The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"I hope you will soon come out of this need to compete with me, or feel that you cannot speak to me. My door has always been open to you for serious matters. You are the second eldest, so I turn to you for support, but I am left without it," Damien said, disappointed.

Quinn raised his head to meet Damien’s eyes, the weight of guilt pressing against his chest. "I apologise."

"I don’t want apologies. I need you to do better. We’re at the age where we cannot make careless mistakes. This time, I shall let the matter go because Eloise has moved on. However, a second instance will not be ignored," Damien warned.

"A second instance of you dragging my wife into some mess tells me that you have not learned, and you are out to ruin what I have. It will be difficult for me to let you stay here," Damien added.

"I know. I know the position you are in, and I promise you that this won’t happen again. I don’t want to hurt you or Eloise. I also don’t want to keep troubling you out of jealousy. I’ve already told Eloise of my plans to move next season," Quinn shared in hopes it would make the situation better.

"It is not because of you or her. I want to be in charge of my home and make decisions. I have the resources to do so. I want to settle down, have a wife, and start a family," Quinn said, ready to take the next step.

"Is it truly what you want?" Damien asked, surprised, but he would be supportive.

"It is. I’ve been running around, doing nothing with myself as of late. I think it is time that I begin the search for the woman meant for me. If I don’t find her next season, then very well, but I want to start," Quinn said, determined.

"I’m going to move slowly to the mansion in my name and perhaps use the townhouse to rent out to visitors coming from the countryside. I don’t think I should take any woman I am serious about there. You know that I-"

"I would not like for you to go too far into detail," Damien cut in.

"Right," Quinn agreed quickly. "I’m going to make something of myself outside of the estate while still coming to visit from time to time. I can’t leave you and Eloise to put up with Kyle and Jane alone. I will come back often."

"That is kind of you, but it will take some time for you to settle into your home. Take all the time you need and come back when you are ready. Come back when you feel like yourself again," Damien advised Quinn.

"I will come more often than that. With Camille no longer a relative we can depend on, I should come more often so Eloise is left caring for her. It might even please Jane to help me decorate," Quinn considered as he imagined the future.

Damien raised his brow. "You would let Jane, who likes pretty colours, help you to decorate? And here I thought you were finally being wise. It seems that I was wrong."

"I would not give her full control. Just let her offer me a little help. I think out of all of us, Jane is the one most excited to have her own home. I can’t tell it to her, but I hate to think of her leaving the estate as well," Quinn confessed.

"Should we kill any young men who try to approach her during her season?" Quinn suggested, confident that Damien would be on board.

Damien smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief as he had a far better idea. "Why raise your hand to kill anyone when we can stop her from attending the balls?"

"I get the feeling that Eloise would not allow Jane to miss balls, and Jane just might kill us. I say that we attend all the gatherings behind her, so the men are too afraid to get close. I look forward to her season," Quinn said, chuckling as he imagined the chaos.

"I look forward to your own, to see if you will go through with finding a wife. I wish you well with achieving these goals you set for yourself. Hopefully, it can rub off on Kyle, but I worry about any lady having to live alone with him," Damien said, his tone half in jest, half in concern.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if Kyle has plans on bringing his wife here to the estate to live with you. We must hope that the business he is planning does well. If it is, he will not want to spend his time here. You must speak to him about putting aside profits," Quinn suggested.

"There are a lot more conversations I must have with him, but not now. I will allow him to focus on the planning before I decide if Eloise should continue helping him," Damien decided, his mind already weighing responsibilities.

Quinn stopped just below the stairs as it was time for them to part. "He’s excited, so before you pull away, give him the chance to prove himself. He just might surprise us."

"Before you go, I must share that I dealt with Teresa. She won’t be residing in town anymore, and I sent her to where she would keep her mouth shut. She won’t ever come back. I’ll make sure of it," Quinn promised.

"I hope not," Damien said, turning to go up the stairs. "Don’t be late to taste the bread."

"I won’t," Quinn replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

Damien continued until he reached his bedchamber. He opened the door, finding Eloise already seated on the bed with a book in her hands.

"Did your talk go well?" Eloise asked, setting the book aside. "I expected you to take longer to return."

Damien approached the bed, sat down, and leaned to the right to place his head on Eloise’s lap. "It went well. No fighting, and we all seem to understand each other. I don’t know how long this will last, but for now, we have to enjoy it."

"Well done, grumpy pants. We’ve gotten to enjoy a peaceful return. As long as we communicate with each other, we can keep the peace. Everyone keeps secrets, and then they create a mess," Eloise pointed out.

She touched Damien’s head, moving her fingers in a soothing circular motion to calm him. "You must rest before you get back to your work. The estate appears to be in good order, so Quinn and Kyle did their part."

Damien closed his eyes, surrendering to the gentle rhythm of her touch, the tension in his body easing as her fingers worked tenderly to quiet his thoughts.