The Duke's Masked Wife

Alessandra got the feeling that she was in trouble but if Rose wasn't upset about her not coming to greet her, what else could it be? Alessandra walked in silence with Rose to an empty bedroom on the first floor. The door was closed behind them so no one could interrupt or eavesdrop on their conversation.

"It is time that Edgar changes around his decor now that he is married. The house is exactly the same as when I last visited. I noticed it the moment I arrived. Did you not add your own touch to the house?" Rose asked, taking a seat on the couch in the middle of the room.

"I will add paintings that I have personally made to the walls once we are finished talking and I just spoke of getting portraits done.  I was meant to add the paintings shortly after I arrived but I became busy," Alessandra replied. If only Rose arrived a day later, the paintings would be up and she would have something to show off.

"I suppose that is a good start. You know as Duchess it is your duty to deal with matters of the household. I know Alfred likes to take charge of that but given his current state, it is your job to take control. Usually, in the winter, you should change the furniture in the house. Men don't care about it but we women are very particular about it. The house cannot look the same all through the year. It is like changing dresses for seasons," Rose explained.

"I see. I apologize for not being on top of it. I will get started on it right away," Alessandra replied, feeling negligent for not doing what was needed of her.

"Do not apologize. You had no woman present to explain what is expected of you. Edgar obviously wishes for you to live without lifting a finger and Alfred enjoyed taking care of the house. There is a household budget that you can use to buy new furniture or you can bring out old ones. You will also need to set aside some of the budget for the renovations when winter is over.  The snow tends to destroy parts of the house because it is so heavy."

"I understand," Alessandra replied, making a mental note of it.

"Have you gotten yourself familiar with the servants here? You need to keep an eye on the maids to see who is doing their job well or needs to be fired. The maids see everything so if one of your enemies wished to learn something about you, they will go to your servants. You need to be close to your maids to see whose loyalty is wavering," Rose said, wishing to make Alessandra better not chastise her. "I hope you do not feel like I am scolding you."

"No no. I am thankful for you telling me what I need to do. I have not been doing my duties and it needed to be said at some point," Alessandra bit her lip. It wasn't brought up much what she needed to do as Duchess and Edgar was clear that she needed to do nothing but enjoy her new life.

"Edgar will probably have my head for bringing this up to you," Rose muttered, knowing how her grandson would react. He wouldn't be pleased with her telling Alessandra what needed to be done as Duchess when it was obvious he wanted his wife to worry about anything. However, they were missing a key person who held the house together. Alessandra could not live in bliss forever. "I should have taken you to the side when you visited and checked how you were doing as Duchess."

Rose continued to say, "I know from our last time together you are not fond of being around other women but it is about time the Duke and Duchess host a ball or even a simple party. It is long overdue for the two of you to formally step out as husband and wife. It will also be your official coming out to society since you did not have a party dedicated to you in your youth."

"I was going to host a party for only women but after I was struck in the head the last time I was-"

"You were what?!" Rose exclaimed, furious with the news. "Who was the imbecile to strike you? Has Edgar dealt with them already? I swear the people in this town do know who to be bold with."

"The palace has dealt with the matter and I've asked Edgar not to do anything further.  The king wanted her hands to be cut off," said Alessandra.

Rose agreed with that punishment since it was her granddaughter who was hurt. "It is an old punishment from when I was a little girl. Should you lay a hand on anyone with a title you could lose your arm. Over the years it became a punishment if the person you hurt is royalty. Edgar and Tobias are close so if you are hurt, Tobias would consider it one of his relatives being hurt which is why he used that punishment."

"I do not want her to lose her hands. Her time in the palace dungeon must be enough torture. She must be released by now. I am not sure how it works. Edgar is not fond of socializing with others and I am not looking to meet with any more women. Lockwood is so focused on looks and reputations but this is not something I care about," Alessandra explained her reasoning for not hosting a party.

"Hosting parties, going out to parties you receive invitations to, or just meeting with other women of your standing are not all for you to meet friends. Your peers will be the parents of the children your children will be around. You must place yourself around the right people for the benefit of your children. Not everyone in town is bad and you will not meet them if you are always at home," Rose took hold of Alessandra's hand.

"I know what it is like to be in your position, tired of the social world and what is expected of you but we must keep our heads up high and not allow anyone to make us hide. What you lacked was someone to guide you in this cutthroat world of women. You were thrown into it blindly and too fast. I will become your guide and mold you into a remarkable Duchess," Rose promised.

In her youth and even now, Rose knew how to play the game of being one step ahead of her peers and even men. You had to be calculative and know the women well to stop their plans before they strike. Rose wanted Alessandra under her wing in place of her mother, stepmother, and even Priscilla who should have helped Alessandra prepare for what she would face.

Alessandra was ecstatic to hear Rose offer to help her become better.  She would like to become better at reading other women, be quick with comebacks, and take control of moments to avoid drama like what she did with Kate recently.

Alessandra's excitement started to fade when she noticed the cunning smile growing on Rose's face. "Should I be concerned about what is making you smile as you are right now?" She asked.

"Well, I was quite the woman when I was around your age and I had a hand in raising your husband. I can't help but look forward to what will become of you. I hope you can surpass how much Edgar and I are feared," Rose replied.

Alessandra hoped what she had in mind for being feared was the same as what Rose had in mind. She did not want to enter a room and everyone was wary. No, she only wished to be seen and for others not to try their silly games. She would follow Rose's guidance up until it felt like she was no longer being herself.

Alessandra did not wish that in an effort to go against the cruel women who she would meet that she would lose her kind heart and become cruel to be on top. You did not always need to fight fire with fire. Alessandra wanted to tame the fire of her peers with actions that did not require her hands to get dirty by throwing stones for example.

Alessandra could not wait to share the good news with Hazel that Rose would help her rise to be the social queen they wanted her to be for other young women on the sidelines like she once was.