Chapter 272: Heartbreak [2]
Soon, Eloise and Damien reunited with Zayne and Iris in the gardens. The women walked ahead, while Zayne lingered behind with Damien.
"I think I have heard the sound of my heart breaking for the first time today. It is not a wonderful feeling," Zayne said, placing his right hand against his chest. "I hope Eloise never lets you experience this terrible feeling. Unless you have before."
"I have not," Damien replied, his eyes fixed on Eloise’s figure in the distance. "How does a woman you claim not to have any feelings for manage to break your heart? Were you so foolish as to confess to her while she is still your maid? That would not have been wise of you."
"I didn’t, and there are no feelings," Zayne insisted, though his voice faltered. He leaned closer to Damien, lowering his tone. "But can you enlighten me as to why that wouldn’t have been wise?"
Damien shifted to his right, deliberately widening the space between them. "Because you are her employer, and you’ve already tasked her with being your personal maid. It might make her feel uncomfortable around you, unwilling to be alone with you. I wouldn’t blame her."
"It would be wiser for you to let your relationship with Iris stay as it is now until she begins to fall for you. Push too much, and you’ll drive her away. You must consider the difference in status and why she would be reluctant," Damien explained.
Zayne sighed, his gaze drifting towards Iris, who walked ahead with Eloise. "I have been thinking about that. I am not in a rush to get married in the morning. I want to know more about her, but so far, I feel pulled towards her with what little I know."
"As though my life would be dull if she were not near-" Zayne stopped abruptly, realising his mistake. "You bastard," he muttered, embarrassed at his own confession.
Damien smiled. "It is evident that you care for her. Now I know you are serious, so Eloise won’t need to worry about Iris. Keep this in mind, "he stopped suddenly, grabbing Zayne by the shirt. "When you create a mess with Iris, it will reach Eloise, but it won’t stop there. My time with my wife will be taken over with this."
Zayne’s eyes widened, but he quickly composed himself. "I am not going to let that happen. You should be pleased by the thought that if Iris were to marry me, Eloise wouldn’t need to worry about her dear cousin so often. You would have more peace. Think of the positive side."
Damien released Zayne’s shirt, smoothing it so Eloise would not notice anything amiss. "Then I am rooting for you. If Iris decides in the end that you are not the man for her, then you must let her go."
"Would you have let go of Eloise?" Zayne asked.
"No. But Eloise isn’t my servant," Damien replied.
"So, what you are saying is that I should fire her and then pursue her?" Zayne asked, half in jest, though the idea lingered in his mind.
Damien struck Zayne lightly on the chest. "Don’t put words in my mouth, and don’t claim that it is my idea. This is where you shall lose me. Don’t go around saying that what you do is my idea."
Zayne chuckled, rubbing his chest. "I wouldn’t have spoken of you, but you must be clearer. I’m not going to fire her since I enjoy her company," he decided. "But I’ll take your advice to keep it the way it is."
Zayne’s thoughts drifted back to Iris’s laughter. "If I spoke of us getting married because we are both without spouses, and Iris laughs in my face, what does that mean for me?"
Damien stared at him, and for the first time that day, pity flickered in his eyes. "It means you shouldn’t ask her to marry you so soon again. You should have waited for me to be near so I could have witnessed you being laughed at."
"Damien," Zayne sighed. "Has anyone told you that you are awful?"
"Yes," Damien replied without hesitation. "In fact, my wife told me that I am awful this morning, and then she took care of me. It is wonderful to have a woman who knows how I am, returns the feeling, and cares for me."
Damien’s gaze softened as it settled on Eloise. "If you are fortunate, you shall one day experience this wonderful feeling. Or not."
Zayne groaned. "Damien, I am starting to question why we are friends. You get joy out of seeing me wounded. This is the first time I am experiencing these feelings, so you should be kind to me. Or should I run to your wife?" he teased, knowing it would provoke Damien.
Damien calmly asked, "Do you think Iris would want to marry a man who has to live his life bound to a chair?"
Zayne reacted instantly, shoving Damien towards a bush before darting away.
Damien stumbled, catching his balance just before he fell, then lunged forward to chase Zayne, determined to push him back.
The sudden commotion drew Eloise and Iris’s attention. They turned, watching the two men with amusement.
"Now they look more friendly," Iris commented. "When Zayne visits, does he run around like this with your husband often?"
"No," Eloise replied, shaking her head. "It is the first time I am seeing it, and it is quite peculiar. Perhaps it is how they are when they are outside together. It looks to be fun."
After a pause, Eloise added, "Do you want to sit and watch them? Standing while we watch them run around is tiring me out. I thought Damien was sick, but he seems well enough if he can run after Zayne."
Iris walked with Eloise to a nearby bench and sat down. "Are you certain he was sick, or was he playing pretend so you would take care of him? I wouldn’t be surprised if Damien were the kind of man to enjoy having his wife nurse him back to health. Are you that kind of couple?"
Eloise laughed. "I see that your imagination has not improved. It is still far from innocent. Damien has been adamant that he is not sick, so he wouldn’t have taken the medicine. I don’t believe he took it," she said.
Only now did Eloise remember that she had sent for the medicine to be delivered to Damien, but he had left his chamber too quickly to have taken it.
"I don’t blame him. Sometimes the medicine is bitter, and with how he is running around now, I believe he is not sick. I truly don’t need to worry about you since you have settled in well," Iris said, realising Eloise was well in the estate.
"Not so well. There is a bit of drama with his aunt," Eloise admitted.
"Should I go work in her home just so I can get near to pull her hair?" Iris asked, jokingly, but for Eloise, she would do it.
"To save you from being imprisoned, I think you shouldn’t," Eloise replied, her words followed by Iris’s laughter.