The Duke's Masked Wife

"Am I going to another room to speak with my mother or is everyone else going to leave now that I am here?" Alessandra softly spoke with Mark.

"I mentioned you wanted to speak with her alone, but they insisted on remaining together," Mark replied.

"Then I would like for Edgar to come inside in the next five minutes," Alessandra said. It wasn't fair for her to be alone while her mother had her two other daughters beside her. Wanting no one around to interrupt her conversation with her mother was out the window.

Alessandra was not looking for a fight today but she wanted Edgar in the room at some point in case it felt like she was getting nowhere with the three people in the room.

"Alessandra," Melanie stood up to greet her daughter. She was nervous yet excited to see Alessandra again. News of Desmond's death and Alessandra's inheritance were like a splash of cold water to the face. The life she left behind was much different than she expected. "It is good to see you again, my sweet child."

"Hello," Alessandra greeted her mother. Mother could not easily roll off her tongue as calling someone this word felt odd. She only called Katrina mother to upset her in the past.

Mark cleared his throat, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the awkwardness in the room. "I won't be far away from this room. Just step outside when you are ready for me to join you."

"You've become a Duchess," Melanie said as she walked around the large table to get to Alessandra. "Your father always dreamt big about the type of man you would marry."

"My father had nothing to do with me marrying the Duke. I did that all on my own to get away from my father.  I will sit here," Alessandra sat down before Melanie could reach her. She wasn't ready for greetings that involved touching right now.

Melanie stopped and looked up for a moment to get over the action she deserved. She knew with her late return Alessandra would not want to speak or even hug her. She deserved it for being away for so long.

"That was rude- Ow!"

Alessandra looked further down the table at the two young ladies. While Alessandra had taken after her mother's appearance, her sisters looked to be a mixture of both parents even though Alessandra was yet to meet their father. Her sisters did not share her dark hair or striking green eyes. Their eyes looked as if there were two colours present.

"Do not kick me. It was rude. Mother was looking forward to this the entire trip," the younger-looking sister said.

Alessandra wasn't affected by her words. She didn't start to feel bad for not hugging her mother nor did she dislike the young girl for sticking up for their mother. Alessandra only wished they would have listened to her request to be alone with her mother so her sisters would not have to view how strained the relationship was between their mother and older sister.

"Girls, please be quiet. I was told you wanted to speak with me alone, but the girls were so excited to meet their older sister. Your brother will join us in a few days with my husband. It was a bit hard for them to put their lives on a halt to travel here with me," said Melanie.

"I apologize for disrupting the peaceful life you have with my problems," Alessandra said, slightly annoyed to hear about how it wasn't easy for them. At least they had that in common with her mother.

"I should be the one apologizing to you, Alessandra. I never stopped thinking about you. I wanted to bring you along with me when I first left, but I had no idea where I was going. I just picked up my bags and that wouldn't have been a good life for you. Travelling with me when there wasn't a place I was going. Your father loved you so much so I knew it would be better for you to remain with him. That is why I left you behind," Melanie explained.

Before Alessandra could reply, she looked at her sisters listening closely to the conversation. "I asked for my husband to join us in a few minutes so I do not feel alone in this room, but I would still prefer for you and me to have a conversation alone before everyone is together. Please."

"Girls, please leave the room for a moment. Don't wander off far away or cause any trouble. This is nowhere for you to be playing around," Melanie said, reminding the two that this was nothing like the small town they grew up in. Lockwood was a whole new world for her daughters.

"No fair. We have a new sister who is a Duchess of all things but we have to wait to meet her. It's not fair we get to miss out on what is being said here, mother. It is as interesting as finding out you were once a Baroness-"

"Claire, get out now!" Melanie raised her voice and gave the two a look.

Alessandra was startled by the loud noise and out of instinct, she touched her stomach. At least she learned one of her sisters' names was Claire. She would learn the other name once she was finished here with her mother. Her focus was on her mother so the introductions with her sisters could be done afterwards.

Melanie waited until the two, who would be getting a scolding later, left the room to apologize to Alessandra once more. "I am sorry for not listening to your request to be alone with me. It is true the two of them should not have been present but they were so eager to meet you that I let them stay. I also hoped that my other daughters being here would ease the awkwardness between us. I thought wrong. You probably do not want to hear any more apologies from me."

"I do not. They hardly mean anything to me. What I want to know is why. I understand wanting to get away from my father and at the time, it was not ideal for me to be travelling with you, but years have gone by. You have no excuse to not return to see me. Even if my father tried threatening you, the court would have helped you," Alessandra said.

Melanie sighed. "Your father had connections in the court to help him back then. Desmond potentially threatening me after the shame he dealt with when I ran away would not have stopped me from seeing you. I have no good excuse. I simply grew tired of my life in Lockwood and the life before that. I travelled, which is something I knew would make me happy, and it did. Eventually, I met someone who loved me as I wanted to be loved and as a young fool, I made the decision to completely forget about everyone-"

"I don't want to hear about you being young," Alessandra stopped the ridiculous excuse. She would have cared for it more than ten years ago but not now. "You are old enough now, one year ago, or even five years ago to know it was time to start looking to meet with your daughter. My husband should not have to look all over the kingdom for you."