, her mother would have forced her to keep her distance.
"They are seeking husbands this season, so it wouldn’t be wise to be near me now. I shall speak to them at some point or not. I’ve come to accept it all," Iris said, shrugging her shoulders, though her heart ached beneath the gesture.
"You’ve accepted it all a bit too fast. Why did you help Eloise if you knew your life would become like this?" Zayne asked, pitying the burden Iris carried.
"Because what my father did was wrong. I cannot claim to love Eloise, and when she needs my help, I turn away from her and take what belongs to her. She didn’t just lose her father. She lost her uncle because he was too greedy, and my mother didn’t treat her well," Iris explained.
"You have a good heart. If only we had spoken sooner at balls, I would have asked for your hand before you were whisked away by the wrong man. I am sorry that I missed my chance," Zayne said, regretting not listening to his mother.
"That is kind of you to say, but you wouldn’t have enjoyed having my mother around," Iris replied, brushing off his words.
"My mother rarely comes to my home. It would have been on very rare occasions that I let your mother inside. It is not too late for you to finish the season or surprise your peers with how good a season you could have," Zayne said, testing the waters.
"What do you mean?" Iris asked, her brows knitting together.
"I am yet to find a wife, and you are without a husband. Surely, if you marry someone with wealth like mine, you can live a comfortable life. You’ll even surprise anyone who counted you out for this season. Since we both need to marry eventually, why don’t we choose each other?" Zayne proposed and held his breath.
Iris stared at Zayne, her eyes wide, her heart caught between disbelief and a strange flutter of possibility.
Instead of responding with words, Iris laughed. It was the only way she could think to respond.
Iris patted Zayne’s arm, unintentionally deepening the wound she had created. "I think the estate is the cause of your current state. Does seeing what your friends have make you think that you should be married as well? I was once this way, so I won’t judge you."
Her gaze drifted towards the tall windows. Iris wondered if fresh air would do wonders for Zayne. "Do you know how to get to the gardens?"
"Do you want to dig my grave and place flowers to finish off what you have started? I would have to take back all the kind words I just spoke," Zayne said, certain his heart was close to breaking.
Iris reached for his hand, offering comfort even as it deepened his grief.
"You shouldn’t speak like that. Then the people shall think that you have truly gone mad. Please take me towards the garden. We both need a bit of fresh air to clear our minds," Iris said, focused on trying to get Zayne back to normal.