The Duke's Masked Wife

"Baroness, Clark is here to see you again," James informed Katrina.

Katrina scowled, annoyed with Clark's desperate attempts to speak with her. It was unfortunately inevitable the two of them would have a conversation. She did not plan to remain hidden away in her home to avoid him. "Invite him inside for dinner. Make sure you do not give him one of our good wines. Trash like him does not deserve it."

"Yes Baroness," James walked ahead to let the man inside. He knew it would be a pain when other Barretts started to arrive for the funeral. "Good evening-"

"About time. It started to drizzle and my good coat almost got wet. I'm going to catch a cold because of how long you waited. Where on earth is that woman?" Clark loudly questioned in order to bring Katrina out of her hiding hole. "Has she run away from me?"

"I would never run from a man like you, Clark. I find that to be insulting. Didn't your mother teach you not to enter someone's home and yell? I see why Desmond was her favorite son," Katrina hit Clark where she knew it would hurt him.

"Ha! You let my brother fool you with his delusion. You know why I am here, Katrina."

"For your brother's funeral of course but there was no need for you to worry. I have it under control.  I'll be kind enough to invite you to dinner in my home-"

"Your home?" Clark chuckled, finding her to be delusonal.  "Don't make me laugh."

"You just did, Clark. Whatever it is you are looking to get, I won't hand it over to you so give up. Desmond was always someone who liked to please his family and friends. He said many things to make people happy at the moment but I can assure you, he never planned to hand his things over to you. Under the law, his wife will take care of everything and there is a list of things meant for Kate. Nowhere did it state your name," said Katrina.

"You don't know my own brother better than me. I know for a fact he did not trust you and that's why he promised to give most of his belongings to me and then some to his children. I was there the night when he stamped the paper and gave me a copy," Clark spoke half the truth but he enjoyed the frown on Katrina's face. "My mother will bring the paper tomorrow. I suggest you be kind to me now so that I don't toss you out."

Clark gave Katrina a look over from head to toe. "I liked the first wife more than you but I have to admit, you are more alluring. If you show me how you trapped my brother, I just might keep you around much longer."

'Men and their lust,' Katrina thought after hearing his words. She did many low things in life but she would not go as low to sleep with Clark.

"Watch your words," Katrina snapped at him. "I have no problem telling the town my late husband's brother is trying to force me into bed with him in order to keep my home. We will talk over dinner about what paper you think Desmond signed. It would do well for you to stay the night too."

"There must be something you want for me if you are allowing me to stay the night. What is it? Are you planning to kill me? My mother and everyone else know I am here," said Clark.

"That is a cruel thing to say. You are Desmond's brother and more importantly, Kate's uncle. As much as I dislike you, my daughter wants to spend time with her family at this moment. Make sure you do not disappoint her like you have disappointed everyone else with your sad life. Don't even think about rummaging through my home while I am not around," Katrina turned her back on Clark to go back to her bedroom. "The servants will inform me of your every move."

"She's not an easy opponent," Clark stated out loud while he watched Katrina walk away. He would not start searching yet.

He was patient enough to wait until the house would become silent. He spent many years staying in this house to know how to move around without being caught by anyone. He did it each time he stole money from his brother. Katrina would regret inviting him inside.

"Hey, you!" Clark called to James just as he was passing by. "If you have any sense you would be on my side. Help me and I shall keep you around when I take over. Tell me," Clark paused when a maid passed by, and just as Katrina said, he was being watched. "I will seek you out later," he left James alone to look for Kate.

James remained silent as he pondered Clark's offer. Katrina and Clark were entering a cutthroat battle where the loser might end up dead. Clark might have the support of his family to take over because the late Baron has no son but Katrina was not going to roll over and give up what she now owned.

James had firsthand experience of what lengths the Baroness would go through to get what she wanted. Her lies were why he was helping her so much. If James were to team up with Clark, he no longer had to follow Katrina's offers and he could be rid of her allegations. However, he could not deny there was something about Katrina that he could not underestimate.

Anyone would paint Clark as the victor but James could not help leaning toward Katrina. He had to pick a side he needed to be on quickly.

'It's not all about what I will get if the side I am on wins but what the person who loses will do to me,' James thought.

Instead of just standing around, he decided to go back to the privacy of his room. His mind wandered to when Katrina made up the lie about him taking advantage of her in order for her to have him start poisoning the Baron.

'She's been avoiding Clark from the moment he arrived but she just casually let him in and now he is spending the night. She is smarter than we think. Clark has the other Barretts to back him up but Katrina will kill to get what she wants. With my help, she blackmailed Mario and his life in her hands. I cannot make her my enemy,' James concluded right as he reached his bedroom door.

He needed to stay on the side he was already on. Outside of Katrina being more dangerous than Clark, she was also more fit to regain the glory this house once had and he would be able to make a lot of money from being her follower. At the end of the day, he needed money to survive.

"Where is it?"

James entered his room with one thing on his mind. "I didn't dispose of it, did I? Wait," he got down to the floor and reached under his bed. "It's here," he pulled out the small bottle Katrina had given him to poison the Baron with.

Desmond died before the content on the inside could be used so the bottle was still full. The poison was meant to kill Barrett and it would in the end. The longer Clark remained in the home and ate food or drink something, the closer he'd get to dropping dead just as Katrina planned for Desmond.

As he stared at the bottle, James considered the fact he could technically kill two Barretts with it and get rid of both sides. He was also in charge of Katrina's food and drinks.