The Duke's Masked Wife

"There is no need to stare at my forehead, Hazel. The bleeding has stopped and there isn't any pain at the moment. I am fine," Alessandra said for what felt like the tenth time. "I don't need any more apologies from you too, Eleanor. It was not your fault that I was hit. Throwing a stone at a group of people is a bad idea from the beginning."

"Yes, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I can handle getting retaliated against for my words but not when someone else is hurt in my place. Losing her hands isn't enough. Just leave me alone in her cell for one minute and then I can relax," Eleanor said as she held up her fist.

She was an expert in throwing punches because the boys where she grew up were annoying little shits who kept pulling her hair. The first punch had been a mistake but once she saw the boy in pain, Eleanor couldn't help swinging at the others.

Her actions backfired in her mother's eyes when those same boys grew up and didn't court her. Adding fuel to her not being called a lady because of her father's business and then her throwing punches like a boy. It all worked out for Eleanor since she didn't want to be with those boys. She wanted to be alone, reading and writing books while listening to the drama in town.

Hazel placed her hand on her temple and sighed as she sat back in her chair. "You are alright but it is your husband I am worried about. Sophia's husband is currently destroying my husband's ears to release her," she informed the group.

"Release her? She injured Alessandra while trying to hit someone else," Eleanor argued.

"What would it take for there to be a normal gathering with ladies who don't seek to rip each other's throats?" Hazel asked, tired of the recurring drama. She had enough of the one in the palace.

'Everyone would need to stay at home,' Heather thought.

Alessandra was starting to have enough of being around other young women and only wanted to attend parties if Edgar was meant to go. She was starting to second guess the party that she was planning to be social with other women.

From an entire group of women, she only became fond of Eleanor so far and though they started off rocky, Heather wasn't a bad person. Did she need any more friends than this? Being social with many women because of her title wasn't as good as she thought. She already had strong allies with the handful of women around her.

Alessandra enjoyed the time spent with the women in the room and a few others. "I am planning a party. Most likely the first one ever in Edgar's home for just young women but before that, would you three like to pay a visit? Just us with Linda, Erin my dressmaker, and my maid. No one who would stir up trouble."

"I'm all for it. It would be even better if I could spend the night. I am in need of a bit of time outside the palace. What I wouldn't give to still be living with my parents. How about we kick out Edgar and have a little girls' night? I haven't had one since I was nine," said Hazel, excited to have some fun. They could talk about each other's husbands or crushes and forget about all their responsibilities as women.

"I haven't been to any. I am all for it," Eleanor raised her right hand. She wanted to experience a fun time with women her age.

"Excellent," Hazel clapped her hands. "Heather?"

"Uhm, sure," Heather replied. Her mother would have a fit for suddenly being around Alessandra but Heather wanted to have some fun and see what the women in the room were really like.

Alessandra liked the idea of a sleepover but then there was her grumpy husband. "Would Edgar honestly leave the house for it to be just girls? And with another body found I doubt he would want to be too far away."

"Well, he can stay. Edgar's home is large enough that he can stay on one side of it. We'll forget that he is even home. Besides, no one in their right mind would attack Edgar Collins home even if he wasn't present. Do you know how many times I had to listen to the men in court complain about the small army Edgar has?" Hazel asked, rolling her eyes as the annoying complaints started to replay in her head.

Alessandra heard of Edgar having a lot of men at hand but she didn't see them. The men walking around outside the house and guarding the gates could not be what the court was referring to. "I haven't had a proper tour of all his land,' she thought. There was still so much more to Edgar she needed to learn.

Alessandra hadn't explored all of his estate because it would be too tiring and she had not visited all the land he owns. Since Edgar's home was located at the beginning of his land, she didn't stray away from the house. As soon as winter was over, she would see more of his land. It would solve the question of where this army was.

"Linda will be returning to town in a day so she will be able to attend. The only problem now is not getting her brothers or father to stake out Edgar's home. It was cute at first to see her family so protective but at this age, I would snap. There are different reasons why each of us needs to have some time to relax," Hazel said, as they all had some sort of issue in their lives.

She had to deal with the pressure of conceiving a child and now her best friend was being pushed to sleep with her husband. Alessandra was still trying to find her place amongst her peers after years of foolish rumors and her family sheltering her. Heather had to deal with bullying, Eleanor wasn't on good terms with many women and Linda would be freaking out when she learns of her grandfather's plans.

There was a knock on the door and then a woman entered Tobias's room with a tray. "Your highness, I have brought more tea for you and your guest," said Julia, Hazel's personal maid.

"Thank you. How is the gathering going? Are the remaining ladies behaving? I will rejoin them in a moment," Hazel said as she needed a few minutes of peace before joining the chaotic group.

Julia walked around the group, placing the already poured-out tea in tea cups before each lady. "They were shaken up about Sophia getting dragged out but they have resumed what they were doing. Shall I tell them you will be arriving shortly?"

"Yes. In about five minutes let everyone gather in the room. We will finish up there and share out the gifts that were put together. Thank you as always," Hazel smiled. She was grateful to have someone as competent as Julia by her side. Always on top of what needed to be done and kept her up to date with what was happening in the palace.

"The palace seems to get the best of everything. I have never come across such a good mix of tea when I am in the market. I'm jealous," Eleanor muttered as she picked up her cup and drank the tea. On cold winter days, there was nothing like drinking tea and sitting before a fire with a good book. She drank her tea in one sip.

"I can get the supplier's name for you. You can have mine," Hazel pushed her cup to Eleanor since Eleanor had quickly drunk her own. "I am not in the mood for any more tea. As soon as you are finished with the tea we will head back. The host has been away far too long."

Eleanor happily took the cup of tea from Hazel. There were so many women who would love for the queen to give them her tea. She would take pleasure in rubbing this in their faces.

Eleanor brought the tea to her lips, excited to have more but stopped when she smelled something different compared to the tea she had a second ago. There seemed to be two scents mixing together. The new scent was faint but Eleanor picked up on it because it was familiar. She scrunched up her nose for some reason. 'Why do I know this?' She wondered.

It was right on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't place why she got this reaction from it. Had the scent been more pungent she would have had a better chance of picking it out. She figured the queen had a special mix of tea given to her solely so Eleanor didn't overthink the scent and drank the tea.