Chapter 305: New rumours [1]
Damien and Eloise took their walk outside into the gardens.
Eloise imagined herself sitting by the window in her bedchamber at night, gazing down at the lantern-lit garden. She pictured dragging Damien to join her.
"Should we have our dinner in our bedchamber tonight?" Eloise asked, seeking another undisturbed moment. She longed to offer Damien more of her time.
Damien’s brow arched. "Is this because of what I spoke of earlier?"
"Partially," Eloise admitted. "I don’t ever want you to feel that I am not giving you enough of my time. I have been busy with Iris, and I fear I’ve neglected you."
Damien’s expression changed to amusement. "I wasn’t serious. You give me plenty of attention. I am merely so needy that I want all of it. Though," he added with a sly smile, "I might just take you up on the offer to have dinner alone."
Eloise smiled. "I will be leaving to visit Viola’s home tomorrow. I shall take Jane and Iris, so you will be left with your brothers. Can I trust the three of you to be well-behaved?"
"I am always well-behaved," Damien replied, though his voice wasn’t convincing, and Eloise laughed at his attempt.
"Hmm. Quinn has been quite busy preparing his townhouse, so you might be left with Kyle. If he asks about his business plans, you must help me. I feel guilty that I have not yet offered him my support," Eloise confessed, realising how little she had thought of Kyle’s business.
Damien shook his head. "I told Kyle to prove himself first before you would be pulled into this venture. Let him finish what he is doing. So far, he is doing quite well. He has surprised me."
"Do you plan to tell him this?" Eloise asked, certain such words would motivate Kyle.
"I will once he has finished it all. If I offer him one too many compliments now, he will let it get to his head and spoil what he has done thus far. I will tell him when the time is right," Damien promised.
"Good," Eloise murmured, leaning her head against Damien’s shoulder. "I get the feeling that since he started planning for this business, Kyle has been seeking your approval, hoping to hear that he is doing well. I suppose every younger sibling longs for the attention of their elder."
Damien glanced at her, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Are you sulking once more because you grew up without siblings?"
"A bit," Eloise admitted, feeling a bit of jealousy. "I always wonder how it would be if I had a sibling by my side all this while. Though the bickering doesn’t always appear pleasant, I do envy how close you all are. That means we must have more than one child."
She did not want a child raised in solitude, without a sibling to share laughter and quarrels.
"Though you have three siblings, so they might have cousins to play with," Eloise added, retracting her earlier thought.
"No," Damien stopped her. "Their cousins would have to go home at some point. As long as you can manage, we should have many children. Merely for the sake of the children getting to play with each other."
"Of course, that is the sole reason," Eloise said, going along with Damien’s act. "Do you not think of how odd it would be to become someone’s parent? Until now, it has not struck me that I would be fully responsible for children."
"It was the first thought I had," Damien replied.
"I know we are to take care of them," Eloise continued as that part was expected. "But I meant how the child becomes. Shaping them into a kind person who isn’t spoiled, who treats others with care. Wouldn’t it be our fault if they didn’t grow into a good person?"
"Somewhat," Damien said, his voice calm, though his hand tightened around hers. "We can do our best, but after some time, it will be out of our control. Don’t worry yourself too much, or you will only start to stress."
His gaze shifted, catching sight of Hannah approaching. "Your maid is coming toward us."
Hannah’s arrival meant Eloise’s presence was needed elsewhere. "Lord and Lady Hawthorne. Miss Rosalie is here to see Lady Hawthorne."
"Rosalie has come?" Eloise frowned, surprised. "I do not recall having plans to see her. Invite her inside and prepare a bit of tea for us. I shall be inside shortly."
Eloise decided to linger with Damien a moment longer, reluctant to part from the quiet intimacy of the garden.
Hannah bowed her head and departed swiftly.
Eloise sighed. "I apologise for leaving you so soon again, but if she has come without notice, then there might be trouble. I wonder if she is here because of her divorce."
"You shall find out in a moment," Damien said. "I will be returning to my study, so when you are done with Rosalie, return there so we can continue our talk. I will escort you inside."
Damien guided her toward the door, his hand placed at her back.
They walked to where Rosalie waited in the drawing room. She rose from her chair as they approached.
"I apologise for coming without proper notice. After what my mother spoke, I thought I would deliver the news to you instead of writing. You may stay, Damien, since I won’t be long," Rosalie said just as Damien took a step away.
"What news?" Eloise asked, her voice calm though her heart quickened.
"My mother met with some of her peers, and it was then that your name came up. There are all kinds of rumours being shared now of how you came to cross paths with Damien, who your parents were, and far more besides," Rosalie shared.
"Isn’t this common?" Eloise replied, hardly surprised. "I fear this isn’t out of the ordinary. I can’t help this."
"It is said to be coming from a reliable source, so the ladies are believing it. There are tales about your suitors whom you met before your marriage to Damien, and even whispers that you were part of why your parents passed away. There is far more that is awful," Rosalie said, unable to speak the cruellest rumours aloud.
"Reliable source?" Eloise repeated, her mind racing. "If it is not a stranger doing this out of boredom, then I can guess two people. Either Camille or Agatha. But Agatha would not be permitted in the presence of a duchess."
"No one outside of my family knows of my past, especially since I grew up out of town," Eloise continued. "Thank you for coming to me," she added.
"You are most welcome. I have asked my mother who started it, so we shall have a name in no time," Rosalie promised.