The Duke's Masked Wife

"I feel sorry to the priest for disrupting his night just to wed us. I wonder how many couples have visited him late in the night asking to be wed without their friends and family by their sides," Alessandra said, looking out the window as they passed by homes she was unfamiliar with.

"A lot more happens in the night than you could ever imagine. The church is normally open late into the night to welcome anyone in need of shelter or those couples who are looking to marry behind their family's backs. We can have a big ceremony if you desire it," said Edgar, though he did not care for it.

"There is no need," Alessandra replied. She preferred a ceremony with just Edgar. "I have no friends nor family to attend my wedding. Anyone who shows up would only be looking to get close to you. Perhaps if your family would like for you to have a proper wedding, I wouldn't mind having another ceremony."

"I would rather not have to spend money feeding and entertaining guests in my home. How we get married does not matter to me. I thought every girl dreams of putting on a wedding dress and walking down the aisle. You would still get to dress up. We need our wedding portrait drawn to be hung up," Edgar made a mental note to look for one of the best artists in town tomorrow.

"I am not like others girls since I have never dreamt of getting married. It is just something I wanted to happen to get away from my family." For a long time, she did not believe there would be anyone wishing to marry her so she didn't waste time planning a wedding. "I thought alot about painting, food I want to try, and places I wanted to visit. I have a long list of those things written down," she added.

"Pick one place you want to go since we will have time to travel for our honeymoon. I have many homes across the kingdom we can stay in. We are close to the church. If we are lucky, there would be no one around to spread the news of our wedding before I make the announcement tomorrow," Edgar did not want anyone showing up at his home in the middle of the night trying to congratulate him.

He wouldn't be surprised if the king sneaked out of the castle to confirm if the gossip is true.

Alessandra also preferred their wedding news to stay quiet for the night. She had a lot to digest and the last thing she wanted for people she did not know to visit her and Edgar. She was not in the mental state to prepare herself for their reactions to her being Edgar's bride. After a night's rest, she would be. Probably.

"It's a shame your mask fell. I should have collected another one before we came to the church. I don't think there would be a store selling proper masks open at this time," said Edgar.

"What masks are not proper?" Alessandra accidentally asked out loud.

A tiny smile appeared on Edgar's lips. "There is a growing business for things couples do in the privacy of their homes. Many people frown upon it so those businesses are only open at night for adventurous couples. Masks and whips are the most popular items, I hear. Of course, the masks are nothing like what you wear."

"And how do you know about all of this?" Alessandra could not help being curious. Their marriage wasn't out of love and she had no right to stop Edgar from indulging himself in these kinds of things but she felt the need to ask.

"I don't know if you are aware but I am the one leading the case for the young women who have gone missing. Therefore, I make it my business to know everything happening in town."

Alessandra heard her father and the workers speaking of young women going missing. No one had any idea who the culprit could be and young women were warned to always travel with someone. "This might just be due to what happened a moment ago but I would keep an eye on the man wanting to add me to his collection. There is something eerie about it."

"Smart girl," Edgar complimented her. "I have a list of men and women I think could be responsible for the women disappearing. Your little suitor is already on it. Stay away from William Lancaster."

"William Lancaster?" Alessandra repeated the name as it sounded familiar then it clicked. "I have met him many times when I was a child. He would frequent my father a lot and bring me gifts. He is more than twice my age. How could anyone think to hand me off to a man who watched me play as a child? I feel disgusted."

Alessandra's skin crawled the more she thought of the many encounters she had with William as a child. Her father did not deserve such a quick death.

"It is something that happens behind closed doors. When people who are used to riches are in debt, they would do anything to get money. Your father has paid for what he has done and I am certain wherever he is now, he is being tortured," Edgar said to give Alessandra some peace.

Edgar began to regret not torturing Desmond instead of giving him a quick death. A quick death was a gift to Desmond. The best possible way to make Desmond's soul restless would be to ruin the one thing he truly loved. His reputation.

Alessandra would be shielded from his bad reputation as she would be a Collins in a matter of minutes.

"We have arrived at the church. Do you need a moment to yourself?" Edgar added when she gave him no response. She had a lot to think about when it came to her father and what he was going to do to her tonight. I

"No, I'd rather not be alone. We should hurry inside. Katrina could have sent someone to get the town guards," Alessandra cleared her throat, pushing what she felt to the side. There was no time for her to sit here and think about her father or what she was feeling.

Edgar took her word for it, seeing no point in pushing her to have alone time when she did not want it. He opened the carriage, stepping outside to inspect who was around the church and once it was clear, he offered his hand for Alessandra to use to come out.

Alessandra accepted Edgar's hand to carefully step out of the carriage and used her other hand to keep his coat over her head. She thought about taking off the coat while they were going to be standing before the priest. She didn't want to look back at her wedding and remember using a coat to hide.

Alessandra couldn't help looking around every inch of the church as it was her first visit in a long time. Her memory of the church was blurry and there was nothing she could remember.

"Duke Collins," a man in a white robe greeted the pair at the church door. "What do I owe for this visit? Whenever you visit the church I am meant to prepare for a funeral. I hope that is not the case."

"Depending on how you act, there would be no need for a funeral tonight Peter," Edgar greeted the priest.

"No blood must be spilled in the church, Edgar. You cannot do it again," Peter glared at Edgar. Edgar created havoc in the church when he stormed in to kill a man.

"That was your fault for hiding a man who committed murder. If you had brought him out as I requested, the church would not have been a mess. How awful of you to let such a thing happen," Edgar twisted the situation.

Meanwhile, Alessandra was surprised to hear Edgar killed someone in a church. How many times was she going to be surprised by his actions the more she got to know him?

"Why are you here, Edgar? There is no one here but the priest and I am certain they did not kill anyone or committed any other crimes." Peter wanted nothing more than to get rid of Edgar as soon as possible. Trouble followed wherever Edgar Collins went.

"I am here to get married. I would like for you to perform the ceremony right away."

Peter's eyes drifted back and forth between Edgar and the woman hiding her face. After a moment of silence, he started to laugh. However, when Edgar did not seem amused and the woman did not react to the joke Edgar told, Peter's laughter died down. "Why didn't the two of you laugh? Are you seriously here to get married?"

"Do you think I would waste my time coming here for a joke? I don't like to waste my time, Peter. Can you do it or does there need to be a funeral and wedding performed by another priest? Do not forget that you owe me," Edgar said, reminding Peter of his knowledge about his past before he became a priest.

"Very well. Are the witnesses outside?" Peter asked, deciding to go through with it to get Edgar out of the church as soon as possible.

"You are the witness," Edgar replied.

"That is not how it works but okay," Peter muttered then looked at the woman Edgar brought along. "Why is she wearing a coat over her head? Is she someone important or perhaps," Peter waved his hand around his face. "Are you ashamed of her looks? M-My bad," he choked as Edgar's hand suddenly wrapped around his throat.

'What a strange priest,' Alessandra thought to herself. One thing for certain, her wedding night could never be forgotten.