The Duke's Masked Wife

Sally did a double take of the sight before her as she walked into the Collins estate. As soon as you entered you were greeted by the sight of Alessandra placing ointment on Edgar's chest. 'Don't they have other rooms to do this?' She thought.

"I'm going to have Alfred burn my shirt in case any of those bugs are in there. Please promise me you will not bring any of those into our home whenever I upset you. Try killing me instead."

"Edgar, please don't suggest such a thing to me. I promise I won't bring any of them into your home. I don't want my hand to be full of bites again. I'm finished," Alessandra looked around his body at the white patches of ointment placed all over his chest and back.

"If there are bites on my leg, will you let me take off my pants for you to place the ointment?" Edgar grinned, fully enjoying the annoyed look Alessandra gave him.

"Must you always tease others? Did you not have enough time playing around when you were a child? Do it yourself if there is any down there," she shoved the bottle into his hands.

"Actually, I did not spend a lot of time playing around when I was younger. My mother sent me out of town to strict schools and it was only after Alfred started to care for me that I remained here and tormented others. Whether you believe it or not, I only tease you. I torture others," he corrected her words.

Alessandra pursed her lips, having nothing to say in response. She could agree what he did to others could be called torture rather than teasing. "I heard you lifted my father in the air at his party. What do you call that side of you?"

"The side that does not enjoy when my time is wasted. I have a lot of work these days and your father plus the king thought it was a bright idea to invite me to a party with the promise there was information to make my life easier. I have always disliked your father and I've always made it known but yet, he wanted to play in my face like we were friends. It is not my fault he weighed hardly anything so it was easy to lift him from the floor."

"I see," Alessandra replied, making a mental note to waste his time.

"The servants must be waiting for us. Let us not keep them waiting," Edgar placed his hands behind his back and walked ahead of Alessandra to lead the way to where he would normally gather his servants.

Alessandra stared at his bare back and wondered why he wasn't going to his bedroom to put on a shirt first. "Shouldn't you change?"

"Why? You'll be jealous if other women stare at me? The servants are used to me being like this as I train topless outside. I have the perfect spot if you wish to spy and fantasize about me."

Alessandra smacked her face with her hand due to how indecent he was.  She wasn't particularly shy when it came to a man's body even though she had never seen one without clothes until today but it was Edgar's words she could not handle. "I will never fantasize about you."

"Shall we make a bet? It wouldn't be hard for me to know when you are fantasizing about me. Did you enjoy the gifts? I can send for more if there is something you do not like. Aside from the canvas and paint, I picked out things the young women seem to be interested in these days," Edgar was clueless about the things Alessandra liked.

It wouldn't be hard to replace the accessories he bought so far if they did not excite her.

"I wasn't able to view them as yet but I am sure they are lovely," Alessandra replied.

"You don't have to accept things you don't like just because I am giving them to you. My feelings are not so fragile that I would feel offended if you do not like them. You need to be honest when it comes to gifts just like everything else. I am not a mind reader and if I do not know you dislike something but you constantly take it, I shall assume you like it. Simple things like this that become miscommunicated annoy me. Let's not waste each other's time."

Edgar continued to say, "I don't think you have truly understood the fact that you are a Duchess now and the power that comes with it. No one should have ever been able to slap you and I am not blaming you for getting hit but I want you to consider nipping something in the bud from the very beginning. If someone disrespects you, get rid of them. If someone hits you, hit the hell out of them back. I am going to stand ten toes down on whatever you do so please stand up for yourself before you get hurt."

Just like today, Edgar would not always be there to help her out before things get out of hand. From the moment Alessandra was mistreated in the bathroom with her hair being pulled out, action should have been taken there but he gave her the chance to fix it on her own.

Alessandra waited too late to realize she did not need to listen to the words of a servant.

"It is only the first day of me becoming a Duchess. I was trying not to be harsh and seem like I was getting ahead of myself with what I can do as your wife," Alessandra replied. She knew she could have gotten rid of Jennifer earlier had she stopped giving her the option to walk away on her own. Jennifer should have been gone from the first interaction they had.

"It is not you being harsh, Alessandra. It is about you protecting yourself. The best advice I can give you about the world you have thrown yourself into is to not care about others' opinions. So what if the servants here think it is unfair for you to fire Jennifer in only one day? They are not in your shoes. You always need to do what is best for yourself. You were in the right when it came to Jennifer," Edgar said.

Edgar wanted her to act quickly because the other women in high society would be more vicious than a mere maid. Alessandra had thick skin because of her past but she needed quick thinking to get rid of pests.

"You are right," Alessandra agreed with Edgar. She had the power of a Duchess but she waited until she was struck to use it against Jennifer. Next time, something worse could happen if she continued to wait too late. "I won't make this mistake again. I promise."

"I know that you won't let it happen again. As you said, it is only your first day which is why I understand your view on the situation. It is not easy for someone sheltered from the world to know what to do all of a sudden when you are thrown into the fire.  I will help you as much as I can. Now," Edgar halted his steps and turned around to look at Sally. "How long are you going to walk behind us without saying a word? I am not a fan of eavesdroppers."