Chapter 297: Trouble brewing [2]
On her way back to her bedchamber, Jane crossed paths with Damien in the corridor.
"Brother!" Jane whined with frustration as she rushed towards him. "Camille is taking this too far. Rather than apologise, she is planning a gathering and leaving me out of it."
Damien paused, his expression calm yet faintly irritated, as though Jane’s words were another burden added to the weight already pressing upon him. "So? Why should it matter to you?" he asked, missing why Jane was upset. "Is all it takes to be back on your good side the planning of an event?"
"No," Jane said, her shoulders slumping. "I am not going to forget it all because she is planning a ball. I merely find it unfair."
"You are upset because you were not invited and you wish to attend," Damien said bluntly. He saw through her lies with ease.
"Yes, it upsets me that I cannot attend, but I know what she is doing. Eloise has explained it to me," Jane admitted.
"You spoke to Eloise already? Don’t trouble her with every move Camille makes. Eloise has better things to do with her time," Damien said, annoyed it reached Eloise.
"I thought she should know because of all the gossip that will follow. When we don’t arrive, the town will speak of tension," Jane pointed out.
She continued, "I even thought of hosting a gathering to get even, but Eloise said it would be no use since everyone would go to Camille."
"Good. We both have no interest in hosting a ball merely for the sake of getting even with Camille. It is a waste of time and money," Damien said, relieved Eloise had already steered Jane away from such plans.
Jane pouted, her lips pressed into a stubborn line. "I do not want to host one anymore, but I want to attend one. Life is a bore of late, and now that Eloise has Iris, she won’t have time for me."
"You only need to ask, Jane. Though Iris is here, Eloise has been busy finding you a suitor and governess. Forget about Camille," Damien advised Jane.
"I will. I will have no choice but to. I would rather enter Kyle’s mess of a chamber than attend any gathering Camille hosts. It shall pass," Jane said, deciding to move on.
"Since you will not be attending, can I meet with my peers during the day? Haven’t I been good?" Jane asked, her eyes wide with childlike eagerness.
"I will speak to Eloise about arranging it, since you will need an escort. All will be well," Damien promised.
"I know. I suppose I did let the news upset me a bit too much. If you need me, I will be in my chamber. I don’t want to disturb Eloise’s time with Iris," Jane said.
"You are not disturbing her. If you ask Eloise to spend time with you, or share that you feel her attention has shifted, Eloise will give more of her time to you. Haven’t you learnt that by now?" Damien asked, wishing Jane would communicate better.
"I know. I didn’t want her to feel guilty about giving her time to Iris since they have been away from each other. I should use Kyle or Quinn to entertain myself," Jane considered, coming up with a devious plan.
"I encourage you to bother those two," Damien said, a sly smile tugging at his lips, saving himself and Eloise from Jane’s constant need for attention.
Jane narrowed her eyes. "I know what you are doing, and it has worked. I will be fair to Eloise and not speak of Camille again or disturb her today while Iris sits with her. I can entertain myself in the meantime."
"But brother," Iris continued. "You must put an end to this soon. We both know that when drama arises, everyone will point to Eloise as the cause of it, since she is new to the family. She mustn’t bear the blame."
Damien already thought of this. "I already know the path Camille will take to go after Eloise and you. You are the only one upset that she is hosting an event. Don’t pay attention to any of it."
Damien reached out and ruffled Jane’s hair.
Jane swatted his hand away. "Must you go for the hair, Damien?" she asked, trying to tidy her appearance, her fingers smoothing the strands her maids had so carefully arranged.
Damien chuckled, already turning away. "I must, since it upsets you. Go on and bother your other siblings, Jane. I’m sure they will enjoy your company."
With that, Damien left Jane’s side and returned to his study, where Gage was waiting.
Damien entered and took his seat at the table. "What have you heard?"
"It seems your aunt is planning an event at her home, inviting many ladies to attend," Gage shared.
"That I already knew, thanks to Jane. I want to know what her husband is up to. Camille is going to use the ladies to get at Eloise. Her husband will devise some scheme to get at me. The best way to hurt me is to go after Iris or Eloise," Damien said, knowing it was coming.
"While she is angry with Jane at the moment, I don’t believe she will try to harm her. Lady Hawthorne, on the other hand, is another story. Your aunt won’t care about hurting your wife as long as she gets her revenge," Gage assumed.
Damien rubbed his temple. "Arrange for some of the men to follow Hayden. I want to know more about what he does when he is away from his family."
Damien thought of Hayden’s constant absences. Damien had far more responsibilities and businesses to tend to, yet he still found time to be home with his family, unlike Hayden, who was always elsewhere.
"There have been rumours, bold whispers claiming he has been unfaithful. It is the only explanation for why he is so often away. Would you like me to look into it?" Gage asked, eager to uncover every scandal.
"Do it. I want all that anyone knows before me in the morning. He would be a fool to have an affair, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Find out where he goes when he is out of town. I know it isn’t to a home he shares with Camille," Damien said.
He had looked into it once before, but now he would dig deeper.
Damien always paid attention to Camille’s marriage when rumours arose that could wound her. He had pulled back from prying too far, respecting her privacy, but since she was coming after his marriage, Damien would do the same.
"Find out all their secrets and bring them to me. I just might be in the mood to host a gathering to expose it all," Damien said, considering Jane’s wishes.