The Duke's Masked Wife

"Kate, if I was in your position I would so embarrassed. After months of talking about being with the Duke, your sister married him. How are you so strong?"

Kate internally rolled her eyes at the question but kept a smile on her face. Her friend knew this was something she did not want to talk about right now. "I told you I do not care about their relationship, Grace. There are other men on my list to make my husband."

Grace did not believe a word that left Kate's mouth. All Kate spoke about for the past months was Duke Collins. Now there were other men? Yea right. "I'm just curious like everyone else on how your sister was able to snag him while you failed for months? I mean, given her current situation I thought your family would pay a servant to marry her."

"It is odd," Lila, Kate's other friend commented. Out of all of them she was certain Kate had a chance with the Duke. It was the reason she had backed off from courting him. This and the fact he regretted her when  approached him behind Kate's back. "Edgar is honestly such a strange man. Do you think he fell in love with her at first sight?"

"Absolutely not," said Kate. She refused to believe it was love that brought Alessandra and Edgar together. Alessandra using witchcraft made more sense.

"Then how do you explain their quick marriage unless your family was unaware of the fact she snuck out of the house and met the Duke before you think she did? What if she was sleeping around with the Duke? I've heard men keep women like her around because she's easy to keep quiet since she's desperate," said Grace

"Even if he was sleeping around with her, why marry her? Did he fall in love with her during that time or maybe she is pregnant," Lila gasped finding this to be plausible. "Can you imagine if she was pregnant before she got married?"

Kate didn't believe Alessandra was able to sneak out the house. There were many servants around who would've told her parents. She believed Alessandra and Edgar met for the first time at the party but what they truly talked about was a mystery. What could Alessandra have said to intrigue Edgar?

Still, Kate wasn't going to stop Lila and Grace from passing around this notion of Alessandra being pregnant before she got married. It would continue to destroy what little reputation Alessandra had.

Alessandra did not need to live with them  to be toyed with. The society they lived in would do it for Kate.

"Her stomach will start getting big soon if this is true and if it does, we'll know for certain that she was pregnant before marriage. Who would have known she was that kind of girl? It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. She was hiding this type of personality all along."

Lila snuck glances at where Alessandra stood with Edgar. "How can she stand there wearing that dress when you and your mother are gathering money to prepare for your father's funeral? You even wore an old dress which is so unlike you."

"Well, this isn't a time to be buying new dresses. I want to give my father a grand send off and I don't care if I need to rip the clothes off my back to do it," Kate repeated the words James told her to say. It truly infuriated her that her mother did not change her mind and bought new dresses. "Now that she married Edgar, she has forgotten who fed and sheltered her for years."

"I can't imagine being related to someone like that," Grace shivered as she felt scared to be in the same room as Alesssandra. "I don't care who she has gotten married to, your sister can never be apart of our circle. You musn't allow her to get away with all that she has done to you."

"I agree. A sister should never marry a man she knew her sister fell in love with. No wonder the queen seemed to like her so early. They are the same," said Lila. "We'll teach her lesson when the Duke isn't by her side. I'll make sure of it no one thinks of trying to be her friend."

"Erin seems to be kissing her ass and she's been going around telling everyone the dress Alessandra is wearing came from her. I knew there was something about Erin. Wouldn't it be funny if her only customer was Alessandra?" Kate insinuated making Erin be blacklisted. "It's not like anyone wants her dresses. Her mother is the talented one. She likes to critique our dresses because she thinks she knows something."

"Well, a dressmaker would know more than us. Sorry," Lila apologized when Kate glared at her. Why was she getting glared at when it was clearly the truth? 'It's not my fault you wore a bad dress."

"Anyone seen with Alessandra or Erin will become outcast. Leave it to me. This is my speciality. Now lets think how we can get the Duke to change his mind about being with your sister-"

"This sounds like a conversation I should hear," Priscilla approached the three young women. She was happy to hear they were already thinking of ways to get rid of Alessandra before she even asked them to. "Kate, what an interesting dress," she eyed the clearly out of season dress Kate wore. "It suits you. Now, carry on with what you were saying girls."

"Well," Grace looked at Kate wondering if they should be saying this to Edgar's mother. When Kate nodded it was okay, Grace decided to speak her feelings about Edgar and Alessandra. "We do not think it is right for Alessandra to marry your son when she knew of the feelings Kate had for him. It's also strange how she married Edgar so quickly. We think she's pregnant."

"Before the wedding," Lila added.

"That's preposterous but it is a big blow to a young womans reputation. If there is some truth in it, who knows how many other men she has been around?  Still, I'm sure there were no men near your sister," said Priscilla. She watched as Kate became lost in thought most likely trying to remember who she saw Alessandra with. "We shouldn't jump to wild conclusions about a sheltered girl."

"There was one man at home she was always with but I never paid too much attention to them. It was the cook. He still works for us and I can bet with a little money, he'll talk about the relationship  he had with her. There's a chance Edgar might not want to be with her if he learns another man had been with her first," Kate said, thrilled to have something to break up Alessandra and Edgar.

Many men loved to be their wife's first and there was no doubt Edgar would be a same. Why would a man like Edgar want a used woman?

"Interesting. I suppose it's something to be looked into. Please let me know what the cook said about her. I admire a determined woman, Kate. Keep it up and you'll go far."