Chapter 414: Reunion [4]

The last of the guests arrived slowly, and introductions were made.

Eloise kept herself busy, going back and forth between the ladies and siblings to oversee that they were all well.

Eventually, she settled down on a bench outside to take a break while watching the guests.

Damien approached with a glass of water to offer. "You looked like you needed a drink. Feeling overwhelmed?"

"No, just tired. I’ve been trying to see that everyone is well. They look fine without me, so I don’t have to do it any longer. There hasn’t been one incident yet," Eloise said, relieved.

"One is bound to happen now that you have spoken of it. I will place money on Samuel being the cause of it," Damien said, keeping watch of said man.

"You truly hate him. Might I know why?"

"He is childish and doesn’t know how to act given the situation he is in. He is like another Kyle, but Kyle has been growing a bit. I don’t want him to set Kyle back," Damien explained.

"Well, Kyle seems to enjoy his company, and Samuel has been on his best behaviour. Well, other than the fact that he tried to court Iris. He apologised, and Kyle pulled him away. I first thought of him as a flirt, but now I see he is awkward with women," said Eloise.

"He seems to have a talent for going after women who are already spoken for. I can’t take my eyes off him."

"There aren’t any more ladies for him to court. Well, aside from Rosalie, and he seems to be scared of her. Do you know why?" Eloise asked, turning to Damien.

She took a sip of the water he handed her. The coolness soothed her dry throat.

"He’s not scared of her, but he is terrified of her father. A lot of the men his age are afraid of His Grace," Damien explained.

"Then, I should have told Rosalie to invite her parents so we could keep the guests on their best behaviour. I will think of it for the next time," Eloise decided.

"Next time?" Damien raised his brow. "You are already planning another?"

"We’ll have plenty to celebrate as the weeks go by. I intend to tell everyone before the town whispers about it. It would only be fair, and it should satisfy you to know that there might be presents," Eloise said in an effort to convince him.

"Have you forgotten that we can afford what our child will need? We don’t need to invite anyone for the sake of gifts," Damien said.

"It will be gifts from people who care for them. I fear you will not be able to handle every birthday when we are to celebrate," Eloise said, pitying Damien with amusement.

"For every birthday, wouldn’t it be best to travel to the countryside to show where you spent some of your childhood? We don’t always need to stay here and invite everyone to the estate," Damien said, placing his hand on Eloise’s back.

"I didn’t think we had to invite them each time, but I am certain everyone would want to visit to celebrate. What would you do if we had children who are very social? Who always want to be out or have someone here?" Eloise asked, secretly dreading the thought.

"I would let them be. There’s no need to spoil who they are all because I don’t care for social interaction. I simply prefer having celebrations with just us so we have special memories. Not every birthday had a grand celebration here," Damien said.

Eloise reached for Damien’s hand and held it. "Then, I will respect your wishes. Seeing how far along Lucia is, it makes me realise what I have in store for myself. I hope it all goes well for her and for myself."

"I promised you that I would have the best doctors and midwives at hand. Joyce told you not to worry about such things now or stress yourself. Think of your guests and how wonderful a job you did planning this," Damien said, rubbing Eloise’s back.

"You are right," Eloise sighed. "I’m going to sit a little longer before I get back to them. Would you mind if I let Millie, Reece, and Lucia stay here tonight? That is, if they want to stay," Eloise said.

"It is your home as well. If you want to have guests, you can have them without seeking my permission. I would only be against it if you would allow Samuel to stay," Damien replied.

"Oh, no. I am not saying he would do anything awful, but I am not going to allow any unmarried men close in age to Jane to stay here. I don’t want a scandal to start long before her season. I will ask them a little later," Eloise decided, not yet ready to move.

"Viola and Millie seem to be getting along quite well. I doubt they will want to part from each other."

"If I welcome Viola to stay, she will send away her husband. I am starting to feel bad for him, but I do want him to have fun. Perhaps you can have a day with him. He was always good to me, and it wasn’t because Viola asked him to," Eloise said, remembering the past interactions.

"Why should I worry about social children when I have a social wife? I’ll invite him for a drink when he arrives, but don’t go making any more plans for me. There’s only so much I can bear for one day, but I’ll do it for you," Damien agreed.

"Thank you. I might need a bit more water," Eloise said, bringing the glass to her lips to drink the last of the water. "I will get it myself."

"No," Damien responded, taking the glass from her hands. "I will get more water for you."

"Thank you," Eloise replied, watching as Damien left.

Eloise admired the flowers around her and the sound of chatter surrounding her.

It truly was a pleasant day to have everyone all together.

For a moment, she allowed herself to simply sit and enjoy it. The worries that had occupied her mind all morning seemed distant now, replaced by quiet happiness.

Looking across the gathering of family and friends, she felt grateful for every person present and hopeful for all that was still to come.

As the celebration carried on beneath the warm afternoon sun, Eloise smiled to herself, content that the day had unfolded exactly as she had dreamed.

With all her troubles behind her, Eloise now looked forward to what awaited her in the future.