The Duke's Masked Wife

Hours later the house settled down after Alfred fell asleep and the men who aided Edgar in the search were fed. Edgar received notice that preparations for Timothy's funeral had already started and letters were being sent to any relatives he was close to.

It wasn't easy but Edgar convinced Alessandra to go to bed after she had brought tea for Alfred. He was forced to promise her that if something were to happen he would wake her up. Edgar had no plans to keep this promise. He had a feeling she was tossing and turning in their bed, unable to sleep.

Edgar closed the door of the room that would now belong to Alfred for the next couple of days.

"Edgar, the guards are here," Reed said as soon as Edgar closed the door. Unlike his peers who chose to refer to Edgar by his title, Reed opted to be different which Edgar never said he disliked. "They found your carriage, broken on the side of the road and the dead men."

Edgar wasn't in the mood to deal with Oliver who he was certain came to his home. "Let them inside. I want to get this over as soon as possible," said Edgar.

Reed left Edgar's side to send Edgar's response to the gates.

Edgar followed behind Reed, going out to his front door, and watching Reed speak with another guard who hurried off to the gates. Moments later, he spotted Oliver riding in on a horse with two other men behind him.

When he neared the steps, Oliver slid off his horse leaving the two men he brought behind while he dealt with Edgar who was always causing trouble. "Your carriage-"

"Good night. It is proper manners to greet the owner of the house first," said Edgar.

Oliver didn't care about greetings. "Your carriage was found at the side of the road with a good number of bodies around it. I received word that you sent one of your men to be prepared for a funeral. Aren't you tired of causing trouble? What explanation do you have to get out of me arresting you?"

"Oliver," Edgar sighed, already annoyed by the conversation. "It is your job to inspect the scene and ask questions before pointing fingers. Are you not tired of pointing me out as the bad guy each time? I have been tired of it for over ten years now."

"You want me to believe you did not kill the men surrounding your carriage?"

"I didn't," Edgar truthfully replied. "You are supposed to be looking for the men who attacked the person in my carriage not accusing me. I lost someone I cared for in that attack. Be a good boy and go find them."

"Be a good boy? Do I seem like a dog to you?" Oliver replied, angered by the comment.

"No, a dog would have the more common sense to listen to my words and stop barking up the wrong tree. I don't have the time to entertain you accusing me. My carriage was attacked, the driver died and my butler was injured. The two of them killed the men you have seen. This conversation is now over," Edgar said, turning to go back inside.

Reed started to walk back up the steps to join Edgar. "You!" He exclaimed when Oliver reached out to grab Edgar.

"This conversation isn't over-"

Edgar twisted the hand Oliver grabbed him with and with his free hand, he moved quickly to push Oliver against the wall.

The two men who came with Oliver slid off their horses, ready to run up to defend him against Edgar but their path was blocked by Reed.

"I have fucking had it with you constantly meddling in my life. Always trying to pin something on me because of your issues. Let us get one thing straight once and for all. I am not responsible for your feelings. I am not meant to return any feelings you have to make you feel normal. I did nothing to make you like me and I am allowed the choice of rejecting your advances," Edgar said, letting out all that he wanted to tell Oliver for years but the man was too stubborn to listen.

Edgar continued to say, "You blame me for what you are now. Throwing me in jail won't change the fact that you like fucking men. I have been kind enough to not blabber what I know to this town that will judge you to the point of sending you to your grave. I've let you slide with pissing me off but not tonight."

Oliver gritted his teeth, roughly shoving Edgar's hand off of him. "I detest you because you abuse your power," he said.

"The only reason you hate me is that I never returned your feelings and you had to face your father's wrath alone when he noticed. You blame me for feelings you caught on your own. I was a good friend to you but you took it as something else. I am not playing this ridiculous game tonight.  Do not show up before me unless you are doing your job right," Edgar stated as he straightened out his clothes.

"Or what?" Oliver replied, provoking Edgar to do something. Edgar was always calm and hardly reacted. He wanted Edgar to get angry instead of always being smug.

"I have the desire to kill someone right now. Do not tempt me to kill the only son your father has tonight. However, I welcome you to find the answer should you come to my doors again with a foolish accusation. Oh, keep that future wife of yours away from mine. I find her to be irritating. Reed," Edgar called, giving Reed an order without having to say it.

Oliver clenched his fist as he watched Edgar walk away from him. He took a step forward to chase after him but a grip on his shoulder pulled him back.

"He has spared you despite his anger but you see, I am not so kind. Take a step forward and it shall be your last. I must warn you, I am not good at keeping secrets," Reed whispered, taunting Oliver of revealing what he wanted to be hidden.

"This house has nothing but crazy bastards," Oliver said, shaking Reed's hand off of him. He looked back at the two men he came with. He hoped somehow they had not heard what Edgar said.

Oliver didn't like that the man beside him knew his secret and so did some of Edgar's friends. Edgar wasn't being a good friend like he claimed.