Hours later, the carriage returned to the estate.

Damien helped Eloise out of the carriage while the servants rushed out to clear the boxes at the back of the carriage.

"It is not on fire," Eloise commented, inspecting the estate. "That is a good sign. Maybe Kyle has done well to prove you wrong. Next, you will have to give Quinn a chance to have some responsibilities. When will he be returning to the estate?"

"I do not know, and I won’t force him to return," said Damien.

Eloise entered first and again found the estate just as she had left it with Damien. She had worried for no reason.

"I am going to find my maids and have my bath prepared," Eloise said, eager to get in bed.

"Are you in need of company?" Damien asked.

"Yes, the company of my maids," Eloise replied, enjoying Damien’s defeat. "Let us not get too ahead of ourselves. Oh, there are letters," Eloise said, accepting envelopes from a maid. "Thank you."

"Two of them are from my father’s companions. Perhaps they would be able to join us tomorrow to give him a proper burial. The others are from families I never spoke to. They must be invitations to social events," said Eloise.

Damien checked the names on the invitations. "Those three are my relatives. One from my mother’s side, and the others from my father’s side."

"Oh, are you close to them?" Eloise asked, starting to open the letters before Damien.

"I am civil with them when they aren’t targeting my place as head of the estate," said Damien.

"They are asking to meet," Eloise said after reading the letters. "Should I?"

"No," Damien answered. "Nothing good will come out of it. They’ve been trying to get Jane in their hands, and claim that I am unfit as Lord Hawthorne. They would seek to harass you."

"Then, I will ignore their letters. I am going to rest. I suggest you find Kyle to see how he is faring-"

"Brother!" Kyle’s voice filled the estate.

Kyle ran down the stairs, happy to see Damien return. "You’ve returned to us. I thought you never would. That means I am finished looking after the estate, right?"

"The day isn’t over," Damien replied.

Kyle grabbed Damien by his shoulders, ready to argue, but instead of words, he broke down in tears. "I cannot do any more of this. Please, take back your duties."

Eloise found the sight quite odd.

What could have possibly happened in the estate for Kyle to be so overwhelmed?

The butler and head maid were present. There were no gatherings for Kyle to oversee. The deliveries for food and other goods would be seen to by the servants. All Kyle needed to do was keep a record and listen to reports.

Eloise looked away from Kyle to Damien, who wore a smile, seemingly enjoying Kyle’s current state.

’He created trouble for Kyle,’ Eloise realised.

Damien had not left the estate in peace. It was evident, and whatever he did had pushed Kyle to his breaking point.

While Eloise felt bad for Kyle, it was the awakening he needed to turn his life around.

"Brother," Kyle cried, hugging Damien. "You must save me from this."

"The day isn’t over with Kyle. You must carry out your duties, and there is to be a delivery of weapons for our guards. You must oversee it to ensure the order is correct. If it is wrong, and you waste my money, I shall take it from your allowance," said Damien.

Kyle’s cries became louder. "Why must I bear this alone? What about Quinn? When are you going to send for him to come home?"

"My wife didn’t make a bet with Quinn. She made one with you. Now, unless you want to lose, and I hope you do. I suggest you get back to work, and in the morning, we can discuss you having easier responsibilities," said Damien.

Kyle backed away from Damien and wiped his tears. "I’m not going to last till the end of the day."

Damien leaned down to Kyle’s ear to whisper, "I know. Surely, you didn’t think I would let you win against my wife. There is more to come for you, and now that I am home, I will enjoy the show."

"You, you set me up. Both of you set me up with this bet. You!" Kyle exclaimed, turning around to look at Eloise." You plotted with him."

"I didn’t plot with Damien. I only convinced him to play along. Of course, I wanted to win, but I didn’t have any plans to torture you. There is still some time for you to win, so I urge you to do well," Eloise encouraged Kyle. "Have fun."

Kyle felt betrayed by Eloise and outnumbered. "Where is Quinn?"

***

In a townhouse, Quinn slowly rose out of a deep slumber. His head ached after a night of drinking.

Quinn sighed, regretting his choices made during the night. "What time is it?"

"Too early to get out of bed," a woman answered the question.

Quinn looked to his right and found a woman in his bed. Seeing her face, Quinn instantly woke up, no longer feeling drowsy. "Why the hell are you here?"

Teressa rolled onto her side. "Don’t you remember what occurred between us last night? You fancied me and welcomed me back to your townhouse. I am surprised you changed your mind, but I welcomed it since we had a good night."

Quinn avoided Teressa’s gaze. "You are not to be here."

"I am starting to get that feeling," Teressa said, sitting up.

"I was drunk last night. I made it evident the first time we met that I didn’t have any interest in you," said Quinn.

Teressa nodded. "Both are true, but no lady is going to throw away the chance to be with you or your brothers. I confess I knew you weren’t in your right mind, but I didn’t want to miss my chance."

Quinn slipped out of bed, intending to find a servant to escort Teressa out. "What you did was foul."

"It is no different from what others have done," Teressa said, laughing it off. "Last night you called me a name. You weren’t thinking of me, but rather, some other woman. Do I look like her?"

"That is not-"

"I can pretend to be her for you. I don’t mind being used in that way as long as you keep entertaining me. I am good at keeping secrets," Teressa promised, yearning to become Quinn’s woman. "Why not use me to keep the fantasy going?"