The Duke's Masked Wife

"Are you certain you are finished? I don't feel like rushing back to the bathroom with you," Priscilla said, carefully releasing Alessandra's hair. "These shoes are not meant for running around in."

"I am finished for now," Alessandra replied.

Priscilla looked away from the mess Alessandra created. "Go wash your mouth. I will get rid of this. At this age, I didn't think I would deal with a pregnant woman throwing up."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have called you if I knew I was going to vomit but thank you for holding my hair," Alessandra said, grateful to have Priscilla around. It was awkward since they never had pleasant interactions in the past but Alessandra appreciated the help.

"It would have annoyed me if there were bits of vomit in your hair. Nothing more," Priscilla mumbled, coming to stand beside Alessandra to wash her hands after taking care of the vomit in the toilet. This was going to stay in her mind for days. "Have you and Edgar spoken about children?"

Priscilla couldn't picture her coldhearted son excited to be a father. Edgar always said children were a nuisance.

"We were trying to have one," Alessandra answered. She could already picture Edgar not wanting her to leave the house and Alfred might probably faint.

"Rose will be ecstatic but a little advice, keep her far away from you during your pregnancy. It's already stressful and painful enough but she will make your life hell. She picks at everything you put in your body and she visits too much. When my body is becoming bigger, the last person I want to see is Rose," Priscilla said, remembering how many times she wanted to stab Rose with a fork.

Alessandra rinsed out her mouth with water to get rid of the taste and smell of vomit. "I have not spoken to Rose for more than a month now. Edgar will have to be the one to tell her when he wants to."

Priscilla smiled but cleared her throat to hide her excitement. It was satisfying to know what she told Rose had happened. "What happened between the two of you?" She asked.

"I know this must be amusing for you but I would rather go home and have a doctor visit me. I just want to lay in bed at the moment. I wouldn't mind a cold floor," Alessandra said as the bathroom floor seemed tempting. She did not want to leave the toilet.

"Right right," Priscilla remembered. It was more than enough to know Rose had to be at odds with Edgar for more than a month. Had she known this, she would have rubbed it in Rose's face when she was here in Lockwood. "We need to get your bag and mine before we go. This party is already ruined for me. There is no point in staying so I might as well go home."

"You don't need to answer if you don't want to. Why is that woman here? I don't know her name," Alessandra said, referring to Edmund's former or maybe current lover.

"She crawled out of the hole she has been hiding in for years. Makes me wonder if that bastard has been seeing her during our marriage. He and his mother lied to me about taking care of that woman. Now that my marriage is no more she keeps showing up wanting to apologize but there's more to it. Why am I explaining this to you?" Priscilla asked, confused as to why she was telling Alessandra this.

"Because you have been waiting to vent to someone but others will spread it around," Alessandra answered.

"I don't know you well enough to trust you won't repeat anything I say and I still don't like you. Don't let what I am doing now confuse you," Priscilla said, hoping this was perfectly clear as they left the bathroom.

Alessandra smiled as she knew Priscilla didn't believe her own words. "You don't like me but you certainly care. You do have a heart after all. I am possibly carrying your grandchild. You should want to care for me so the child is safe."

"A grandchild I will never see," Priscilla reminded Alessandra. Edgar was not going to let her anywhere near his little familiarity and it was her fault. The prospect of having a grandchild had not crossed her mind until now. Quite frankly, she did not want anyone calling her grandmother.

"It's never too late to fix the relationship you have with Edgar. I will tell him how you have helped me or maybe, you can go home with me-"

"To a house where I was placed in a cell? No thank you. I still hear rats scratching at the damn box when I go to sleep. Edgar won't be pleased to see me showing up with you. There is no going back from what happened with Alfred. If you weren't informed, we chose to avoid each other," Priscilla said. Her relationship with Edgar was better when they did not run into each other.

Alessandra thought differently. There was still a chance for Priscilla as long as she put in the effort. There was already some change to Priscilla. The woman she met right after she married Edgar would not have helped her in this bathroom today.

Alessandra pitied Priscilla for living in a big house all alone. It reminded Alessandra of the small room she had in her father's home except a big mansion had to be more torture. The big space would remind you of the fact you were alone. Priscilla probably enjoyed the peace at first but then you miss having someone around.

"I am inviting you there. Truthfully, if I am pregnant I have no one around me to ask for advice. As you said, I shouldn't have Rose around so my only option is you," Alessandra said, crossing her fingers behind her back Priscilla would say yes. "If Edgar isn't thrilled by your presence, I will make sure you leave safely."

"You certainly know how to make someone feel sorry for you. There are plenty of women for you to speak with but I suppose none will understand having a small tyrant growing inside of you. Let's be clear, I am only helping because you are carrying my grandchild. It has nothing to do with you and Edgar. The two of you give me a headache," Priscilla said, dramatically touching her head as if there was a headache now.

'This family is full of dramatic characters,' Alessandra thought.

"I will not forget it. Can we please leave now? I need to lie down," Alessandra said, touching her stomach as it was feeling upset again.

"Our bags. Those nosy women must have their fingers all over my bag. I can't- Are you serious?" Priscilla scowled, rolling her eyes at the person waiting outside the room she and Alessandra were coming out of. "It is Edmund you are meant to be seeking out, not me, Cassidy."