The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride - Chapter 441

Chapter 441: Ruining your name (2)
“Someone is toying with us. The young lady I slapped at the coronation is present and seated at our table. I am not in the mood for these games,” Penelope said, annoyed. “I think I ruined our day by speaking of having fun.”

“We will have fun,” Priscilla said, planning how to correct the mess. “Take your seat, Penelope. There’s no reason for us to run from these women.”

Priscilla was not happy. Not only was she forced to be in the same space as her former husband’s wife, but they had also brought someone Penelope had to slap.

Priscilla sat down beside Penelope and was soon approached by the host.

“Lady Priscilla-”

“I’m disappointed, Laura. I thought you were a woman with class and spoke highly of you to my granddaughter, but you proved to me today that you are just like the other ladies we frown upon. How disappointing,” Priscilla said, yet to look Laura’s way.

Laura smiled. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of her face.

Despite the chilly air, Laura’s palms were sweating. Priscilla was not a lady Laura wanted to anger, but her hands were tied. She received a late request which threatened her family.

“I apologise if I have offended you in some way. Would you like to speak in private?” Laura asked, motioning in the direction they would go.

“Private?” Priscilla chuckled. “Why be private now when you’ve put on a show? Didn’t I tell you to be careful where you step? After all that I did for you, this is how you repay me.”

Laura drew closer to Priscilla and whispered, “This was not my doing. I had orders I couldn’t ignore.”

“It is my fault,” Cassidy interjected, going to Priscilla’s table. “I should leave so you could be more comfortable.”

“I’ve learned that you find it hard to stay out of my path. It was my husband you wanted then, yet you would place yourself before me. You married Edmund, yet you don’t appear to be satisfied. Were you trying to get to me? To be my friend?” Priscilla asked, giving Cassidy a look over.

“I’m afraid that could never happen. We don’t have the same taste,” Priscilla said, speaking of more than just men.

“We had the same taste in men,” Cassidy replied.

Priscilla scoffed. “That was an arranged marriage meant to benefit the two families, and if you have any interest in my current husband, I suggest you lose it.”

“I apologise-”

“I’ve heard your apologies more times than I wanted to, and they grow more worthless each time I hear them. How many times will you apologise? Will you only stop if I hug you and be your friend? Pity you for not being able to marry the man you loved because you lacked money?” Priscilla asked.

“There were two people involved in what happened, and I felt the need to apologise to you. To give you a proper apology and be done with it,” said Cassidy.

Priscilla smiled, starting to understand why Edmund loved Cassidy. “With that lack of sense, I see why he adores you. So easy to command you. I don’t want an apology from you. Thanks to me walking away from him, you got to be his wife.”

“Edmund married me because he loved me,” Cassidy argued.

“Oh, is that the story he fed you? Did he say that he could no longer stand being away from you, so he walked away from me? I recall throwing his things out of my home and walking away from him. He wasn’t bold enough to fight for you until I let go of him. Aren’t I sweet?” Priscilla asked, finding joy in Cassidy’s expression.

“That is not how it went,” Cassidy responded, knowing well what occurred.

“You fell in love with Edmund before we wed. He was Edmund Collins then, and didn’t have the bravery to go against his mother’s wishes to be with you, and he only settled for you when I let go of him. I always said he was weak, and now I see more of how pathetic he is. Keep him,” Priscilla encouraged Cassidy.

“I apologise for being with him when you were married, but to hate me for so long-”

“No,” Priscilla interrupted Cassidy. “I don’t hate you for loving him then. I hated that my husband was making a fool of me, but I despised you for trying to act like a mother to my son. Edgar only ever had one mother. Even after I am gone, I will be the only one known as his mother.”

“My husband, you could have, but not my son. Gone are the days when the whores would stay in the red light district. Now they are invited to extravagant gatherings where princesses sit. How dreadful,” Priscilla said, glancing at Laura. “Our mothers would roll in their graves.”

“I meant no disrespect to you by meeting your son. When I received the invitation to be here today, I thought it was a chance to settle the past and move forward. I didn’t have any ill intentions for coming here today. I hope you understand,” said Cassidy.

Cassidy was puzzled since it wasn’t like she had forced her way here. The invitation came to her door, and it was a welcome one since it wasn’t every day the ladies wanted to sit with her. She was called a trifling woman by the other women since she was Edmund’s mistress.

The Collins name didn’t do plenty for Cassidy since she was still mocked in private.

“Oh, I know it wasn’t your plan. You’re just a little doll someone is using to upset me, and I will get to the bottom of it. You should place yourself elsewhere,” Priscilla said, drained from their talk.

“What should I do?” Cassidy asked Laura.

“Whether you go or stay, your presence will not affect the gathering. If you wish to stay, then stay. I will not have you go around the town saying that I sent you away,” Priscilla said, knowing how Cassidy liked to present herself as a victim.

“You should find your seat,” Penelope advised Cassidy. “She doesn’t want an apology; therefore, you shouldn’t waste your time offering one.”

“I would like an apology. I was embarrassed to be slapped before a crowd in the palace,” Faye spoke up.

Penelope sighed. “I am a little surprised. This is a gathering for ladies who are married, yet we have someone among us who isn’t.”

“Did you secretly get married overnight, or have you come here to pick someone’s husband to fall in love with again?” Penelope asked, giving Faye the attention she craved. “It was warranted to slap you when you spoke of wanting to be with my husband.”