The Duke's Masked Wife

"Edgar! Do not walk away from your mother. I have a right to be involved with who becomes the Duchess. Edgar!" Priscilla called for her son as she hurried after him but Edgar did not once slow down his pace. "This boy will be the death of me. Hurry before we lose him, Heather."

Heather was right on Priscilla's heel chasing after Edgar. 'When will this end?' She wondered. Why was she being dragged further into Priscilla's desperation to control who Edgar married? 'I am not so desperate to chase after a married man but I cannot go against Priscilla.'

Priscilla kept making it hard for her to be able to move on and court someone else. Why couldn't everyone just accept that Edgar was now married and he did not care what anyone had to say?

Edgar rolled his eyes, highly annoyed with his mother and she had only been here for a couple of minutes. He was being generous by not having her escorted off the property but first, he had to find someone else aside from Alessandra.

His father would not allow his mother to come alone which meant he was somewhere hiding but Edgar wanted the two of them gone. His parents could stay past winter as they liked but he was not going to welcome his mother into his home when she was blatantly disrespecting his wife. It would make Edgar no different than Desmond who stood by and allowed others to mistreat his daughter.

"Where is the Duchess?" Edgar stopped a maid who was about to walk past him. He had not seen her since he got dressed and left their bedroom.

"Last anyone saw the Duchess she was going outside, Duke Collins."

"Carry on," Edgar turned left to go outside to find Alessandra. There was a possibility that his father and Alessandra had run into each other since she was outside. His father always ran to the garden each time he visited.

"Edgar!" Priscilla yelled, still chasing after her son to speak about his marriage. He could not avoid his own mother forever and he could not get rid of her. She too had power and status just like her son. "You are making this harder than it needs to be."

"Just kill me," Edgar muttered. Another second of this and he would do it himself. He could only blame himself for giving his parents clear access to his land.

Alcohol or a cup of coffee was needed before Edgar could speak with his mother.

He had fallen into such a good flow with Alessandra after everything that happened yesterday and now his mother was here to ruin everything. The only way he could get rid of her at this point would be to have her thrown into a cell. He would have her released after a day or two. Maybe.

It didn't take long for Edgar to spot Alessandra sitting down on the grass next to his father. Of course, his father would be trying to rearrange the way his garden looked. Edgar could not understand how a man once wrapped up deep in politics threw it all away to become a gardener.

"Why did you make her sit on the ground when she is a Duchess? When will you realize not everyone wants to get their hands dirty so early in the morning? Why did you bring your wife here?" Edgar threw question after question at his father. He was equally upset with his father as he was with his mother.

"Is that how you greet me after we have been apart for so long?" Edmund placed his hand on his forehead for his eyes to be protected from the rays from the sun as he looked up at Edgar. "You've grown taller since I last saw you."

"Do not compliment me while I am angry."

"Of course." Edmund warned Priscilla their son would not be happy with their visit but she did not listen. She never did. "Your mother heard the word of your marriage and nothing could stop her from returning to Lockwood."

"Take her and leave while I am being kind to you both," said Edgar.

"What did I do?" Edmund questioned due to the fact he was innocent in this situation. He dusted off the dry mud from his hands and got to his feet. He tried to offer a hand to Alessandra to help her stand but Edgar smacked it away and helped her up instead.

'Rude,' Edmund thought.

"It is what you didn't do that I am angry with. Why didn't you stop her from bringing Heather here?" Edgar asked, his annoyance clear in his voice. His father was smart enough to know why Heather was with his mother.

'Who is Heather?' Alessandra thought. For the time that she was here, she had not once heard the name, Heather. She assumed Heather was a woman Edgar was once in a relationship with and his mother was petty enough to bring the woman here to mess with their marriage.

"Heather's parents have also returned to Lockwood-"

"What does that have to do with what I asked?" Edgar interrupted his father. He had no time for the bullshit or anyone dancing around the fact a woman his parents wanted him to wed was now in the same home as his new wife. It screamed nothing but drama.

"Do not get smart with me, Edgar. I'd have no problem putting you in your place with your wife here. It is only thanks to luck I returned home in time to see your mother getting on a carriage to come to visit you. I am not getting any younger so the two of you should deal with your problems," Edmund was tired of the constant bickering between his wife and son.

"Edgar, I told you not to walk away from me. Edmund, I hope you are well aware your son threatened me," Priscilla informed her husband. She walked with her head high and grace in every movement. She did not look at Alessandra or acknowledge her just yet. "We spent too much time away from Edgar and now our relationship has become worse."

"It is your actions that make our relationship bad. We are going, Alessandra," Edgar took her hand and didn't wait for her to say a word. He was taking her to the privacy of their bedroom to avoid her speaking with his mother. Then, he was going to toss his parents out of his home.

"Edgar, why are we leaving when your parents are here?" Alessandra questioned. After speaking with his father, she learned how far they had traveled when they heard the news of Edgar's marriage.

Alessandra was aware he was taking her away to protect her from his mother's words but she could handle it. "I don't want to run away from your parents Edgar. We are married and they will be in my life forever."

Alessandra did not want Edgar to have to pick between her and his mother just because she was his wife. There was no reason for him to stand up against his mother for someone he was tied to thanks to a contract.