The Duke's Masked Wife

"If word of me going into the red light district gets back to everyone on the estate, I'd like to request you clear up why I was there," said Caleb.

Edgar opened his eyes and looked at Caleb sitting across from him as the carriage moved. "Why? Is it to make sure the woman you claim to have no feelings for won't judge why you are there? Silly me, I thought there is nothing to clarify if there are no feelings involved. Confess your feelings so that she can reject them and let you move on. Your one-sided love story bores me to the point of no return."

Caleb once again did not see why anyone thought he liked Sally. The woman was just fun to be around and he considered her a good friend. "I do not have a one-sided love story," he replied.

"Hmm. I should make this pathetic crush you have interesting by placing bets with others to see how long it will take you to realize your feelings. The longer you wait, the bigger opening you make for someone to snatch her away," said Edgar.

Caleb could not believe that out of all people Edgar was giving him relationship advice that he did not need. "Times truly have changed. Never would I have thought you would be giving me advice about a woman. Good to see you wouldn't want me to miss a chance with Sally. That is if I liked her."

"I truly do not care whether the two of you end up together. It is annoying to be asked by Alessandra if the two of you will end up together when your union does not change my life. It will change your lives if you two have relationship drama and do not take care of Alessandra as I am paying you to."

"If you were to fire one of us it wouldn't be-oh, isn't that the butler from the Baroness's home?" Caleb asked as his attention shifted to the man the carriage passed. "Why is the butler carrying food from the market in this weather? Why are they even traveling to the market instead of having their food delivered like everyone else in their neighborhood?"

"Because they are on the verge of being poor," Edgar replied and tapped on the carriage walls to stop it. The Barrett's no longer had the luxury of ordering their vegetables and meat which was a little bit more expensive than going to town. "Let him in when he reaches the carriage."

Caleb peeped out the window at James who had stopped for a moment but then kept walking. "What if he does not want to get in?"

Edgar smirked and folded his arms as he awaited an amusing conversation. "He will not walk past the carriage. He is too curious to do so. Besides, I saw the anger in his eyes that night," he recalled when he exited Katrina's bedroom after cutting her face and the butler was there. If anyone wanted to try spreading rumors again, he could mention the messy scandal of a Baroness and her butler.

If Caleb were James he would do his best to avoid Edgar.  Based on the one-of-a-kind carriage and the flag with a falcon, the butler should know who had stopped for him. If the butler had any sense, he would walk straight by the carriage or better yet run but to Caleb's surprise, the man walked right up to the carriage door and opened it himself.

James' eyes went straight to Edgar and asked, "What do you want from me?"

James knew the Duke had to be up to no good and he should avoid him but if Edgar Collins wanted to speak with him there was no way to avoid the man.

"Get in. We'll give you a ride. Scoot over," Edgar said to Caleb who was puzzled. Edgar had to give James credit for being smart enough not to run away. "Have you been demoted from being the butler? If I were to tell Alfred to go shopping for food in the snow the man would look at me like I were crazy. Alfred is my butler," Edgar explained since James wouldn't know.

James wanted to reply that he was still the butler but knew Edgar was already aware of that. Katrina had not yet started to hire other workers nor did she let him have their vegetables delivered so he had to go get them himself as the few workers present were already tasked with two to three jobs.

James wanted farmers hired once again to plant vegetables on the Baron's land to save money and make a profit from what they did not need.

James shook the snow off of his body, entered the carriage, and sat beside a man he did not know but had seen before. "I am sure you are not being kind just to offer me a ride. You cannot buy my loyalty if that is what you plan to do. I do not want to work for a man like you."

"I am sure you would not when you are receiving such good benefits while working for the Baroness. You are not skilled enough to work in my home but you seem too good for that house. It is interesting what will stop someone from moving on to something better. Were you close to the Baron?" Edgar asked as he wanted to see how long this affair was going on.

From the day Edgar first met James the man did not seem too bad. Surely, he could not have liked the Baron but was fucking his wife when he was not around. It would prove Edgar's point of looks being deceiving. Such an innocent-looking man was tied up with Katrina.

"The Baron gave me a job when I hardly had any experience and desperately needed a job. I am grateful to him so much so that the sight of you angers me for the way you killed him. He was not deserving of such a death," said James. Edgar had abused his power that night and no one but Katrina was calling him out.

Edgar chuckled, entertained by the man screwing the wife of the man he had loyalty to judging him. He was tempted to call out the affair now but he would leave it for a card to use in the future. "That is the second time I have heard that today. Tell me, were you kind to my wife when she lived there?" He touched his sword which stood upright on the other side of the carriage.

James truthfully replied, "I did not have many interactions with her."

"I never had a proper conversation with you about something. The night I killed her father, you were there. Were you helping to drag her into the carriage awaiting her?"