Chapter 308: New rumours [4]
"Where did you see this maid?" Eloise asked, feeling a flicker of hope. She was delighted that Iris might hold some clue about the person they were searching for.
"It was right there, after I walked away from Damien," Iris explained, her brow furrowing as she recalled the moment. "I saw a maid and was about to speak to her, but then Jane came to me, so I let the maid go. I didn’t want to appear as though I was overstepping, since I wasn’t sure she was doing anything suspicious."
Iris regretted not speaking up then. She continued, "I don’t know the name of the maid, but if I were to see her face, I could point her out. I can go around searching for her."
Determined, Iris rose from the bed. "I will be as discreet as I possibly can be, so give me a bit of time to look over the maids. If Damien gathers all those who were working on the floor, then find me. I shall point out who I saw."
Eloise stood as well, instinctively wanting to join her cousin. "Should I come with you?"
"No," Iris said, shaking her head. "It will be faster if you don’t, and less suspicious. The maids will already be tense with Damien searching for someone. You should wait in your chamber."
"Very well. You must be careful, since there is no telling what this person might do. I will be in my bedchamber if you need me," Eloise replied, walking with Iris towards the door.
"I wish I had approached the maid to question why she ran when she saw me. Then this might have been settled," Iris said, her words heavy with regret.
"Even if you had spoken to her, there was no way of knowing this news would come. It was bound to happen either way, so do not be upset with yourself. If you don’t find the maid, I’m sure Damien will," Eloise reassured Iris.
She trusted Damien to uncover every mystery that lay before them.
After exiting the chamber, Eloise parted ways with Iris and returned to her own bedchamber.
Without sending for assistance, she undressed and decided to rest. Eloise slipped into bed and lay waiting for Damien or Iris to return with news.
At first, Eloise couldn’t sleep. Her mind churned with thoughts of spies, lies, and Camille’s relentless meddling. After staring at the walls for a while, Eloise drifted off to sleep.
Two hours later, she was stirred awake by the subtle dip of the mattress. She rolled onto her side to see who had come. "Damien?"
"Yes," Damien whispered. He adjusted the blanket around her shoulders with tender care. "I didn’t mean to disturb you. You can rest a little longer. You seemed tired."
Eloise rubbed her eyes. She sat up, her hair falling over her shoulders. "I’m not. I only came to rest because I wouldn’t have been helpful. Did you find anyone who could have done it?"
"Yes," Damien replied. "Iris came to me and spoke of a maid she saw sneaking around after we spoke. She was able to point her out after I gathered the maids. The maid is denying any involvement, but I will look further into it."
"What happens if she is found to be the one spreading what happens here?" Eloise asked, curious what the maid’s fate was.
"She will be dismissed and sent from the estate," Damien answered, though he kept some of his harsher plans from her. "When the servants come here to work, they sign that nothing they see or hear is to leave the estate. She broke what she signed and will need to pay for it."
"Good. An example must be set with the others. It shouldn’t be that we must tiptoe around the maids. I will have my own talk with the head maid to keep them in order. You should do the same for the guards and the male servants," Eloise suggested.
"I’ve already instructed the head maid and butler to keep better watch. Some of them may be dismissed during this time, and we shall take on new maids shortly after. I will settle this," Damien said, brushing the messy strands of Eloise’s hair back from her face.
"If this is Camille’s work, you’re not going to leave her be, are you?" Eloise pressed, no longer wanting Damien to hold back. "She’s going to keep poking at us until she gets a reaction, and now she is dragging others into this. I don’t like the lies surrounding our marriage."
"Neither do I," Damien replied, his thumb soothing the back of her hand. "I will settle this all quite soon. Do you trust me that I can?"
"If not you, who could I ever trust to end this?" Eloise whispered, putting her full trust in him. "Whatever happens to Camille, it is all because of her actions. This has gone too far. I don’t care if you expose her secrets, as long as you promise me you will remain safe. That nothing from your end will place you in danger."
"I will be well," Damien promised.
"Good. Then please end this," Eloise pleaded, tired of the drama. "End it before she takes it a step further, troubling us and everyone around us. Even if we expose it as a lie, these kinds of conversations are never forgotten."
For years to come, others might whisper of Iris having an affair with Damien right under her nose, or claim she herself had been with other men. The cruelty of gossip was that it lingered, staining reputations long after the truth was known. She shuddered at the thought of what might be said about her father.
Eloise had once thought of sparing Camille for the sake of her children, but now she knew this had to end.
"I am well aware," Damien said, and he too wanted it to end. "I assure you I won’t give her another chance to speak another lie. I will have the maid confess by the end of the day, and then I shall meet with Camille’s husband by tomorrow."
"Have you found what he is hiding?" Eloise asked, curious.
"Not yet, but there is more I can speak on. As frustrating as he is, thinking as though he is the one with a title and wealth, I shall find it rather amusing to put him in his place. Just wait," Damien said, raising Eloise’s hand to kiss the back of it.
"I shall," Eloise replied as she didn’t have a choice. "Are you joining me in bed for a moment, or must you go back out again to speak to the maid?"
Damien inched closer to Eloise. "I can stay with you for a moment longer, but then I must leave the estate. It cannot be helped, though I won’t be gone for long."