The Duke's Masked Wife

"Kate, calm down before you embarrass yourself in front of him. James, invite him into the parlor and offer him one of our finest drinks," Katrina instructed the butler. "Kate, I don't know what sort of good luck you have stumbled upon but we'll make the most of it. Now, do you see why I said to fix your appearance?"

Blood drained from Kate's face as she realized how horrible she looked right now. "Mother, please stall him for me. I need to change," Kate picked up her dress and made a dash for upstairs.

"A lady does not run so wild, Kate!' Katrina yelled to her daughter. "What on earth am I going to do with that child? I should really get her married and out of my hair."

Although Katrina was happy to have Edgar here, she couldn't stop feeling like something was going to go terribly wrong.

"Is Alessandra here with him? She wouldn't miss the chance to gloat. I should have sent her away the moment I got married to Desmond. Why on earth didn't her mother run away with her?" Katrina despised Desmond's first wife for leaving a child behind.

Why should Katrina be tasked with playing mother to Alessandra when her own mother was running around without any worries?  All her problems would have been solved had Alessandra's mother acted as a mother should.

Katrina continued to sit in the private room to buy time for Kate. There was no telling how long Edgar planned to stay and if the conversation would be quick, Kate might miss out on the chance to speak with Edgar.

"I have spoiled this child too much but I have always said I wanted to give her a better life than what I had," said Katrina.

She didn't get to grow up in a house like this or be given whatever she wanted just by asking. Katrina had to play dirty to get what she wanted. Having a grand title was something she always wanted and Desmond was the perfect tool to get it.

Katrina wished Kate had the same kind of thinking. Doing whatever it took to get what you wanted and not waiting for someone else to hand it to you. That was Kate's problem. No one could make Edgar take a liking to Kate but Kate. Katrina used her brain and looks to get where she is. Kate needed to stop being emotional and do the same.

"Baroness," James returned once again. "The Duke is planning to leave since it appears you are busy."

"What! Why didn't you tell him we have just woken up and are getting dressed? Come up with a good excuse. Why are you choosing now to be so useless?!" Katrina exclaimed, highly frustrated with James.

"The parlor is right in front of the Baron's private room. He might have seen me walk into here quite possibly saw Kate running away," James defended himself. It wasn't his fault the Baroness was stupid enough to place Edgar in the room right beside her. It was obvious they were stalling.

"Then, you should have stopped me from doing so. Run along and tell Kate to hurry and come downstairs. Wait, how do I look?" Katrina stood up for James to judge her clothes.

"You look, wonderful Baroness. Excuse me," James left the room. He did not want to be caught in her trap again, especially with the Duke here. "Why is she acting as if the Duke will care about her appearance?" He whispered.

"What kind of man is he?" Katrina asked herself. James could have used better words to describe her appearance. At this age, she was still quite the beauty. That was why James himself had always been sneaking glances at her when he thought she wasn't watching.

Katrina pushed her thoughts about James to the side for now. She had a more difficult man to deal with. Katrina exited the private room and went straight towards the parlor. "Duke Edgar. It is a pleasure to have you in our home," she greeted him with a curtsy.

"Baroness, it is hard to see how much of a pleasure it is when you are sitting in the next room while I am here," Edgar extended his hand out to greet the woman.

If not for the entertainment coming his way, Edgar would have left the moment he witnessed Kate running somewhere. It seemed the Baroness and daughter thought he was still a single man.  How could he miss the chance to turn their dream into a nightmare?

Katrina was unsure how to respond to Edgar. Why did he feel the need to always say what was on his mind? Couldn't he have spared her from the embarrassment? "I was organizing my husband's things. You have put us in a difficult position, Duke Edgar," she shook his hand.

"Why does everyone blame me for their problems?"

"You killed my husband last night," Katrina reminded him as it appeared he forgot what transpired last night.  "He is gone because of you and now we are left to pick up the pieces. Life will be hard for me and my daughter now."

"Your husband dug his own grave Baroness. From getting involved in sending women to the red light district to profit off the money they get from sleeping with men and trying to send my wife off somewhere she did not want to go. I will admit I was at my wit's end seeing her being manhandled on the ground and I killed your husband in a rage. My apologies," Edgar offered a sincere apology.

"I should have taken him off your property and then killed him. It must have been a hassle to clean up his blood and remove the head of the other man.  How about I pay for your servants having to clean it up?" He offered.

"Did you just say your wife?" Katrina slowly asked, digesting the words as she said them. Edgar mentioning his wife was the only thing she heard coming from his mouth.

"That is what you call the woman a man marries, is it not? In the eyes of the law, you are now my mother-in-law but considering you have not looked at Alessandra as your own daughter, I will refrain from viewing you as such. You seem surprised Baroness," Edgar smiled, enjoying the panicked look creeping its way onto the woman's face.

"When did the two of you get married? Desmond did not give her away to you yet."

"Wrong. When he was begging to not be killed, he gave his permission for us to wed. There is also the time I visited your home and he accepted. I hope you don't mind that we did not offer you an invitation last night. It was such a rash decision," said Edgar.

"You two got married last night? Right after her father was killed?" Katrina could not fathom how Alessandra could easily marry the man that killed her father without a second thought.

Katrina started to worry about Kate's reaction to the news.  Kate should not see Edgar right now. "Excuse me, Duke Edgar. I must-"

"Mother!" Kate entered the parlor with a bright aura surrounding her. It was as if she had not been mourning her father a moment ago. "Duke Edgar," she greeted the man who held her heart.

This was the quickest she had ever gotten dressed to perfection but nothing was impossible when Edgar was near.