Eloise sipped the water before setting down the full glass. She turned to Damien and asked, "Are you certain you don’t want any? You can have some of mine."

"No, you drink all of it," Damien replied, his gaze flickering to the other man at the table for a moment.

"It cannot be that you think it is poisoned because you wouldn’t have allowed me to drink it. When you are ready, you may take my glass. I will not be able to drink all of it," Eloise whispered.

"Does it have an odd taste? Is that why you want me to drink it for you?" Damien asked, teasing Eloise.

"No, it tastes like water. What kind of water have you been drinking for it to have an odd taste? Aren’t we a bit silly for speaking of water?" Eloise muttered, realising what they spoke of.

"I find our conversation to be more pleasant than others. I would rather speak about water than nonsense," Damien said, his gaze leaving Eloise to look at Cole. "Do you wish to speak to my wife, Mr Presley?"

"No, I am just finding it hard to believe that you are truly married. My wife and I heard the maids gossiping about it, and then some of our peers mentioned it. Did you get married out of town?" Cole inquired, intrigued by the pair. "We didn’t hear of a grand wedding."

"We got married right here in town, surrounded only by family and friends," Damien responded.

"No fair. I wasn’t invited," Rosalie spoke up.

"Are you a family or friend?" Damien asked, toying with Rosalie.

"Our fathers were quite close-"

"I am not my father," Damien spoke over Rosalie.

"Well, we’ve attended each other’s families’ gatherings for years," Rosalie fired back. "You should have invited me."

"I have attended events in the palace for years, but I don’t consider myself a friend of any of the royals. I am being polite by accepting the invitation and attending," said Damien.

Rosalie couldn’t believe her ears that Damien didn’t consider her a friend.

"You mustn’t mind him. He is toying with you," Eloise said, placing her hand over Damien’s to make him stop. "My husband selected your home as the first social event I would attend as his wife. If he didn’t think fondly of you, we wouldn’t be here."

"Now I am inclined to lose interest in being his friend, and instead, be your friend, Lady Hawthorne. I enjoy speaking to you and you alone. Next time, you may come without Lord Hawthorne," Rosalie suggested whilst glaring at Damien.

"I will accept the invitation," Eloise replied, looking forward to seeing Rosalie again.

Eloise thought the gathering was successful if she made at least one friend. She glanced at Victoria, who appeared to be lost in her own world.

Rosalie followed Eloise’s gaze and stopped at Victoria. "Lady Hawthorne, I promise you that Victoria is usually more talkative. Is it because the men are here?" She asked, realising Victoria might feel out of place because of the two couples. "Would you like to take Lady Hawthorne on a tour of my home?"

"If you insist. Also, I do not feel out of place. I am a bit under the weather and trying to keep myself still," Victoria said, using her hand to fan herself.

Rosalie frowned, fearing Victoria might have caught what she had. "Why didn’t you tell me that you are unwell? You should be inside in a cool place with water and some medicine. Excuse me, Lady and Lord Hawthorne. I must tend to my friend."

Rosalie stood up and walked over to Victoria to help her out of her seat. "I am awful for not noticing you were unwell. You didn’t need to push yourself to attend the gathering for me."

Victoria stood up, welcoming the chance to leave the table. She wanted to be alone, but getting away from the table was most important.

Cole watched as Rosalie helped Victoria up and held onto her. "Should I send for a doctor?"

Rosalie nodded. "You must. It is better to be safe than sorry. Send for my doctor."

"It is not needed," Victoria whispered, not wanting to disturb the doctor. "I do not need a doctor."

"Nonsense! Why wouldn’t I offer you the best care?" Rosalie asked, looking to Cole for him to carry on.

"I cannot afford it," Victoria responded. The duke’s doctors were both special and costly.

"When have I ever asked you for payment? Lean onto me," Rosalie said, holding Victoria closely. "I will take you back to your bedchamber."

Eloise and Damien ended up being the only ones left at the table.

"They appear to be quite close," Eloise commented, watching as Rosalie walked with Victoria.

"Some more than they should be," Damien said, paying close attention to the interactions. "Do not get in the midst of it."

"Midst of what?" Eloise asked, confused by what Damien spoke of.

"Nothing. Drink the rest of your oddly tasting water," Damien said, reaching for the glass to offer Eloise.

"I don’t want water anymore. I wouldn’t mind having a bit of the cake, which looks lovely. It is a bit strange that the maids are not regularly circling the table where the host sits," Eloise noticed.

"You seem to know a lot about gatherings."

Eloise shifted in her chair to face Damien. "I do not like to share it with others, but as I said, I would attend my father’s work at times. Some of his employers were kind, so they would let me sit with them while he worked. Among them was a Countess."

Damien’s brow raised as he found interest in Eloise’s news. "You are friends with a Countess?"

Eloise nodded. "Yes, she is among the people I have written to inform of my father’s death. She is a lovely woman, and I enjoyed every day I got to spend with her. Her children are all married and moved away from the countryside, so she liked the company."

"There was one time when she allowed me to attend an event at her side. She would introduce me to her family. She helped to make my childhood quite special. Thanks to her, I have some idea of how to behave at these events," Eloise said, remembering all that she was taught. "That is why I accepted the water." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Eloise wished the Countess could see her now. She would be surprised to learn that she was now Lady Hawthorne.

"You surprise me with each passing day. Are there more big secrets like this one?" Damien asked, curious about the many friends Eloise had.

"There are a few. I will share them when we are alone," Eloise promised.