"Priscilla would gladly help you against Tabitha. She might be more successful than Hazel and I in helping you. I don’t need to worry so much, but your father and I will still keep an eye on you. I worry that your father’s dungeon will fill again," said Alessandra.
The dungeon was empty now, but with Edgar on a hunt for the person who killed the two young ladies, it would not last long.
"If you need, I can have Reed return to your side. You will need more than one guard with all that happens these days. Have you heard of the young woman they found dead?" Alessandra asked, her palms starting to feel sweaty.
"Tyrion spoke of it. The king sent a palace guard to inform us to be careful. I worry about you, mother. They will speak about a curse which doesn’t exist," said Penelope.
"Many have spoken about it over the years, and I do not mind what is said. My heart aches for the women who have died, and I am concerned for your safety. I cannot think of who would do this," Alessandra said, at a dead end.
Alessandra hadn’t bothered anyone over the years, and she couldn’t think of any conflict which could grow to killing young women. This might not be someone who had a problem with her, but wanted to grab Edgar’s attention.
Alessandra rubbed her temple. "I do not know what to think. My issues with anyone do not call for any of this. I hope it will pass soon."
"Surely, father and the king will work fast to solve this. Father succeeded in solving the last case this big," Penelope said, hopeful her father would have the same success.
"It was the deaths of many young women, and many months later, to realise a quiet nobleman was behind those killings. I do not know if there are any clues this time, so it will take some time to find the one behind this. That means others might die."
Penelope stood to switch seats to be near her mother. "This is not your fault. It is upsetting that they have chosen to dress those women up as you. No matter how they feel toward our family, they are evil to take someone’s life."
"Deaths can be avoided if the town guards warn everyone, and they roam the town at all hours of the day. Has it been announced yet?" Penelope asked.
With all the balls planned, the palace should move quickly to announce the danger.
"It has not been announced. The town guards tend to keep this news from the town to avoid a panic. When it was known that young women were being taken, many young ladies still travelled without a guard," said Alessandra.
"They must tell everyone soon. Tyrion wants to keep watch over Kate’s son. It is not a secret that he hates our family," Penelope said, remembering the run-in she had with Warren. "His mother was married to Simon, so it is worth looking into if he is doing this to toy with us."
Though Warren was not Simon’s son, Penelope wouldn’t be surprised if he used Simon’s old ways to target her family.
"Why does he hate us so much? Is it because we do not see his mother?" Penelope wondered.
Penelope understood why the two families needed to stay away from each other. What could they have to speak about?
"Perhaps," Alessandra replied. "His mother is still wounded, so he thinks with anger instead of with reason. I have never spoken to him to know."
"We have not talked for good reason. I do not like what his mother did to you. When I am unfortunate to be around him, he accuses me of being spoiled and speaks about our wealth. It is nothing more than jealousy," said Penelope.
Penelope couldn’t help that her parents were nobility while Warren’s mother had fallen so far from grace.
"I will admit that there used to be times when I felt sorry for him. It is unfortunate that our families cannot be close, but I cannot find it in my heart to try with him when he speaks of us with so much hate," Penelope said, annoyed for her mother.
Penelope hated that what her mother endured when she was younger was ignored now because she was in a better position than Kate, as the duchess.
It was unfortunate that Kate could not walk, but that was not Alessandra’s doing, and Kate’s evil deeds should not be forgotten.
"Is he angry because he cannot join us? It is not comfortable for us to help him when he is so awful," said Penelope.
"Perhaps he thinks that I have not helped them," Alessandra concluded.
"You didn’t have any reason to."
"’I didn’t, but I did. Your father was not pleased by it, but we still helped my uncle Clark. He came to me once since it was hard for him to adapt to caring for Kate in her state. He needed money to be able to care for himself and provide for Kate," Alessandra said, remembering the day clearly.
Warren had to be a young boy around that time.
"My uncle couldn’t be trusted with money before, but since he had taken on the responsibility to care for her, I gave him the money he needed. He seemed to be doing better after so he did not waste the money," Alessandra said, proud of her late uncle.
Clark had been someone Alessandra wanted to avoid in the past since he was only fond of her because of Edgar’s wealth, but he turned out to be the one Barrett relative to help her.
Alessandra received letters from Clark over the years with little updates about Kate, though she did not need them.
Clark never forced Alessandra to meet with Kate. He stayed by Kate’s side until he passed away years ago.
"You have helped them before? I have not heard of this," said Penelope.
"I am sure Clark kept this to himself and I do not mind. It isn’t something everyone needs to know of. If this is his doing then I am puzzled by his reasoning. I avoided Kate after I married your father. You must stay away from Warren more than ever," Alessandra said, noting to tell Edgar.
"I didn’t plan to approach him. He is the one who bumped into me at the ball. They all find their way close to me and then accuse me of something. It will be hard, but I will do my best to ruin their plans," said Penelope.
"I am sure you will do well," Alessandra said, confident Penelope would prove the town wrong.