Damien stood off to one side, watching Eloise and Jane as they sat with the other ladies. The laughter from the ladies drifted across the market. His gaze only left them when strangers drew too close.

Damien was still waiting for a sight of the man named Peter, wanting to determine for himself whether he was the source of the rumours.

"I don’t see him, Lord Hawthorne," Aiden informed Damien.

"It seems we won’t see him until tonight. Still, if you catch a glimpse of him, let me know at once," Damien said, his gaze drifting back to Eloise and Jane.

"I should have dealt with him properly back then," Aiden said, the regret of having only frightened Peter evident in his voice. "Lady Hawthorne didn’t want to cause trouble on your behalf. Apparently, this man has grown up in the countryside all his life, so he is well-liked here. She didn’t want you to be hated."

"I was willing to let it go if not for all these rumours. I can overlook the assumption that she is pregnant, but not that she is using me. I want to see what that fool looks like," Damien said, irritated.

It infuriated Damien that this Peter had once been considered a match for Eloise.

Had Eloise had a lapse of judgement and married that man, she could have been trapped with a fool for the rest of her life.

"His behaviour seemed to surprise her. From what I observed, she viewed him purely as a friend, but he seems to think of her as far more than that. Perhaps since she showed no interest in marriage, he assumed she would always be free," Aiden said.

"He wouldn’t be the first man to think that way. He wanted his wife and still wanted Eloise as an option. The more I hear about him, the more I want to kill him," Damien said, clenching his fist.

Aiden scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "It might not serve you well to kill him yourself. I suggest letting me, Silas, or Gage take care of it. Then Lady Hawthorne will be angry with us, not you. If the country folk get upset, we can say I acted on impulse."

"Or, you do it where no one can see. Though I’m not going to kill the little bastard," Damien said, his eyes finding Eloise as she laughed amongst the other ladies. "Just hurt him enough. Keep him alive so he can spend the rest of his days knowing she is mine."

Aiden took a small step back, thinking the plan was crueller than a clean death.

Peter might yet escape danger entirely if it turned out he was not behind the rumours.

Damien’s brows drew together as Eloise rose from the group and walked away from the ladies, leaving Jane behind. He walked after her, unwilling to let Eloise move about alone.

Jane remained seated beside the other ladies, working carefully on her headpiece. She kept her focus on the work, wanting it to be the best at the table.

"So, Miss Jane. What is it like having Eloise as family?"

Jane looked up at the young girl seated across from her. She recalled her name was Daisy.

"It is wonderful. It was about time my eldest brother married and brought a lady to the estate. I have two other brothers who need to take wives, and I hope they find someone as kind as Eloise," Jane answered.

Jane thought her answer sufficient, but something in the expressions around her told her it hadn’t landed as she expected. "Was that wrong?" Jane wondered.

"You don’t think she plotted to marry your brother for his wealth? It is not every day that we common women are so fortunate as to fall in love with a lord and end up at his side," Daisy said, her voice carrying a tone filled with curiosity.

Jane frowned. She glanced at Daisy’s mother, expecting her to intervene, but the older woman’s expression made it clear she was equally curious.

Jane wanted to bite her tongue and play nicely, but she could not sit by while these women spoke as they liked about her family. "Could my brother not simply have married her for her beauty? How wise is she? Why must it always have to do with the gentleman’s wealth?"

"W-What?" Daisy stuttered.

"You ought to have concluded that none of those common ladies succeeded in marrying a lord because they were not worth a second glance. Eloise is worth it. Do you not see how my brother follows where she walks?" Jane asked and looked up to find him.

Jane’s point was made for her. Damien was standing beside Eloise as she gathered more flowers.

"There!" Jane said, gesturing towards her helpless brother with triumph. "He cannot be without her. Every lady who has succeeded in marrying above her station did not scheme her way there. Real love exists in this world, and so does jealousy."

Daisy’s face flushed with anger. "I am not jealous. I was simply asking because of the rumours. She is without a mother, and now her father as well."

"I am no different. I am without a mother and a father. I lost them both at the very same time," Jane said, her hands gripping at the flowers. "Do you think that means I won’t marry well? Or is it only because I come from a wealthy family that I have a chance?"

Jane’s fingers continued working at her headpiece as she spoke. "You should find joy in knowing that Eloise found love with a man who can take care of her. It might give you some hope for yourself, but a pity your spirit is so sour that no gentleman would want to spend a day near you."

Daisy gasped. "Mother!" she whined, feeling insulted.

Jane kept her eyes on her work as the mother took her daughter by the arm and pulled her from the group.

"They were wrong to bring those rumours here," said Odette, a young girl of about Jane’s age seated close beside her. "And they waited for Eloise to walk away before they started. They always do this."

"Address rumours when someone has their back turned?" Jane asked.

"Exactly. They expected you to feel the same way about Eloise. They must be furious that you didn’t give them anything more to work with," Odette said, a quiet laugh escaping her as she watched the pair retreat. "Now that they’ve gone, we can breathe again."

"Hopefully, there won’t be any more of that," Jane replied, not wanting to fight.

Jane did not want anything to happen tonight that would give Damien a reason to leave the festival.

"You are quite good at this," Odette said, tilting her head at Jane’s headpiece. "Will you be selling any?"

"No, just one for myself to wear, and I might make one for my brother as well," Jane said, glancing at the spare flowers beside her. "Yours is coming along well too."

"Is it?" Odette held it up at arm’s length to inspect it. "It is meant for a boy I know. Not to give him, mind you. I intend to throw it at him for being such a fool."

Jane laughed, not believing the reason.