Chapter 320: Bad news [1]
Meanwhile, Iris joined Eloise and Damien where they sat.
"Does it amuse you both, watching what the men in my life get up to?" Iris inquired as she approached the table.
"Yes," Eloise answered. "One of us should find some amusement in it. It looks like their talk went well enough, and ended rather quickly too. I do wish you’d been near enough to hear what they spoke of."
"I would never subject myself to whatever nonsense passed between them. So long as neither hurts the other, I don’t mind what they get up to. May I join you?" Iris asked, eyeing the small feast laid out before them. "You two were truly entertaining yourselves at my expense, weren’t you?"
Eloise pulled out a chair for her cousin. "It’s rather fun, watching what others must face. Usually it’s Damien and I providing the entertainment. Aren’t you enjoying yourself at all?"
"I was, until Reece arrived. I only hope those two don’t manage to frighten each other off, and to my surprise, it turns out they’d already crossed paths before today. Lucky for everyone involved, they managed to apologise for whatever happened between them. Men truly are such fools," Iris said, shaking her head.
"I take that as an insult. You must specify that it’s your lover and your brother who are the fools in question," said Damien.
"I’m not prepared to change my mind just yet. I mentioned the rumours to Zayne earlier, and he simply laughed them off. Have you managed to get the maid to confess yet?" Iris asked, hopeful for good news.
"With a little motivation, yes. It seems she’d been sharing tales with my aunt long before Eloise and I ever married. I’ve instructed the butler and head maid to look closely at every servant who speaks more freely than they need to," Damien shared.
Eloise kept herself occupied with the food Hannah had arranged for her since she had long become tired of hearing Camille’s name spoken.
"I could keep watch over the maids myself. Working for Zayne taught me exactly how to spot when they’re up to no good. Where they like to slip off to gossip, and which one tends to pull the strings of the others. Allow me to do this much, at least, to repay your kindness," Iris requested.
"Very well," Damien replied, glad enough to step away from the matter for a moment. "There’s some hope for you yet, it seems."
Iris’s brow furrowed. "Why wouldn’t there have been hope for me?"
"Well, given your choice to court Zayne of all men, I find myself questioning our collective judgement," Damien answered purposely to rile up Iris.
He very nearly remarked on her upbringing under her parents as well, but decided, for once, to spare her.
"There is nothing at all wrong with Zayne. The worst you could hold against him is that he keeps his home dark and enjoys lying about doing nothing," Iris argued, quick to Zayne’s defence.
"You two do keep mentioning how dark his home is. Now I find myself rather wanting to see it for myself," Eloise said, genuinely curious whether it was truly as bad as they claimed.
"Oh! Hannah is coming. Excuse me a moment," Eloise said, rising to meet the maid halfway. "What is it? Another guest arriving?"
Hannah curtsied first. "There are men from the court asking to speak with you, my lady. The guards are awaiting your instruction."
"From the court? Why would they be seeking me out?"Excuse me one moment," Eloise said, returning to the table. "Damien, there are men from the court asking for me. What reason could they possibly have?"
Damien rose at once, without a moment’s hesitation. "Wait here. I’ll see to them myself."
Eloise sat back down. "I can’t think of a single reason they’d come here. Unless something’s happened at my father’s home or perhaps it’s to do with Millie’s son."
"Or," Iris said slowly, a knot of worry forming in her own chest. "It could concern my parents. No one knows I’m even here. Do you think they might be coming to inform you about one of them?"
"We’ll have to wait until Damien returns. Perhaps one of the Hawthornes is stirring up trouble again. We shouldn’t leap to conclusions when it could well be nothing at all. Let’s keep our attention on your courtship with Zayne instead," Eloise suggested, though her voice wavered slightly.
"Now I rather wish we’d had the wine Damien suggested, instead of juice," Eloise muttered under her breath.
"You must stay calm, Eloise. One of us has to, and I vote it should be you. Is this your juice?" Iris asked, snatching Eloise’s glass and draining what remained of it in one go.
"Did that help calm your nerves at all?" Eloise asked, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing.
"No. I honestly don’t know why I did that," Iris admitted, palming her face with a groan. "We’re both being terribly silly. Let me pour you fresh juice in a clean glass. Why fret, when we could simply eat and drink instead?"
Iris glanced down at the sizeable portion on Eloise’s plate. "You’ve been eating rather a lot lately, come to think of it. Is there some news you’re meaning to share with me?"
"No, this is Damien’s doing. He noticed I enjoyed the freshly made cake. I hope you don’t mind, but I already look forward to whenever you plan your wedding. There shall be plenty of cake to go round," Eloise said.
Iris laughed at her cousin’s eagerness. "Of everything involved in planning a wedding, cake is what excites you most? If you asked him nicely, I know Damien would have cake prepared every single day. Besides, I think I should have a small wedding like you did.
"You should do exactly as pleases you," Eloise responded.
"You’re only saying that so you might have more cake at mine as well. Tell me honestly, do you regret having such a small wedding?"
"No," Eloise shook her head. "It was exactly as it should have been. I only want to eat cake at a wedding now."
"Dear cousin, I have a feeling there shall soon be news of your own to share," Iris said, quite certain of it.
The two women sat together a while longer, until Damien finally returned, with Zayne and Reece following close behind him.
"What did the court want?" Eloise asked, her nerves returning.
Damien’s gaze shifted to Iris. "They came because they didn’t know where to find your cousins. They need to speak with both Iris and Reece urgently. It concerns your father."
Iris stared at Damien as though his words hadn’t quite reached her.
"What about our father?" Reece’s question was what finally pulled her back to reality.
"We should go and speak with them together, rather than pressing Lord Hawthorne further. I’m ready," Iris said, her voice calm despite the questions racing wildly through her mind.
All she could think, over and over, was that something awful had happened to her father.