The Duke's Masked Wife

Katrina bit her nails as she thought of how she would get out of having to give Alessandra more money. She searched high and low but could not find all the items Alessandra's mother left for her.

A few of them remained in the house because Katrina liked the way they looked while others were tossed out or sold. She didn't enjoy the sight of Desmond's first wife's belongings scattered over the house so she was quick to dispose of them.

"Mother, why do you look so nervous?" Kate asked, taking a seat next to her mother.

"Time is running out for me to find all that belongs to Alessandra. She has more than enough with her new title but she wants to drain us. She is more cunning than any of us realized. She is doing this to get back at us."

"Well, if her mother's wedding dress is on the list I happen to know where it is," Kate chuckled, reminiscing on where she had the dress buried. "I would love to send it to her along with the dead kitten she had. I am tired of her looking down on me."

Kate was distracted by Simon recently but she was still plotting to remove Alessandra's mask in front of everyone. The embarrassment should send Alessandra back into hiding and stop her from looking down on Kate.

"I would have liked it if it was on the list but it is not. It is mostly jewels and portraits. I should have listened to Desmond and not thrown them away. We could have used that money we gave to her," said Katrina. She regretted not stopping Desmond from spending the inheritance. No, she regretted not stopping Alessandra from meeting Edgar.

Kate looked around the house which seemed to be regaining its former glory. She spotted new servants this morning and she was promised to have a dressmaker come to their home like the good old days when money was not an issue. She was curious about where her mother was suddenly getting the money and wondered if her grandmother had something to do with it.

Kate didn't dare ask her mother where the money was coming from. She was ecstatic to have everything going back to normal and best of all, Alessandra was no longer with them. She would have liked for her father to still be alive but she was fine with the way things were right now. Once she married Simon, she wouldn't have to be concerned about money.

"I don't want to think about Alessandra anymore. I always thought that day I got rid of Alessandra from this house I would be free of her giving me headaches. Now I am constantly thinking about her and her husband," Katrina said, touching her face where the cut Edgar gave her remained.

Edgar threatened to give her another so she stayed home to avoid it but she could not remain inside any longer.

Katrina needed to take a large sum of money from her secret stash and bring it here. Once she got rid of everyone trying to take this house from her, she would bring most of the money here for her to have at hand.

"Then do not think about her mother. Think of the perfect day for us to visit Simon's home. I want to see what will belong to me. He is open to me decorating it for him. Little does he know, I am picking out what I will want," Kate said, already planning out her future home.

Seeing Kate excited made Katrina find the peace of mind she needed at the moment. After what Kate relayed to her it did seem like Simon was interested in her. It made up for Kate for not following her advice to spend the night at his home.

"I am sure Simon is a busy man so the day he is free I will visit his home with you. Remember not to come off as if you are expecting an engagement to happen. He must not think that you are desperate for it. I'm happy you found someone Kate," Katrina smiled, fixing her daughter's hair to make it perfect.

She was beginning to worry Kate would end up a spinster if she did not get married by the end of winter. No other young woman matched Kate's beauty and intelligence in town so Katrina was starting to conclude the men in town had to be blind. Someone as boring as Lila should never get married before Kate even if Lila's parents were looking to marry her off quickly.

"I hope when you get married you do not forget about me like some young women. I have tried my best to make sure you have a better life than I did. I live my fantasies through you. The dresses, the house, and the family. I wanted it all for myself at your age and I was jealous of girls who had nothing to worry about. We are so close to having everything I dreamed of," Katrina said, drifting back into her past as she spoke.

The determination she had in her youth had never once left her. Katrina made it her goal to settle with a rich man and free herself from a harsh life. She was doubted by her companion but look how she ended up. No one could ever take what she had now. Not when it was so hard for her to bury the person she was before. The girl in her past was filthy, using her body to make a living and deceiving men. She long buried that person and her only identity would be Katrina Barrett.

Kate found it to be sweet how her mother did not want to be left behind. She didn't have the heart to throw her mother to the side after marrying Simon. "I won't ever abandon you, mother. I will repay you for raising me to be who I am now."

Kate shifted in her seat, having something important she wanted to learn. "Mother, you don't speak of your family-"

"And I never will so do not ask," Katrina quickly shot down the conversation, playfully tapping Kate's nose. "Your family are the Barrett's. You do not have another side. Understand?"

Kate nodded her head to please her mother but like always, she couldn't help thinking about her mother's life before her father. She hoped it was nothing to ruin the reputation and the life she wanted to start with Simon. Then, she would have to abandon her mother in society's eyes. It was her turn to enjoy a wealthy husband and she would not allow her own mother to ruin it.

"The dressmaker will soon be here, Kate. Make sure you pick out something fitting of an engagement. I hear there is a new dressmaker the young girls are fighting over. I must get them for you. You must have the best of the best now that your life is changing."

Kate wondered who this new dressmaker could be. She was always up to date with the trends but had not heard anything. 'I've been focusing on Simon too much. I need to meet with Grace before I am left out of what has been happening,' she thought.

While Kate was distracted, Katrina eyed James who was passing by them speaking with a new maid. At first, she meant to use him before tossing him away but he quickly changed her mind thanks to his energetic side at night when the house was quiet. It was so long since she enjoyed having sex with someone after years of only Desmond.

The rewards she dangled in front of James after every heated encounter fueled his drive to take her to new heights of pleasure. She could make him go far if he continued to please her.

The lust in Katrina's eyes vanished when she noticed Greta staring at her. She had enough of the old hag inside her home and needed her gone. 'What does she want now?' Katrina thought, holding back the urge to roll her eyes.

Since she couldn't kill Clark, it was more fitting to aim for the mother. With Greta gone, Clark wouldn't be so bold as he had no one else to protect him and it would solve her dealing with Greta in the future.