Two days later, Eloise set off with Damien to attend her first social gathering as Lady Hawthorne. She was nervous since all eyes would be on her and Damien, but since Damien would be at her side, Eloise tried not to let her thoughts spoil the moment.

Eloise reached for the necklace she wore and twirled the jewel, finding comfort in the small action.

Damien noticed this and reached for Eloise’s hand to calm her. "You are worrying yourself all for nothing. Don’t care about their opinions, and don’t force yourself to be friends with everyone. I don’t care for most of the people attending."

"I feel as though I might trip the second I set foot inside," Eloise shared her concerns.

"If you trip, I will push someone to take the attention off you," Damien offered.

"Wouldn’t it be more romantic for you to catch me?" Eloise asked, surprised by Damien’s response.

"It would," Damien agreed. "Then, I will catch you and have Gage push someone else."

"You are toying with me," Eloise realised. She took a deep breath and leaned back on her seat.

"Yes, I am. You will not trip unless you worry yourself to the point that you do. I urge you to calm yourself, Eloise. It will go well, and you shall make a friend. Do you want to bet?" Damien asked, offering his hand for a deal to be made.

"I have a feeling that I am bound to lose if I bet against you, so I shall take your word for it. Is this their home up ahead? It is quite grand," Eloise said, marvelling at the mansion in the distance.

"As I said, she is spoiled. The duke takes good care of his daughter, though she is married. Despite how many breaks she takes away from the seasons, she holds a good place amongst the ladies. No one will trouble her because of her father’s support," Damien shared.

"Are you saying I should become friends with someone who has a powerful backing?"

"No, you have me. I am all the power you need. I am merely saying that the other ladies will be reluctant to spoil the dear hosts’ day unless they want to upset the duke. Don’t go searching for allies, find a friend," Damien advised Eloise. "You are not short on power."

"I am quite fortunate. Their garden is quite lovely," Eloise said, her attention fixed on the flowers. "They are all in bloom."

Damien glanced at the flowers, which captured Eloise’s attention.

Eloise’s gaze shifted from the flowers to the guests leaving their carriages and going up to the front door. Seeing the other ladies’ attire, Eloise thought her dress would fit in. She had done well with her maids to select the best dress.

The carriage soon came to a stop, and this time, Damien exited from the right side so he could walk around to the left to open Eloise’s door. He offered his hand, like the gentleman he was, and helped Eloise out of the carriage.

Eloise no longer thought of the guests as she focused solely on Damien’s actions. "How kind of you," she said, linking her arm with Damien.

"I should be the one to help you out of the carriage when we are together. Do you love all the flowers they have here?" Damien asked, planning to plant them in the estate.

"I do," Eloise replied, taking another look at the garden. "They are all lovely, and so are the ones at the estate."

"You can like what the estate doesn’t have. I won’t be upset or jealous," said Damien.

"I like all flowers. My father used to have our home filled with flowers from the gardens he worked in. I once thought he could be fired for taking too many," Eloise said, smiling at the old memory.

Damien didn’t care for flowers, but for Eloise, he was willing to have more around the estate.

Damien led Eloise inside the mansion, following a maid who took them to the second garden where the gathering was being held.

Eloise was so focused on all the flowers that she didn’t notice the guest’s eyes on her. For a moment, she forgot where she was.

It was only when a woman’s voice was heard greeting Damien that Eloise became aware of her surroundings.

Eloise looked ahead at a woman who stood up from her chair and moved around the table to surprisingly hug her instead of Damien.

"It is lovely to meet you, Lady Hawthorne. From the moment I heard talk of Lord Hawthorne’s marriage, I looked forward to meeting you," said Rosalie Presley, the host of the gathering.

Rosalie stepped away from Eloise. "You must forgive me. I like to greet newcomers with hugs so they feel safe. Though my husband says that it might scare some guests," she muttered.

"It surprised me, but I welcome it. You have helped to calm my nerves," Eloise confessed.

Rosalie sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I didn’t want to turn you away from me before we could properly speak. You have found yourself a beautiful wife, Lord Hawthorne."

"Indeed, I have," Damien agreed, keeping Eloise close before Rosalie tried to steal her. "Have you recovered well from your illness?"

"I like to think that I have. I was in dire need of being around people instead of lying in bed. This is the year in which I would like to have my first child with my husband. I must introduce you when I see him," Rosalie said, taking hold of Eloise’s hand.

"Thank you," Eloise replied.

"Do not be afraid. All of my guests will be on their best behaviour because of my father. It makes these gatherings a bore since they are all here to remain in my father’s good graces, but I needed a crowd. I have been deprived of interaction," Rosalie explained.

"Why didn’t you just invite your friends?" Eloise asked, puzzled.

"I have a handful of friends. When your father is a duke, many people will surround you to use his name. I know I should have invited only friends, but I have been inside for over a month. I needed to see many people," Rosalie said, looking around the garden. "Hopefully, you and I could be friends."

"Lord Hawthorne, can I steal your wife for a moment?"

"No," Damien replied.

Rosalie pouted. "Then you should sit at the far end of the table. Ladies have topics which are to be discussed in private. Lucky for you, my husband has arranged that no one is to approach this table except for him and my best friend, Victoria. Sit with me."

Rosalie led Eloise to a chair so she could start getting to know the new Lady Hawthorne.