The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Away from the estate, Iris was busy with her chores for the day. Her time off was soon upon her, so she thought of going to see Eloise to let her know that she was well.

Iris carried a basket from the outdoors back inside to take to Zayne’s chamber.

"There she is," Iris heard the whispers. "That’s the one who cleans his bedchamber."

As of late, the maids had begun to gossip more, but Iris continued to ignore them. The pay was too good to listen to or care about what a bunch of jealous women had to say. Most were envious that she worked so close to Zayne.

’What’s so special about him?’ Iris wondered as she carried the basket towards the chamber. ’He is handsome and wealthy, but he lives in darkness.’

She shook her head, unwilling to concern herself with what the maids felt about Zayne. She was here to work, not to gossip or get caught up in matters that didn’t concern her.

Iris quietly continued to the chamber. She knocked on the door before entering, not expecting to find Zayne inside as yet, since he had left.

To her surprise, Zayne had already returned home and was somewhat undressed.

Zayne turned around quickly to hide, so he wouldn’t expose himself to Iris. "I told the head maid to inform you of my return. I am going to rest for a moment, but if you have to tidy, I can wait a moment longer. Iris?" He called again after not getting a response. "Are you still there?"

Zayne hated to think that he had caused Iris to be so stunned that she could not speak. "You didn’t see anything, did you? Can you speak so I don’t think the worst?"

Iris barely cared about seeing Zayne undressed. Her attention had been caught by the drapes pulled back, allowing light to spill into the chamber.

Zayne looked over his shoulder as he hurried to button his trousers. He turned around after making his appearance more suitable for Iris. "What is it?" he asked, following her gaze. "Did you see a creature fly by?"

"No, there is light in your chamber. I didn’t do this, and I don’t think another maid came by. Unless it slipped my mind," Iris muttered.

"I did it when I returned," Zayne confessed.

"But you are going to bed. Why would you let light into the chamber when you are going to sleep? You hate the light," Iris said, puzzled by his intentions. "Are you unwell?" she asked, moving to set the basket down carefully. "You didn’t eat much of your dinner last night."

"I don’t always eat all of my dinner, as there are nights I am not in the mood," Zayne replied.

"Still, it might be starting to make you sick. Why now would you want light in your chamber after being in darkness so long? Are you trying to prove that you are not some creature of the night?" Iris asked, squinting at him.

"I am not a creature from any of the tales you read. Please get that out of your head, as I fear that I might one day wake to you holding a knife at my throat," Zayne said, truly fearing Iris.

"I thought we were through this already," Iris said as she picked up the basket again. "I would be kind to you so you don’t kill me. Think of me as your loyal servant."

"You are taking this a bit too far. Why haven’t you closed the door?" Zayne asked, noticing her avoidance.

"Well, you are here, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to tidy the chamber with the door closed. I won’t be long," Iris said, already planning how to finish quickly.

Zayne chuckled, finding her reasoning absurd. "You’ve been in here with the door closed before. So have other maids, and I didn’t think the door needed to be wide open. What do you think would occur?"

"It is not what I think would occur. Before others claim that there is romance between us, I am keeping the door open. I don’t mind them gossiping inside, as I am here to work, but I don’t want it to get outside. I don’t want to be known as a woman who slept with her employer," Iris said, her cheeks warming at the thought.

"I’m partly relieved because it wasn’t because you didn’t trust me. You know, if you take my advice and let everyone know that your cousin is married to Damien-"

"I wouldn’t have to face all of this, but I already told you my answer. I am going to visit Eloise tomorrow to let her know that I am well. I don’t know when I will share it with the servants. It will only have them pretend to be nice to me out of fear," Iris said, uninterested in playing pretend.

"Should I accompany you on your visit to the estate?"

Iris worked around Zayne, keeping her head down so she wouldn’t see more than she should. "Why would you join me? I am going to speak to Eloise, not have fun. If you are going to see Lord Hawthorne, so be it. I don’t want you to join me and speak of us all being friends."

"We are not friends. We’re family," Zayne corrected Iris. "You must stop denying it."

"This is why the maids think there is something between us. What employer speaks of their servants being their family? You are distracting me with all this talk. I must put away the blankets," Iris said, her patience thinning.

"I know that you enjoy speaking to me, and I am quite certain you want me to answer why I let the light inside," Zayne said, noticing Iris pause mid‑step.

Iris turned around to face him, her hands resting on her hips. "I am curious as to why you did it. Is there someone coming to visit you? I heard we are to prepare for the arrival of the warden."

"I did it so you wouldn’t need to walk with a candle when you come to my chamber. It was out of the kindness of my heart," Zayne confessed.

The response surprised Iris, her chest filled with unexpected warmth.

"Truly?" she asked, not quite believing it.

"Truly. Do you think I am not capable of such a kind act?"

"No, that is not it. You seemed to love the darkness so much that I didn’t think you did it for me. Thank you," Iris said, appreciative of the gesture. "I don’t know what more to say."

"The thanks were enough," Zayne replied.