Chapter 293: Advice [1]
After lingering a while longer, sharing food in the chamber and basking in the quiet intimacy, Damien finally rose. He left the chamber only because of Eloise’s wishes. She had asked him to speak with Reece, and though he would rather remain by her side, he could not deny her.
Damien left the bedchamber and found Reece seated with Iris in the drawing chamber.
"Iris," Damien said, folding his arms across his chest. "I would like to have a word with your brother. I won’t keep him from you for too long."
Iris rose gracefully and excused herself with a nod. She decided to go and see Eloise, leaving the two men alone.
Reece stood to greet Damien. He thought the worst of the visit since Damien since he didn’t expect Damien to come to him. "Lord Hawthorne. Thank you for letting me in as a guest."
"You are welcome here since you are good to my wife," Damien replied, but his tone told Reece to be careful. "My wife sent me to speak with you, but after the last time you were here, I didn’t think it should be necessary. Go home to your wife and unborn child. No one should have to tell you to do it."
Reece sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Lord Hawthorne, I know it is easy for you to say this because you hate my mother-"
"No," Damien interrupted before Reece continued to make wrong assumptions. "It is easy for me to say because you have a wife who is pregnant, waiting for you at home. You have a mother who will likely use you or the money you carry to place you in danger. A wise man would return to his family."
Reece’s jaw tightened. "I intend to return to my family after knowing that my mother is well and fixing up our childhood home. I have to do that much before I return. I am leaving the money here so if I do cross paths with her, there won’t be any temptation."
Damien’s eyes narrowed, his patience thinning. "I see that you are not a very wise man. Iris will obtain the home which once belonged to Eloise. She is being courted by my friend, who will be able to care for her as long as she lives. There is no one here in need of your help besides your mother."
He stepped further into the drawing room. "You must like the danger, and being away from your wife. That is the only explanation."
Reece’s voice rose. "I love my wife, and I am desperate to get back to her!"
Reece’s hands raked through his hair, his frustration spilling out. "I want to speak to my mother and send her away so Iris wouldn’t be troubled. I wanted to settle the debts so no one would go to Iris."
Reece felt burdened with responsibility. "I live far out of town, Lord Hawthorne. Those men aren’t going to get to me, but they could get to my sister. Had Iris not run off, she would have been married to settle those debts. To a man I do not know."
"I would love to be with my child," Reece continued, missing his wife. "But if I don’t deal with my mother, she will become a bother to everyone else. Iris needs a break. She was always meant to be the perfect daughter who would marry the perfect husband."
Damien spoke up, "Iris broke free from her mother. She loves her, yes, but she knows how wrong she was. Iris will be well here in the estate, and if she marries, she will be cared for."
"You staying here only makes your sister and cousin worry for you. The troubles here will be settled. Return to your wife and obtain the home you were planning."
Silence stretched between them.
Damien finally asked, "If you shared that you are married with an unborn child to your mother, how did she react?"
Reece’s face gave it away. "She reacted as you thought she would. She arranged for me to marry a young lady tied to the man seeking Iris’s hand. She wanted me to benefit from a marriage where my sister would suffer. I don’t need her getting to Iris again."
"But your sister is well," Damien reminded Reece. "She is here, safe, and no one will get to her. As an older brother, I understand taking on responsibilities, but your sister is asking you to leave because she is safe. Do so before you find yourself in danger."
"If you find yourself in danger while chasing your mother and perish, what will become of your wife? Can she care for the child alone?" Damien asked, sharing the harsh truth.
Reece turned away, hating the sight Damien painted with his wife alone, abandoned, and struggling. The thought twisted in his chest like a blade.
"I wouldn’t leave my wife alone at a time like this," Damien pressed, continuing to be honest. "Especially when I know there is no reasoning with your mother. There is danger all around the town in chasing her. Go home. I thought you would be wise."
If Reece was not going to choose the obvious answer, Damien would not allow him to linger at the estate, planting reckless ideas in Eloise or Iris’s mind.
Reece accepted what he needed to do. "This gentleman who is courting my sister. Is he good? I would have liked to meet him."
"Zayne is a good man," Damien assured Reece. "I have known him since my youth, and Iris has been working for him. I can arrange for the two of you to meet, as it would only be fair. Older brothers tend to notice what their sisters do not."
Reece gave a weary smile. "We do. I will take a look at our childhood home, meet this man, and then leave. I hope Iris will be well without me, and though I know she will be, I cannot help worrying. Is this what it feels like to be a father?"
"Perhaps," Damien said, a bit uncertain. "But you can’t listen to me, since I am not a father yet. I imagine children will be more troublesome than siblings, since you cannot ignore them. Go home after you have settled these two matters, and tend to your wife. She must be worried."
Reece raked his fingers through his hair again. "Thank you. I know you are only here because of Eloise, but thank you."
Damien turned towards the door. "I am wonderful," he said with a faint smirk. He paused, glancing back. "Would you care for a drink?"
"I would," Reece replied, following Damien.