The Duke's Masked Wife

Less than an hour later, Alessandra opened her eyes after feeling movement on the bed.

"You can sleep some more though it is a bit too early for you to be so tired. Didn't you sleep last night when I told you to go to bed?" Edgar asked from the edge of the bed.  He returned not too long ago and came to check on her after Sally informed him of her going to rest.

"I wasn't tired. Alfred wanted to be alone and I wanted time to go by faster so I chose to sleep for a while. What happened to your mother? Did you admit it was her or gave you someone's name?" Alessandra asked, curious of what came from his visit.

"It went as I predicted. Her not seeing what she did wrong and me having to explain it. Do not think about her anymore. I've gotten the name of the person and I've already started to track them down. You can't stop worrying for now. I did not kill her," Edgar stated as he knew that was what she and Alfred were worried about.

He was taking a different approach to certain people he hated. He would not make the same mistake he did with Desmond when it came to his mother. He wanted to make her life hell before completely cutting her out of his.

"And your father?" Alessandra inquired. For the most part, Edmund was innocent in all of this.

"What about him? He was ready to shield her from any punishments. I didn't ask what went down after I walked out and left Reed to take my mother, nor do I care. All that matters is that she is in my hands. I won't tell you much about it so if anyone asks you about my mother, you know nothing. Are you feeling better?" Edgar asked, inspecting her body. Specifically her stomach.

Alessandra followed his gaze. "I was never feeling sick," she replied.

"Then you are no longer sore. Wonderful. We shall continue our task of getting you pregnant once I am finished with the business I must take care of. Perhaps it is best you get some rest while you can," he advised her.

Alessandra felt warmth on her cheek. "It is not night yet," she said.

"What makes you think I only desire to have you at night? You look alluring right this very moment. If not for something important that needed my attention, I would have you now. There is no set time for us to be intimate, remember? Everything with the palace and Alfred ruined my plans to keep you in bed," Edgar confessed.

Alessandra felt the sudden urge to lay back down and go to sleep again. Their first night of intimacy started a goal for Edgar to get her pregnant quickly.  As much as she enjoyed it, she didn't want to be kept in bed. "I am going to find something to pass my time. Perhaps painting," she said, removing the covers to get off the bed. "I wouldn't mind you going back to not being fond of children."

"Who says I am fond of them now? They are still annoying little things in my eyes but the process of making them is enjoyable. I will do my part thoroughly.  Before you try to run away like the mouse does when it sees the cat, I heard you had a visit from the court. What was it about?" Edgar asked. Caleb was the one to inform him.

Edgar brought the box Caleb wanted to carry into their bedroom but he was afraid of disturbing Alessandra.

"They came to give me the portion of my inheritance they have collected. Katrina has to find items my mother left for me or she will have to pay. Surprisingly, they are searching for my mother and her parents are coming to town," Alessandra said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Edgar wondered if they would find her mother alive or dead. He wouldn't be fond of her if she was alive and well all this time but did not visit her only child. 'Well, the only child we knew at the moment,' he thought.

Edgar had a lot he wanted to question when it came to her mother but he did not want to ruin Alessandra's excitement. "Do you have a relationship with your grandparents? So far, Greta Barrett isn't my cup of tea so I do not have high expectations for the second one. For your sake, I hope you are able to have a relationship with your family from your mother's side. Both sides cannot be messed up."

"Like you, I do not have any high expectations so I cannot be let down. I don't remember what they were like or their faces. I would like to know why they did not visit or more of why my mother ran away if they know. They might know where she has been all these years. They have always known I lived in Lockwood so why did it take the court to bring them here?" Alessandra asked, more so herself than to get an answer from Edgar.

"Did your father get along with them?" Edgar questioned, figuring they had an issue with her father. They could not exactly demand her from Desmond.

Alessandra tried to think of any issues but couldn't find one. She had not seen her grandparents in a long time for there to be an issue with her father. Unless he met with them outside their home. "I don't know if they ever came looking for answers after my mother ran away. I wonder if with her gone, they didn't care about my father or me. It was never like they had a relationship with me to care. I will find my answers soon. Do you mind joining me when they arrive? You must be kind."

Edgar felt offended and said, "I am always kind. It is not my fault, it is not your version of kind."

"One of the men asked if I knew about Katrina's past. They must be looking into her past but are met with a dead end. No one seems to know anything about her. I told them to ask my uncle because he always speaks as if he has something on her or maybe he bluffs to rile her up. My father might not have had the slightest clue who the woman he married truly is," Alessandra said, doubting her father knew Katrina's past too.

"He might have been too wrapped up with having a young beautiful woman by his side. I've heard many times how he used to flaunt her around. Whatever trap she laid out to settle down in this town, your father fell right into it. A fool," Edgar said.

"I am curious how she is able to hide her past so well. She is smarter and more dangerous than I thought. After all, a woman no one can find a past now lives as a Baroness. It is frightening to imagine what we will one day learn about her life before my father and what she has done to get where she is now."