The Duke's Masked Wife

"Baroness," James muttered, still in disbelief the woman before him could accuse him of such a thing when she was the one to walk here on her own two feet to seduce him.

Why would she go through such lengths to have him killed all because he did not want to sleep with her? Why was he being punished for having enough morals not to sleep with a married woman?

"If I were to run out and cry to the other servants, they would call the town guards to have you dragged out. What a pretty sight that would be to watch you plead your case but you know something, James? No one will ever believe you," Katrina wiped away the tears she easily forced out.

"You are just a butler. Your life means nothing compared to mine, a Baroness. That is why you have to climb up the social ladder like I have and I will continue to do so with your help. I won't go crying to anyone about what you have-"

"I did nothing to you," James stopped her. He always knew she was sly but to speak as if he had really done something to her really showed how much of a fox she was.

"According to my eyes and the eyes of my maid, that is not true. How evil of you to not feel guilty for what you tried to do to me. To think we sheltered such a monster in our home for so long. You could have harmed my daughter at any time. Maybe you already did and silenced Kate with your threats," Katrina gasped, using her hand to cover her mouth.

"Your daughter knows I have never been inappropriate with her. Are you truly evil to do this to a man because he rejected you? I am a good man, Baroness. The words you are uttering can have me killed and my mother yelled at for as long as she lives," said James.

He was concerned about what would happen to his mother if this lie would spread. Such a rumor whether true or false would ruin him.

"Well, you should listen to me well if you wish to save your mother from being tormented for raising a monster. I shall ask you this one last time and if you do not answer, I will alert the servants of what you did. Where did my husband run off to?" Katrina was burning with curiosity to have the answer.

Desmond was a dog wagging its tail as the master called for it. He never allowed anyone to summon him out of his home at the time of night unless that person was the king. Anyone else would have to visit her husband.

"He went to William Lancaster's mansion," James lowered his head, unable to look at Katrina as he told the Baron's business.

"William? Is it about Alessandra?" Katrina ran her thumb against her bottom lip as she pondered the reason for Desmond hurrying off to William so late in the night. "William must be impatient. That is good news for Kate."

If they could get Alessandra sent off to wed William before the Duke could arrive for her, the Duke could do nothing but look for another wife. Kate would be right there as a new option.

"I have answered your questions, Baroness. Please leave me," with the answer given, James thought her business with him was done.

"Oh, but we are not done yet, James. Your life is in the palm of my hands. I can hold on to what you did to me for as long as I want and then reach my breaking point, crying to my husband about the horrid deed. You are now more loyal to me than my husband. I have sent a man to watch your mother just in case you have thoughts of running," said Katrina.

James looked up in horror at this revelation. "Do not touch my mother!"

"That all depends on you, James. Here," Katrina pulled out a bottle from her sleeves and handed it to him. "Put a tiny drop in my husband's food each day starting tomorrow. Do it until he can no longer stand on his two feet without help."

"Why not Alessandra?" James asked as he took the bottle. He expected Katrina would also want to get rid of her.

Katrina replied to his question with a smile. This wasn't her first time doing something to this degree. It would be suspicious for only Alessandra and her husband to die out of nowhere.

Katrina did not need to kill Alessandra as the cursed child would soon be out of her sight. By the time her husband died, Alessandra would already be married to William and never able to step foot in this house.

"How are you so sure I won't put this in your food instead?" James asked as he inspected the small brown bottle.

"Because you know I won't hesitate to kill your mother if I feel the slightest bit sick. You know, all of this could have been avoided if you answered my question in the first place," Katrina said, feeling a bit of sympathy towards him.

She wouldn't have gone to such lengths if James was a proper man. Perhaps, they would have rolled around in his bed for a moment, enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies before she would make the sweet promise of raising his position in society if he pledged loyalty to her.

"Working for me will give you rewards you have always dreamed of. Make me proud James or I shall have the town guards hang you. Goodnight," Katrina proceeded to leave his room.

Her skin crawled the entire time she stayed in the servant's quarters. It was beneath her to be in such a place but it was needed for her to be here if she was going to use James to poison her husband.

The butler had control of the food going in and out of the kitchen so it wouldn't be suspicious for him to be around the Baron's food. Katrina regretted not seducing James long before so he would be more loyal to her.

"Do you wish for me to watch his door for the rest of the night Baroness?" Krystle, a middle woman who had been Katrina's personal maid for five years, asked with her head low.

"James won't be leaving his room to speak to anyone. I have dealt with men like him before. He is scared out of his mind and will do as I say to protect his mother. Eventually, he will try to get something grand out of this. He will realize I will either kill him or continue to keep him by my side in the future. The outcome depends on what he does tomorrow."

"Here," Katrina took off a ring from her finger and tossed it to Krystle. "For your continuous loyalty."

"Thank you, Baroness. Your kindness knows no bounds," Krystle dropped to the floor to show her thanks to Katrina.

Katrina continued to walk, ignoring the usual compliment she would get after paying Krystle. Her maid saw the ring as a kind gesture but Katrina saw it differently.

If her plans were to be exposed and anyone started to question why her maid had expensive jewelry, Katrina would claim Krystle had been stealing them from her. She would claim Krystle threatened to expose the shameful thing James tried to do to her if she wasn't given jewelry.

Besides Kate, no one else mattered in Katrina's eyes. In this cruel world, she had to be cruel to get what she wanted. Playing the role of a woman madly in love with the newly divorced Baron was her most successful plot to this day. However, she was not done yet. Everything the Baron owned needed to belong to her and Kate.

Katrina halted, suddenly remembering one last thing she needed to do as a backup in case she read James wrong and he would try telling the Baron of what she did. "Krystle," she turned to her maid. "We must get to my bedroom quickly."