The Duke's Masked Wife

"I'm tired," Bella said after spending a long time trying to get the door to somehow open. She knew it would never open so easily because Simon would never give them an easy opening to run away from him. It was some miracle that he had not returned yet. "I need to take a moment. Kate?"

"I am still awake. Just resting to help with the pain. "The blood has stopped for now."

"We still need to get you to a doctor quickly. That kind of blow to your head could be dangerous. You've lost too much blood. I will only rest for a few minutes," Bella said. She had to rest her hands as they were in pain from digging and then going straight to beat on a door with her fists.

"Please rest. We won't get out of here if you injure yourself too much. I am no use to either of us," Kate replied. She didn't feel like she could stand on her two feet because of the pain she was in.

Bella leaned back on the wall and held onto the bars Simon used to climb out of the room. "I'm fine," she said, looking at her hands. Her hands were no longer without a scratch. They were full of cuts which showed she tried her best to find a way out. "My mother used to- Wait," she looked up at the entrance. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? I can only hear you."

"I heard something outside. I am sure of it," Bella replied, climbing back up the bars to get closer to the top to hear. This was the first time in months that she heard something from the outside world. She was always here in silence until Simon came to speak to her.

"What if it is Simon?" Kate asked, fearing he was returning to finish her off.

"I don't think it is. The door would have shook as he opened it. It sounds like a dog," Bella slowly said as she didn't believe her own ears. 'Have I officially gone insane?' She thought.

"I don't recall Simon having dogs. I would have seen them by now. The only animals I have seen are the horses. Nothing else. Come sit down Bella. Your mind is playing tricks on you," Kate sighed. She relaxed now that she knew it was not Simon.

"Perhaps," Bella agreed with Kate. It had been so long since she heard a dog. Maybe her mind must be playing tricks on her. Giving her false hope when she longed to be rescued. "I cannot come to sit down. I have to rest and continue to find a way out of here. If I rest too much, Simon will come back to us. Just open," she tried pushing the door up to open.

"-te!'

Bella heard another sound when she pushed the door up. She did not understand what was said, but she was certain she heard something outside. "Kate, I am telling you there is someone outside. I heard a voice and there was a dog."

Kate sat up as her fear of Simon coming for them grew. "It must be Simon. Come sit down and cover that hole you made so he doesn't punish us."

"You said he had been caught, right? Maybe this is someone looking for us? We have to take a chance," Bella decided and repeatedly pounded the door with her fist. At the moment, it didn't feel like her hands were hurting her as she did so. She thought only of someone finding the two of them before Simon returned.

Bella continued to hit the door with her hands until she was startled by the sound of something scratching on the outside. She lost her grip for a moment, almost falling to the floor, but she managed to hold onto the bar and keep herself from falling.

"What is it?" Kate asked after hearing Bella gasp. She couldn't get a good look at what Bella was doing because of the darkness of the room.

"I almost fell," Bella softly replied. She tried to calm her startled heart before looking back up at the door where there was a lot more noise, but she was still unable to make it out. The scratching was too loud.

The scratching then went silent for a moment leaving Bella confused. Was Kate right that this was Simon and he was probably playing a trick on them?

"I'm coming back- Ah!" Bella gasped when the door shook like it was struck by something.

The door shook once more with a loud noise. Bella jumped down to get away from whatever was happening with the door as dirt and bits of snow were starting to fall down onto her face. She stayed close enough to see what was happening to the door.

"It's breaking," Bella whispered after seeing cracks start to form. "This isn't Simon," she knew.

"We're down here!" Bella yelled so the person on the other end would know there was someone who needed help right under where they stood. "We're down here!" She repeated again as her hope for being saved gave her a new source of energy.

Bella watched as a hole formed in the middle of the door and a hand reached in to start pulling it up.  Bella rushed to the opened space which would show her who had broken the door.  "D-Duke Collins," Bella choked up when she looked up and saw Edgar Collins staring down at her. "Finally," her body relaxed and her eyes filled with tears.

Bella wiped her eyes as now was not the time for crying even though it was all she wanted to do right now. "Simon's wife Kate is down here. She's injured," she said, going back into the room to where Kate was instead of climbing out.

Edgar handed Reed the damaged sword he had used to hit the door with. One of the dogs had suddenly circled around a spot and started to dig. He knew the guards who were now there were expecting a body, but to everyone's surprise, a wooden door was revealed out in the middle of nowhere.

Edgar jumped down into the hole to follow Bella to see what happened with Kate. Bella had no idea how much it was a relief to see that she was still alive after all this time. "We need some light down here," he said to Reed who was about to jump down with him.

Edgar tried to maneuver his way around the darkness. He first noticed there was a torch with a tiny flame that was not offering much light to the room. It was just enough for him to see the colorful dress that Kate wore and the faded one that Bella wore.

Bella sat beside Kate who was surprised to see Edgar. "He wounded her head. We need to get her to a doctor."

Edgar looked down at Kate who quickly looked away from him. Shame. Embarrassment. He couldn't pinpoint what her look was. Although she was trying to tell him about Simon earlier, it was hard to meet his eyes now with her state. After everything she had done, her life was being rescued by the husband of the sister she hated.

The room started to become brighter as the guards and Reed jumped down into the hole with torches.

Edgar was now able to see the open wound Kate had on the left side of her face. "Get a doctor," he ordered the men who now entered. "The Marchioness needs tending to. Bella, are you injured too?"

"No," Bella shook her head. "I don't need a doctor, but I would like to get out of here and see my mother right now. I don't want to spend another minute in this room."