Chapter 32: You cannot marry the Duke (2)
“My lady, don’t you think it’s time we stepped out of the room to stretch your feet? No one has come looking for you.” Sally had long grown tired of sitting around in Alessandra’s bedroom doing nothing the entire day.
The silence was unbearable. From breakfast to near the time for dinner, Alessandra made the two of them stay locked away in her room.
Sally regretted telling Alessandra what she saw. “Aren’t you bored?” She asked.
“Have you already forgotten I spent many years locked away in my bedroom? I am beyond the point of feeling bored. I told you there are books you can read or you could paint one of my canvases,” Alessandra said whilst laying on her bed with her eyes closed.
“Your books are not entertaining and I do not know how to paint,” Sally replied.
“You do not have to be good at painting to do it. You only need a vision, paint, brush, and canvas.”
Sally smacked her face with her hand, feeling defeated once again. “Can I at least get dinner for us? The fruits and pastries I brought are nice but you need something proper to fill you up. I don’t want the Duke to have my head for not properly feeding his fiancee.”
.....
“I am the one who told you to stay put. The Duke cannot get mad at you for it. At least, I don’t think he will.”
“My lady,” Sally looked at Alessandra in disbelief. “The Duke’s temper is nothing you can predict when he is upset. Are you aware he lifted your father into the air at the party?”
Alessandra’s eyes flew open upon hearing this. “What? Why would he do that?”
Sally shrugged, unsure of the reason behind Edgar’s actions. “No one was able to hear a lot of their conversation but the crazy thing is, it seemed like your father apologized to the Duke afterward.”
“Wow,” Alessandra said, amazed by the Duke even more. “I heard he could do whatever he wanted but this is beyond my imagination. Isn’t he cool?”
“Cool?” Sally tilted her head slightly, confused by why the word cool was used. “I agree that in some aspects the Duke is cool but I wouldn’t use it to describe him embarrassing your father out of the blue. You should never forget that Edgar Collins is a dangerous man. Don’t let his handsome face fool you.”
Alessandra remained silent, not wanting to explain to Sally that a dangerous man was what she had always wanted. A man her father could not go against. If only she could have witnessed her father getting embarrassed by the Duke.
“Alessandra!”
“It’s your father,” Sally gasped, afraid the man might’ve heard what she said. It was weird timing for him to arrive now. “Should I open the door?” She stood up from her seat.
“No,” Alessandra sat up. She had to trust her gut feeling and not do anything foolish. “Sit back down,” she ordered Sally while she stood up.
Alessandra walked to the door but did not open it. “What do you need, father?”
“It is almost time for dinner to be served. Do you not plan to come out and eat with your family?” Desmond’s muffled voice asked on the other side of the door.
“I am going to eat in my bedroom tonight. My maid will bring food for the both of us. You can go back now,” Alessandra replied.
‘Walk away. Walk away. Walk away,’ she chanted over and over in her head.
Her father never liked her being at the table for dinner after she started wearing a mask. He didn’t bat an eye when Katrina said she was no longer welcomed at the table. Even though Edgar might have threatened him, Alessandra knew her father wouldn’t care about her enough to push for her to eat dinner with the rest of them like a family.
“Does it make sense for you to not eat dinner with us? Come on,” the doorknob started to shake as Desmond twisted it on the other side. “Everyone is waiting for you to come to the table. You always wanted to sit with us. Why are you letting this moment pass by when this will be your last night here?”
Alessandra slowly backed away from the door knowing she had to get out of here somehow. He was pushing too hard for her to come out. “Sally, tie the sheets on my bed as quickly as you can. Enough that they can reach from my window to the ground,” she whispered so her father wouldn’t be alerted.
“I’d rather stay in my room tonight, father. I need to be prepared for when the Duke arrives tomorrow. I cannot keep him waiting-”
“You cannot marry the Duke, Alessandra. The two of you are not suited for one another. I have found a man who wishes to marry you. He speaks highly of you. Open your door so we can talk about it,” Desmond twisted the doorknob once more.
“I am only going to marry Edgar Collins. The proposal has already been accepted,” Alessandra looked back at Sally as she spoke. The sheets were being tied triple to ensure they wouldn’t become loose when she started to use them. She only needed to distract her father a while longer.
“It has not been announced to the public yet. You are not one to enjoy attention on you, Alessandra. It’s better for you to marry the man I picked. Come out and talk with me.”
“I said I am going to stay in my room tonight. I’m going to marry the Duke-Ah!” Alessandra flinched when the door was smacked.
“Alessandra, stop getting on my nerves and do as I say. It is not up for debate. Come out right now before I break this door down.”
“It is done,” Sally called to Alessandra. She tied the sheets to Alessandra’s table and lowered them out the window. “I didn’t know what else to tie it to. Shouldn’t you just go out to your father? It’s best to open the door.”
“You have worked here long enough to know nothing good will come from me opening that door. Hold onto the sheet because that table won’t stay still. Now!” Alessandra yelled when Sally wouldn’t move.
It wouldn’t be long before her father got his hands on the key to open her door.
Alessandra placed one foot out of the window and then the other. “This is a bad idea,” she repeated as she held onto the tied sheets.
“This was your bad idea,” Sally wanted her to remember. If anything happened to Alessandra, she would be punished. On her first day as Alessandra’s maid and she would be punished for letting Alessandra jump out a window. She had to save herself. “I’m sorry, I have to open the door.”
“No wait-” Alessandra’s words were cut off as she fell the moment Sally released the sheets.
The table was dragged towards the window as it wasn’t strong enough to stay in place with Alessandra suddenly falling.