The Duke's Masked Wife

"Do you think she would still be alive if she came along with us? Lockwood is not safe for women these days. None of us thought about that back then," Heather started to regret not speaking up to let Jennifer off somewhere safer.

"It is not our fault. It was in the daytime and we left her off where other carriages passed. Whatever trouble she found herself in is her fault. She most likely went trying to grab money because she spent all that I gave her and she's without a job. This nonsense will only ruin my day," Priscilla pushed her cup of tea to the side as she was no longer in the mood for it.

"It is still tragic," said Heather. She felt guilty for not doing much more. Shouldn't Priscilla feel the same?

"It truly is tragic for Edgar to send those guards to our home as if I could be a culprit. I need to have a chat with that boy but he is not allowing anyone into his home. We can see the reason behind it. His little wife must be scared to face me. I hope her sister can prove herself to be useful."

"It seems like her sister also shares feelings for Edgar. You might give her the wrong idea. Perhaps that is part of why she dislikes the Duchess-"

"Do not refer to her as Duchess!" Priscilla yelled at the top of her lungs. She thought Heather would be smart enough to know not to refer to Alessandra as the Duchess.

After a long pause and she saw the fear in Heather's eyes, Priscilla smiled to appear less threatening. "Forgive me, Heather. My emotions are all over the place and your words just happened to upset me."

"I-I'm sorry," Heather apologized though it was not her fault. She played with her fingers to help get over what she felt. How much more of Priscilla's emotional abuse did she have to take? "I didn't mean to upset you," she sobbed.

"Great," Priscilla touched her temple. "Now I look like the bad guy for making you cry," she sighed.

Priscilla was starting to see Heather as a bad choice for Edgar. The girl was too emotional and the position of Duchess needed to belong to someone who wouldn't cry from being yelled at. Heather was starting to appear useless and Priscilla had no need for anyone useless by her side.

It was the friendship she had with Heather's mother that kept Priscilla from ousting Heather from her circle.

"Heather, I suppose it is time you return home. Your mother must be in need of company. I no longer find you suitable for Edgar. You don't have enough determination, common sense, and confidence to get my son after all these years and you surely will not be able to be a good Duchess. We shouldn't torture each other much longer. Thanks to my friendship with your mother, I will invite you to spend time with me like this."

'Friendship with my mother?' Heather found those words to be insulting. She spent countless days keeping Priscilla company even when her mother was not present. After all that time, Priscilla will only keep inviting her around because of the friendship she has with her mother. What about their friendship?

Heather always knew she was practically a doll used to entertain Priscilla when the woman felt bored but she at least hoped there was a friendship there. That she was more than just the daughter of Priscilla's friend. Priscilla was overbearing and controlling at times when it came to Edgar but Heather still cared for her.

'I should be glad I can move one from waiting on Edgar but I still feel hurt. I should tell her,' Heather thought.

"Heather, why are you still sitting there after I said you can go home? Is there something you wish to say to me?" Priscilla expected Heather to beg to be given another chance to win Edgar's hope. After years of waiting, Heather shouldn't let it fall from her fingers. It would show a tiny bit of determination.

"I…I will leave right away," Heather pushed back her chair and stood up. In the end, she could not speak her mind to Priscilla, the woman she feared more than her own mother. "Thank you for inviting me today."

Priscilla frowned, slightly disappointed by how easy it was for Heather to give up. It was evident she made the right decision by giving up on Heather. 'How annoying after I've spent many months molding her to be the perfect daughter-in-law.'

Priscilla didn't bother to offer Heather any further goodbyes when she started to walk away. Instead, she stood up right after and walked to her bedroom.

Edmund believed she had something to do with Jennifer's murder so the one place he wouldn't be was in their bedroom. He could dig around as much as he liked but there was nothing he would find to label her the murderer. Why couldn't he just be the perfect husband and accept her words instead of doubting her?

After countless years together their arranged marriage had not blossomed into this romantic marriage their parents spoke of. They had enough feelings for each other to stay together this long but there was always a big wall preventing them from being as close as they could be.

Priscilla loved Edmund and she was certain he also loved her but they were different in the way they viewed the world. Priscilla cared more about the spotlight while Edmund spent most of his time trying to fight for others.

Priscilla entered their bedroom and went straight for her vanity to have a seat. Countless pieces of jewelry had been picked out and organized for her to have at hand for when she felt like changing in the spur of the moment.

"Shopping will help clear my mind and put me in better spirits," Priscilla said as she took off the earrings she currently wore to replace them with another set more fit for going outside with.

Her eyes eventually drifted to a specific pair of earrings. Priscilla picked up the pair of diamond earrings and recalled the time she recently wore them. "That fool," she muttered.

The fresh memory of Jennifer threatening her with the information she claimed to know about her family repeated in her mind. Jennifer had the nerve to ask Priscilla for the earrings she was wearing in order to keep quiet. One earring was enough to provide money for Jennifer for a year.

It was unfortunate Jennifer underestimated the woman she was up against.

"How annoying," Priscilla muttered and in the end decided to wear the earrings Jennifer wanted. "At least she had good taste."