The Duke's Masked Wife

"Good afternoon," Edgar said as soon as he entered the room. He gave Wilma a quick look over to see the type of person she was.  He noticed her holding Alessandra's hand and Alessandra giving him a look as if warning him to be nice. He was always nice so he didn't see the need for the warning. "It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Cromwell," he held out his hand to greet her.

Wilma covered her mouth with her hand as she took in the beautiful sight of Alessandra's charming husband. He certainly was the son of Edmund Collins and the grandson of Theodore Collins who was a hot topic in her youth. It must be inevitable for all of the men of this family to be handsome.

"Pardon my manners," she snapped out of her trance and stood to shake his hands. "It is nice to meet you too, Duke Collins."

"You can call me Edgar and don't worry, you are not the first person to be caught off guard by my looks. It is what made Alessandra fall for me," Edgar replied, taking the chance to annoy Alessandra.

'Why is he telling lies?' Alessandra thought.

"I can tell you stood out among your peers but I am sure that is not the only reason she fell for you and likewise. I thought of bringing the two of you a wedding gift but I didn't want to feel like I was winning you over with gifts and Alessandra told me it was your birthday yesterday. Happy belated birthday. I hoped you enjoyed it," Wilma said, wishing she had bought the gifts.

"I did. Your granddaughter took care of me well," Edgar answered, enjoying the sight of Alessandra squirming in her seat. "How is your reunion going?"

Alessandra wanted to get out of her seat and sew Edgar's mouth shut but she calmed her annoyance to not ruin the moment. "It is going well. I learned she was sending me letters over the years but they were never given to me.  She sent gifts I am certain Kate received and also money. Someone was sending her letters acting as me."

"Really? I have met all types of people but I think your family is on another level. Did you find out about your mother's whereabouts?" Edgar asked as it was the most unsolved mystery.

"No," Alessandra shook her head. "There are letters she sent to my grandmother which I will read on my own time but that is all. The letters were sent from different towns so it is not certain where she resides."

"Are you sure they were from your daughter? What would have stopped Desmond from sending you fake letters from your daughter?" Edgar asked, wanting to make sure they were legit first.

"The letters detailed things only my daughter would know. It is not possible for anyone to fake them," Wilma replied. There was nothing off about the letters which had Melanie's handwriting she would never forget.

"Write down the address and the dates of the letters in order. I might be able to trace her tracks and find where she settled. I will need a portrait of her. Perhaps the last one you have of her," Edgar said, sure of himself he could find her from these letters alone. He could use the court to search the towns more quickly.

"I brought along a portrait of her for Alessandra. You can have it to aid your search. I also brought a portrait of Alessandra as a child and created of you with your mother. They were gifts for my birthday from your mother. If it is alright with you, I can bring them back tomorrow," said Wilma, indirectly asking for permission to come again.

"Instead, I would love to visit where you are staying. If Edgar doesn't mind, we are having dinner tonight to celebrate his birthday. I would love it if you stay to enjoy dinner. There is so much more I want to know about you. Is that alright, Edgar?" Alessandra looked at him with pleading eyes. There was so much more about the Cromwells she wanted to learn about.

"It is fine with me," Edgar honestly replied. He liked seeing Alessandra excited to spend time with her grandmother. It was about time she had a relative whose company she could enjoy.  "Your husband was unable to join us?"

"Unfortunately, his illness has gotten the better of him. It is hard for us to travel around or even move because the doctors who treated him for many years reside in our town. I try not to disrupt his treatment. Winter is a terrible time for him to move around so I apologize if his absence displeases-"

"It doesn't," Edgar cut in to stop her from apologizing for having to leave her sick husband behind. "I don't know much about either of you so I thought he might have been busy with work. Just for my knowledge, are you the Cromwells who own mines?"

"My husband's older brother deals with the mines but there are a few in my husband's name. I deal with all the paperwork and finances for my husband. Have you ever visited the mines?" Wilma questioned, racking her mind to remember if she had ever met him.

"No, but I have heard of your family having luck with gold a few years back."

"Oh yes. It was quite the year for us. We thought the mines were empty and almost stopped sending workers inside but then gold was found. We don't stumble upon much these days but it is enough to bring some income to our home. I would love for the two of you to visit one day to see the family businesses. I have a business making fine china. A skilled pass down from a relative who once traveled the world," said Wilma.

"This sounds like you and Alfred will get along well," Alessandra chuckled as she pictured Alfred getting excited to have someone to talk to about plates and other things.

"Who is Alfred? You said it is just the two of you."

"I don't know how he skipped my mind. Alfred raised Edgar from when he was a little boy. He used to be the butler but now he is officially part of the family. He is currently staying with Edgar's grandmother but he will return this evening for dinner. Would you like a tour of the home now? I can show you the paintings I made," Alessandra said in a calm tone to try to mask how much she wanted Wilma to say yes.

"I would love to but we just called for your husband and he has only just sat down," Wilma reminded Alessandra.

She feared the Duke would be angry with the two of them for disrupting his time but when she glanced at him, she noticed he appeared amused. She followed his line of sight and found his eyes glued to Alessandra who was watching her.

She didn't have to worry about no love between the two.  Wilma only hoped the love would never fade as it did with Melanie and Desmond.

"I don't mind. You should go on the tour before her excitement chokes the two of us. I have one request for both of you. Can you keep the Cromwell last name and your business a secret when the guest arrives for the party?" Edgar requested as he wanted to test out what his mother was saying about his grandmother.

Edgar wanted to see what his grandmother was telling Alessandra without knowing her mother's side had a good amount of wealth from their mines and he knew Wilma had a successful business as coincidentally, the plate Alessandra broke and tried to hide from Alfred was created from a member of the Cromwell family.

The Cromwells weren't well known here in Lockwood unless you were interested in mines but a few of the relatives were great craftsmen.  Not all of the Cromwells had ownership of the mines and they liked to be secretive about who did. He figured Wilma admitted to her husband's share as it might become Alessandra's.

"Why?" Alessandra asked as the people coming to dinner wouldn't blabber about Wilma's business.

"I did some digging into your family to find Alessandra's mother but I wasn't informed of your hand in making china or your ownership in the mines. Your family seems to dislike showing off your wealth. This means the people we invite won't know much about you. There is something I want to test out so I need the two of you to trust me," Edgar said, needing them to be silent so his plan would not fail.

Alessandra didn't see what he could test out from this but she had no other choice except trust him. She would learn of it later.  "We should start the tour now," Alessandra said, letting it go for now.

Wilma didn't mind not speaking about her business to their guests as it was the norm to keep their business life private from anyone other than family. She stood up with Alessandra to start the tour of the home.