Iris almost jumped for joy when her parents walked away. "Now is your chance to sneak away. You must go quickly before they return. Go out through the garden so no one will stop you."
"Thank you," Eloise said, holding Iris's hand for a moment before letting go.
Eloise held the sides of her dress as she hurried off to the door which would lead her to the garden. She looked for it as soon as she entered the ballroom, so she knew her way out.
"Eloise," Percival's voice sent Eloise into a panic, but she didn't stop or acknowledge his presence.
Nearing the door, Eloise ran in hopes she could lose Percival.
Eloise exited the ballroom and followed a pathway, assuming it would lead her out to the garden. From there, she could take a passing carriage to her father's home.
Eloise kept looking back, afraid that Percival might be close behind her, but luckily, he wasn't.
"I should just go to the front gates," Eloise muttered, not wanting to waste time looking for the garden to sneak out.
Still, she had already reached the side of the home where no guests wandered.
"Swear to me."
Eloise panicked when she heard Agatha's voice. She looked back at where she came from, but didn't see anyone. Not even a maid.
Confused, Eloise stepped towards an open window and peeped inside to see Agatha and Clive standing close.
Eloise stooped down, fearing that if she was not careful, they would see her.
"I killed him," the three words confused Eloise. "I killed Thomas."
The confession struck Eloise in her chest. She couldn't believe what she heard.
Eloise clamped her right hand over her mouth to silence any sounds from her mouth.
"You must stop saying it so loudly before you ruin this family. Did anyone witness you do it?"
Agatha's heartless response finally broke Eloise.
Eloise wanted to believe the Thomas they spoke of wasn't her father. That her uncle couldn't have been so cruel as to kill her father, his only brother, but Eloise couldn't convince herself that they spoke of someone else.
Eloise's lips trembled and pressed together. She tried not to let a single sound out as she listened to the heartbreaking conversation.
The confession of her father being murdered was gut-wrenching and stung even more knowing Thoms had to face someone he loved, taking his life. It was even more painful to listen to two people Eloise once cared about speak so casually about his death.
"Then, you have no reason to worry. You were already expecting him to die, and now it has happened. What will become of his home?"
Eloise heard every bit of greed in Agatha's voice. Agatha's claws were ready to grab hold of what didn't belong to her.
"He left it to-"
Eloise's tears fell onto her right hand, which still covered her mouth. Her father had thought of her for the days she would be without him, but they had not thought of the people who would backstab them.
'Father,' Eloise silently wept.
Eloise couldn't listen to any more of her uncle's confession. She needed to find someone to expose what had been done.
She needed to go to her father's side.
Eloise slowly lowered her trembling hand and opened her teary eyes, ready to move.
"I burned his body."
The confession made Eloise freeze. She tried grabbing onto the wall to keep herself steady.
Eloise's knees buckled as the world around her became blurred and seemed to stop. Memories of her father flooded her mind at that very moment.
How could it be that she wouldn't be able to give him a proper burial or see his body?
A sound Eloise never made before escaped her lips.
"What was that?"
Eloise gathered what little strength was left in her body and got up to run to the edge of the wall, where she could hide on the other side.
Eloise's back hit the cold wall, and her hand covered her mouth once more just as Agatha leaned out the window to see who was eavesdropping.
"It was no one," Eloise heard, followed by the sound of the window closing.
Eloise's body shook as her cries slowly slipped out. She could not contain her emotions any longer.
The father she loved ever so dearly was gone.
She was now without a mother and father.
The only person Eloise could lean on in this very moment was Iris, but even then, it pained her to have to tell Iris about what he father had done and how her mother wanted to cover it all up for a house.
Eloise would have given away the house if Clive had asked for it. All she wanted was to be at her father's side.
Nothing inside the home was more precious than her father.
No financial troubles would ever excuse Clive's actions.
Eloise composed herself and wiped her teary eyes. She needed to find the town guards and then return home.
Eloise walked back in the direction she came from and was careful when passing the window.
Eloise ran once she slipped by the window. Soon, she was close to the ballroom where everyone gathered, but misfortune struck her.
"Eloise, I have been searching for you."
To the right of Eloise was Percival, but she paid him no mind. He was the last person Eloise wanted to see now.
Eloise, ignoring Percival, did nothing to stop his advances.
"I have yearned for the chance to share a dance with you. Won't you allow it? Perhaps you do not know your uncle has promised your hand to me after I made a generous offer yesterday. The announcement of our engagement will come soon."
Eloise's fears grew as she heard more of Clive's plot.
Clive killed her father, and now it seemed he was sending her off without a care to fill his pockets and to be rid of her for good.
"Eloise!"
Eloise fled toward the ballroom and kept looking back to see that Percival was not close to getting her.
No matter what, Eloise would never become Percival's wife.
Eloise's escape ended when she collided with someone.
"Again," she heard the familiar voice.
Eloise looked forward to the person holding her steady so she wouldn't fall.
"You have a way of- Eloise?" Damien questioned, both puzzled and angered by the state of her face. He moved his thumb against her cheek to wipe away her tears. "Who hurt you?" He asked, his burning gaze going toward Percival, who still dared to approach.
Eloise looked back at where Percival chased her before her gaze moved back to Damien. She had so much she wanted to say to Damien. They were strangers now, but Eloise thought of the boy who would always help her.
Eloise held onto Damien's arms, using him for support. "Please help me," she pleaded, her voice laced with desperation. "I have no one else to turn to. I know what you did that day," she foolishly confessed.
Eloise bowed her head. Her tears stained her cheek.
"If you could help me this once, I will never speak of it. Please, Damien," Eloise pleaded.
Damien wore a cold, unyielding gaze, but it wasn't directed at Eloise, though she revealed what he assumed she had found out.
She was always a little too curious, but now, it had pushed her right back into his arms.
Despite his awful secret, Eloise clung to him, so someone had done far worse to scare her.
This wasn't the way Damien intended to keep Eloise at his side this time, but he would be cruel to use it to keep her where she always belonged.
"What do you know, Eloise?" Damien asked, setting a trap for Eloise. His gaze never left Percival, who made the mistake of eyeing a woman who would never belong to him.