Morning Revelations #2
She found herself stealing glances at him as the countryside passed by the rain-streaked windows, her emotions warring between desire and vexation.
The memory of waking after their night spent together on the sofa still sent warmth through her veins, but it was now tempered by the cold reality of his financial recklessness.
When he shifted his position or their eyes accidentally met, her body responded with traitorous heat even as her mind catalogued his unreasonable expenditures.
Several thousand pounds committed without consultation. Her funds—legally his now, but morally hers—dispensed with casual generosity without careful calculation of the risks. Eleanor pressed her lips together, fighting the unwelcome attraction that persisted despite her growing resentment.
“The repairs should progress quickly,” Damien said, finally breaking the silence. “Garrett’s always been reliable, and the other craftsmen know their business.”
“You were generous with the village improvements,” Eleanor observed, her tone kept even. “Perhaps overly so.”
Damien’s eyebrows rose at her implied criticism. “The bridge genuinely needs reinforcement, and the church roof won’t survive another winter without attention.”
“I’m not questioning the necessity, merely the… scope of your commitments.” Eleanor chose her words carefully. “Given the estate’s financial situation, such extensive expenditures might be considered imprudent.”
“Are you suggesting I should let my tenants’ homes fall into ruin while I restore my own comfort?” His tone had cooled noticeably.
“I’m suggesting that prudent financial management requires prioritizing essential repairs over charitable gestures.
” Eleanor felt more grounded with the familiar business discussion, safer than the emotional uncertainty that had been plaguing her.
“A landlord’s first responsibility is ensuring his own solvency. ”
“How refreshingly practical,” Damien said, and there was an edge to his voice that made Eleanor glance up sharply. “Tell me, do you apply such cold calculation to all your relationships?”
The question stung more than it should have. “I apply rational thinking to financial decisions, yes. Someone must, given your apparent inclination toward romantic gestures at the expense of economic reality.”
“Romantic gestures?” Damien’s laugh held no humor. “I was ensuring my people have adequate shelter and safe passage across the river. Hardly the stuff of poetry.”
“You committed to expenditures totaling several thousand pounds without consulting your account books or considering the impact on other obligations.” Eleanor’s voice grew more heated despite her efforts to remain composed.
“That’s precisely the sort of impulsive generosity that could deplete our fortune. ”
Damien’s expression darkened. “Is caring for people considered a character flaw by those who prefer cold calculation to human decency?”
Eleanor felt heat rise in her cheeks at his cutting tone. “I’m not criticizing your compassion. I’m questioning your judgment.”
“My judgment.” He repeated the words slowly, as though tasting something bitter. “And what gives you the authority to question my decisions? What exactly do you think gives you the right to approve or disapprove of my choices?”
His challenging tone, as though she were a servant overstepping her bounds, made Eleanor flinch. When she spoke, her voice had cooled considerably. “The fact that your financial decisions affect my security as well as your own.”
“Ah.” Damien moved to the seat beside her, his proximity immediately charging the air between them. “Now we come to the heart of it, don’t we? The question of what role you truly play in this arrangement.”
“I am your wife, and you’re taking advantage of my generosity,” she said, her voice tight with hurt.
“You entered this marriage for my wealth, and now you’re spending it as though it were your birthright—exactly the situation I’d fought to avoid.
Those people may deserve help, but it’s my fortune funding your largesse, not yours. ”
Damien’s face went pale, then flushed with something between hurt and anger.
“Taking advantage?” he repeated, his voice rough with disbelief.
“You claim to be my wife, and yet you think so poorly of me.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper, but she could hear the fury in it.
“Tell me, Eleanor, exactly which wife are you referring to? The woman who shares my name for legal convenience? Or the woman I held in my arms last night, who trusted me enough to sleep peacefully in my embrace?”
Heat flooded Eleanor’s cheeks. “That was necessity, nothing more.”
“Was it?” He leaned back as if she’d struck him, running both hands through his hair.
When he looked at her again, his eyes held a pain that made her chest tighten.
“Christ, Eleanor. All this time, I thought we were building something real—if not love, then at least trust. But you still see me as nothing more than a transaction.” He shook his head seemingly in disbelief.
“While you’ve been protecting yourself from a fortune hunter, I’ve been falling in love with my wife. ”
Eleanor’s breath stopped entirely.
“I’ve been hungry for only one woman since the moment I walked into your drawing room and found you glaring at me like an avenging angel.
” His gaze peered into hers once more, blazing with passion.
“You, Eleanor. Every night I’ve been searching for my brother, every morning I’ve woken thinking of you. Not your money—you.”
The confession hung between them, raw and desperate. Eleanor stared at him, her carefully constructed defenses crumbling.
“That’s…” she began, then stopped, her voice failing her.
Damien smiled bitterly. “I don’t expect you to believe me. Why would you? But it’s the truth, whether it suits you or not.”
Eleanor felt as though the world had tilted beneath her feet. Everything she’d assumed about their relationship had just been shattered by his words: I’ve been falling in love with my wife.