The Duke's Masked Wife

239 Social queen (2)

“You want to host a party? Wonderful!” Alfred clapped his hands as he had long awaited this moment. “I have not taken part in planning a proper party for years since Edgar’s grandmother took control of his birthday.”

“Right. Even though Rose will have a party for him it wouldn’t hurt for us to hold something small for him here too. We can invite his friends who are in Lockwood and do not get the chance to travel out of town to celebrate his birthday. It should be a surprise since Edgar will most likely say no,” said Alessandra. She could already picture him frowning at the thought of entertaining guests in his home even if they were people he liked.

“I’m sure his grandmother wouldn’t mind if you took full control of Edgar’s birthday and had the family travel to Lockwood. She has expressed to me that she wants to come to Lockwood to see old friends,” Alfred stated.

“I will write to her about it. I don’t want to disrupt what she might already have planned. Now back to the party I will hold here. We need a day where it won’t clash with other parties and decide what part of the house it will be held in. With the snow, we cannot utilize the garden but I would still love for it to be decorated,” Alessandra started to list her ideas.

It was an unreal moment to not only be attending parties but to be hosting one herself.

“One second,” Alfred stood to get something to make notes on. With all of his wonderful ideas and time management, Alessandra’s first party would go smoothly. “I have quite a few suggestions for the women you should invite. Your name is enough to shed some light on this party but it would do well to have the queen in attendance.”

“Hazel, Erin, and Linda are on my list so far. I have not met anyone else to know who to attend. I have something to say since I can trust the two of you. The day I visited the palace, Hazel recommended I become a social queen for girls like me who are kind of pushed to the side. I would like to invite women who would be allies in the future. Please help me,” Alessandra asked of the two.

Since this was all new to her, she would be a fool to try doing everything herself. With a good support system around her, it would be best to get their help.

“Certainly.”

.....

“Of course. I will say you should stay away from young girls who are now coming out to society. They are easy for other women to manipulate since they are desperate to be a part of a group and do anything to fit in. You need to build friendships with young women who are well-established in the social world. Around your age and your higher. One person I think who would fit your circle is Vannessa Clayton,” Sally suggested.

Alfred nodded his head, agreeing with Sally as he was aware of the Clayton young woman she spoke of. “Her father is the blacksmith Edgar uses for his swords. The young lady has oftentimes been the topic of conversation because she would choose a sword over a dress any day. Edgar once received a letter from her wanting to work for him. She’d be eager to receive an invitation.”

“The Claytons have earned their wealth from making the best weapons in Lockwood and even make some for customers out of town. Her grandmother would consider it to be a debt to be repaid to you for taking her granddaughter under your wing. Vanessa might be boyish but she has still managed to ruffle a few feathers in the social world,” said Sally.

“You should try to keep your circle small. Many see strength in having a lot of women under their wings but it is too many women to account for. A small tight circle with people you can trust is the best way to go. You will be able to notice if anyone starts to act odd. I will work with Sally to create a list of names and then we shall present it to you for you to pick the best ladies.”

Alessandra liked Alfred’s idea to be close to a small number of women. Priscilla might outnumber her with the number of young women who listened to her but Alessandra would create genuine relationships with the people around her to last a lifetime where no one would betray her. She wanted a group of women around her who cared about her as a person and not just her title. People who would not believe rumors and distance themselves from her to save their reputations.

“That is fine with me. While the two of you create names, I will walk around the house to get an idea of where the party should be held and then come back for your opinion, Alfred. We also need to change the decor for the winter. I thought I would but I might not have any time for painting. It feels like it is no longer time to be playing around,” Alessandra took a deep breath to prepare for everything to change.

“There is always time for you to do things that you love. Alessandra, I am happy to see that you are stepping into your role as Duchess and wish to become what the ladies call a social queen but I do not want you to make that your everyday life,” Alfred said, already fearing the future ahead of Alessandra. He wanted her to stay as the person she was now. Not that her personality would change but the peaceful moments she had now would become few and the pressure would break her.

Alfred continued to say, “The social world is stressful, draining, and at times very dangerous. I have seen in the past when I used to work for Edgar’s parents the lengths someone like Priscilla would go through to punish girls she did not like. There have been cases before when women have plotted to have others killed. Jealousy amongst the women here is fatal. Edgar would not care if you wished to stay out of it.”

Alessandra wanted to tell Alfred how she had experienced that jealousy already and how it cost her years of hiding her face because of self-hate but she could not bring herself to open up to him now and ruin the excitement he had to plan the party. “I will not let this ruin me. I understand that it is dangerous but I cannot sit around and hide behind Edgar. I want to make a name for myself and shield my friends from being harmed. You two will always be around to help me relax if it becomes stressful, right?”

“Of course!” Sally excitedly replied as she could not picture herself anywhere else besides working for Alessandra.

“Yes,” Alfred replied. His fears went away for now but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he started to worry for Alessandra again. The best thing he could do was select a good group of women to join her friend group. “Go on and have a look around the home. Sally and I have much to discuss.”

“Alrighty,” Alessandra stood up from her seat and left the two in her bedroom to start planning.

Something else she wanted to do was get rid of the people who were a bother to her life. Kate, Katrina, William, Clark, Priscilla, and her grandmother. “I should start with Clark and my grandmother. William will be the hardest.”

Alessandra was never able to shake the unsettling feeling of William wanting her. She had forgotten about him for a moment thanks to their trip but not the fear she felt as she ran toward the gates that night. He was quiet now and she should view that as a good thing but his silence scared her. William did not like Edgar so it was possible he wasn’t going to let Edgar take something from him.

Alessandra walked the lone halls thinking of what she needed to do next. Her father still owed William money which Katrina would have to pay off. There was no doubt Katrina would suggest for William get what was promised to him so the money could be forgotten.

“Katrina knows she cannot go up against Edgar alone so she would have to team up with one of his enemies to get revenge for her face. We should not wait for the two of them to get together and plot to strike at me or Edgar. Still, there is nothing I can do against a man like William,” Alessandra muttered as it would be stupid of her to try messing with William. That was a battle only Edgar could fight.

Alessandra made a mental note to discuss with Edgar what they would do about William. While Edgar searched for information about Katrina, Alessandra wanted to make herself useful by getting rid of Clark and Greta to stop their annoying visits. First, she wanted to use Clark to mess with Katrina.

‘He will become my puppet,’ Alessandra thought. The Barretts could not focus on her if she created enough turmoil inside the family and turned them against each other more than they already were.