The Duke's Masked Wife

"Do you care for a bit of alcohol before you go to bed? It will help ease your nerves though I think you should not be nervous after sitting on my lap. Do you want some?" Edgar poured a glass for himself.

The empty plates of food were placed outside their door on the trays they were brought in for someone to take when they passed by. After a quick freshing up in the bathroom to clean their mouths, all that remained now was the alcohol.

"Just a tiny bit," Alessandra showed a tiny space between her fingers to reference the amount that she wanted. It would certainly help her relax having to share a bed with Edgar. "Thank you," she accepted the drink.

"Do not let the sweet taste fool you with how much alcohol is in here.  Drink it slowly or I will have to stay up all night listening to you speaking about things that do not make any sense."

"It is really sweet," Alessandra's eyes lit up from the taste.  She was used to the bitter ones at her old home. "Oh, you get a strong aftertaste," she handed the cup back to Edgar.

Alessandra began to braid her hair to make it more bearable for when should be sleeping. Edgar had returned to the room before Sally could do it for her. In the meantime, Edgar closed the window he had left open and threw one more wood into the fire to make the heat last longer. If needed, he would wake up, later on, to add more wood to keep Alessandra from becoming cold.

With her hair done, Alessandra crawled onto the massive bed from the edge where she sat. She wanted to be the first one in bed so that she could pretend she dropped asleep quickly and then Edgar would leave her alone.

Alessandra laid down facing the window so that she would be able to look at the night sky view. Looking at the sky from her bed always made her relax after long hectic days. She snapped her eyes when she felt the bed slightly sink behind her which meant Edgar had laid down.

"Trying to fall asleep quickly? I told you that you are too predictable. I don't know what else I can say to make you more comfortable in bed with me. It would be no problem if you wish for me to leave, Alessandra."

"Stay," she replied without opening her eyes. This bedroom belonged to him much longer than it belonged to her. It would be rude to ask him to leave all because she was nervous about sleeping next to a man. How could she ever get rid of her nerves if she kept pushing him away?

"Okay. I won't judge if you want to make your way over here during the night. You can hug me-"

Alessandra threw a pillow behind her to stop Edgar from talking. "Goodnight," she said.

She didn't have to turn around and look at him to know he was smiling.

"Goodnight, Alessandra."

***

"Duchess, breakfast will start in half an hour. What do you want to do until then? Continue organizing the art room or perhaps, going through the rest of the gifts the Duke prepared for you?" Sally asked.

"What?" Alessandra snapped out her thoughts. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Breakfast will start in a half hour. What do you wish to do until then?" Sally repeated herself. From the moment she had visited Alessandra early in the morning to get her ready for the start of the day, she found Alessandra to be lost in her thoughts. She figured something must have happened when the Duke and Duchess were alone but it wasn't her place to ask.

"I'd like to take a quick walk outside to clear my mind. I haven't seen much outside as yet," Alessandra replied. 'Why do I keep thinking about this morning?' She sighed.

When she woke up early this morning, Edgar wasn't shy about mentioning the fact she rolled around a lot in her sleep. She rolled around so much that she eventually ended up on his side of the bed. Alessandra had no idea what happened as she was in deep sleep but she was absolutely terrified about what Edgar might have witnessed.

This was the first time she wished Edgar teased her about something she did so she would know if she did anything embarrassing last night. He kept quiet after mentioning she rolled around but the tiny smile he tried to hide from her told Alessandra that he was hiding something. It was either to blackmail her later or to save her from being severely embarrassed.

"The weather is changing and outside is cool enough for us to not need an umbrella. The butler informed me a dressmaker will be coming to take your measurement and provide you with an entirely new wardrobe. The dressmaker sent a lengthy apology for not being to visit yesterday because Edgar's request was short notice. You must be thrilled to have such a loving husband offering you so many things." Sally felt jealous of what Alessandra got to experience.

"It is only because I don't have anything good to wear as a Duchess," Alessandra replied with less enthusiasm than Sally expected.

"That might be true but I've heard from the maids that the Duke was personally involved with all of your gifts. Other women will eye you with envy if word of this ever gets out. Edgar's heart has finally melted. Everyone will talk about it for weeks."

'If they find out our relationship is based solely on a contract, they'll talk about how desperate I am for years,' Alessandra thought. She could not feel excited about things happening in a fake relationship. She was well aware there were no feelings behind the things Edgar did for her as Sally claimed.

Rather than respond to Sally, she decided to keep her mouth shut and walk outside to the garden to clear her mind as she wanted.

As Alessandra and Sally walked along the side of the house so someone could easily find them when breakfast was ready, they found a man in clothes not suited for the outdoors, digging a hole next to a flower bed.

"Is that the gardener?" Alessandra asked Sally as she wanted to know why the man's clothes looked like he was going to a party but he was ruining it with dirt.

Sally shrugged her shoulders, also confused with the choice of clothes to do gardening.  "I wasn't introduced to anyone as yet. Maybe the gardener wishes to impress someone?"

"How long are you going to stand there for?" The stranger or who they presumed to be the gardener asked after feeling their burning gaze on him. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Listen here," Sally stepped up to scold the man for talking carelessly to Alessandra when she was the Duchess. "You should be the one to introduce yourself to the Duchess."

"Duchess? You are the person I was just thinking about. Does my daughter-in-law mind giving me a hand with these flowers? The soil is much better for them on the other side. Hello," Edmund looked up from the hole he was digging to see who was the poor soul to marry his son.

"Daughter-in-law?" Both Alessandra and Sally stated in disbelief.

"You are Edgar's father?" Sally asked.

"That should be obvious from me referring to her as my daughter-in-law and the fact Edgar looks just like me. Judging from the peaceful walk you were having, I presume you have not run into my wife yet. Come join me to prolong having to meet her soon," Edmund patted the space next to himself for Alessandra to sit on the grass.