178 Beracun (1)
"Ibu, Ibu terlihat menakjubkan. Bekas kecil di wajah Ibu tidak mengurangi kecantikan Ibu," kata Kate untuk menghibur ibunya. Ia berdiri di kamar tidur ibunya, memperhatikan ibunya menyentuh bekas yang dibuat Edgar. "Ibu masih perempuan tercantik yang pernah kulihat. Janganlah merana di kamar karena hal ini. Aku butuh Ibu."
Kejutan terbesar baginya adalah mengetahui Edgar mengunjungi rumah mereka karena rumor yang mereka sebarkan tentang Alessandra dan si juru masak. Kate tak percaya saat James memberitahunya Edgar melukai pipi ibunya. Kate merasa itu kejahatan terbesar yang pernah dilakukan. Kecantikan ibunya tak tertandingi di kota ini, jadi melukai wajahnya seharusnya dihukum mati.
Kate sepenuh hati percaya Alessandra membujuk Duke untuk melukai wajah ibunya karena Alessandra cemburu. Ia selalu mengira Alessandra cemburu pada wajah mereka, dan kini terbukti. Jika hari ini bukan pemakaman ayahnya, Kate akan berusaha merusak reputasi Alessandra lebih parah.
"Terima kasih," Katrina tersenyum kecil pada Kate untuk menghentikannya khawatir, tapi tangannya tak berhenti menyentuh bekas kecil di pipinya.
Dokter bilang dengan perawatan tepat bekas itu akan segera samar, tapi Katrina ingin segera hilang. Bertahun-tahun ia hidup tanpa goresan di wajah setelah mendaki tangga sosial. Kini ia bisa hancur.
Pedih memikirkan bagaimana teman-temannya akan menikmati melihatnya begini.
"Baroness, beberapa tamu pemakaman sudah tiba untuk menyampaikan belasungkawa. Mereka ingin berbicara dengan Anda dan Kate. Clark sedang menghibur mereka sekarang," James menginformasikan.
"Kate, turun dan bicaralah dengan mereka. Awasi pamanmu. Aku segera menyusul," kata Katrina.
"Baik," Kate mencium dahi ibunya lalu pergi.
.....
"James, tutup pintunya," kata Katrina setelah Kate pergi. "Aku hampir tak berminat keluar dan berpura-pura patah hati atas kematian Desmond. Andai saja aku lanjut membakar mayatnya dan mengirimnya ke ibunya," ia menggosok pelipisnya.
James telah membujuknya agar tidak. "Itu akan terlihat seolah kau tak cukup peduli pada suamimu untuk memberinya pemakaman layak," ingatnya.
"Akan lebih murah jika kulakukan. Sial, akan kulakukan sendiri. Desmond tak berguna lagi, jadi apa gunanya menghabiskan uang untuk menguburnya? Keluarganya harus memberi Kate uang untuk meringankan beban menguburnya. Ada kabar tentang bajingan itu?" Ia menatap James di pantulan cermin.
"Kudengar mereka berdua meninggalkan kota pagi-pagi kemarin. Kau tak perlu khawatir Alessandra menghadiri pemakaman," James meyakinkannya. Ia tak mengira Alessandra akan muncul meski di kota. Tapi lagi-lagi, Alessandra melakukan hal tak terduga karena gelarnya.
"Lucu sekali dia tak mau datang melihat orang tua yang merawatnya dikubur. Mereka melukisku sebagai monster, tapi dia tak berbeda soal tak peduli pada ayahnya. Dia tak pernah bersyukur ayahnya tak mengusirnya setelah aku memohon. Lihat wajahku," Katrina memiringkan kepala agar James melihat lukanya.
"Cukup kecil—"
"Tapi ada," katanya dengan gigi terkatup. Katrina tak mau dengar betapa kecilnya. Ia ingin James bilang itu akan segera hilang.
"Kau masih perempuan cantik, Baroness. Tak ada perempuan lain yang menyamai Anda. Aku akan terus mencari krim terbaik untuk membersihkan wajah Anda," James mengubah jawabannya sesuai keinginannya.
"Begitu lebih baik," Katrina berbalik menghadap James. Ia menatapnya, menikmati fakta bisa melakukan apa pun padanya. "Jika aku tak harus bercengkerama dengan keluarga Desmond, akan kubawa kau sekarang. Aku perlu melepas frustrasi yang menumpuk. Kau akan menemuiku malam ini, kan?"
James menutup mata sejenak lalu membukanya saat menerima bahwa ia tak punya pilihan selain datang malam ini. Ia tak suka dimanfaatkan, tapi setelah berkali-kali mengawasinya dulu, ia mulai menemukan kegembiraan berhubungan badan dengan perempuan seperti Katrina. Kapan lagi ia bisa melakukan ini?
James mengangguk. "Tapi ada yang kuinginkan."
"Oh," Katrina tersenyum, menikmati fakta James membuang moralnya dan meminta sesuatu kini karena akan terus menidurinya. "Apa? Uang? Aku agak ketat belakangan ini."
"Kalau begitu kau harus membayarku begitu kau mendapatkannya. Dan aku ingin jika aku tetap setia padamu, kau tak mencoba menangkapku atas hal yang tak kulakukan."
"Baiklah," Katrina menyetujui syaratnya. "Ingat, kau harus setia setiap saat. Jika kucurigai, akan kusingkirkan kau. Kau sebaiknya berusaha menyenangkanku di malam hari karena itu gunamu. Begitu aku bosan, kau tak berguna dan aku tak peduli kesetiaanmu."
"Aku mengerti," jawab James. "Selain itu, kau harus membersihkan rumor seperti diminta Duke. Katakan pada orang lain kau tak tahu hubungan Alessandra dan si juru masak. Karena kau tahu rahasia si juru masak, biarkan dia yang menyebarkan rumor. Jika ada cara, beri aku uang untuk menyewa orang mencegah Duke menjangkauimu begitu mudah."
'Dia melakukan tugasnya terlalu baik, tapi bagus punya orang kompeten di sekitar,' pikir Katrina. Andai suaminya setampan dan sepintar James. Ia mungkin lebih mencintainya daripada uangnya.
"Aku akan menyisihkan anggaran untukmu menyewa penjaga. Akan kusiapkan akhir hari ini. Pikirkan berapa uang yang kau butuhkan sebelum pemakaman selesai," kata Katrina.
Setelah Edgar masuk ke rumahnya dan melukainya, Katrina tak punya pilihan selain membuka simpanan rahasianya dan menghabiskan sebagian untuk melindungi diri. Edgar tak akan bisa melakukan itu lagi.
"Ayo, James. Aku meninggalkan Kate menghibur tamu terlalu lama. Tahu Tuhan, ibu Desmond bukan orang mudah dihadapi. Aduh," Katrina mengerang setelah menusuk matanya agar berair. Ia harus berperan sebagai istri berduka.
Sebelum pergi, ia bercermin memastikan matanya cukup berair.
Katrina harus mengakui ia memang bisa bergabung dengan teater. Bertahun-tahun ia menipu banyak pria dari uang dengan identitas yang dibuatnya. Skema paling suksesnya adalah meyakinkan seorang Baron bahwa ia mencintainya, dan kini ia memiliki semua milik pria itu.
Katrina bertanya-tanya, apa lagi yang bisa diraihnya? Ada pria kaya mudah ditipu lain di kota untuk mencari uang. Ia sudah begitu mahir hingga tak perlu menidurinya.
"Diriku yang muda akan sangat bangga," kata Katrina, bangga pada hal yang dilakukannya untuk sampai di sini.
Siap memainkan pertunjukan, ia berjalan ke pintu kamar dengan James di belakangnya, lalu turun ke tempat keluarga Barrett berkumpul sebelum pemakaman.
"Ibu!" seru Kate saat melihat ibunya memasuki ruang tunggu. "Terima kasih sudah bergabung," ia memaksakan senyum.
Meski Kate senang berada di sekitar keluarga ayahnya, ia lelah menjawab pertanyaan tentang kematian ayahnya.
'Sekelompok orang yang jauh lebih tua dariku seharusnya lebih tahu soal kepekaan,' Kate memutar mata dalam hati.
"Maaf," Katrina menyeka air mata. "Aku butuh waktu menenangkan diri."
"Lucu," Clark angkat bicara. Ia berdiri di belakang ibunya yang diam mengamati. "Aku belum pernah melihatmu menangis saat ibuku tak ada. Sedang berpura-pura?" tanyanya.
Menyusul pertanyaannya, Clark batuk tak terkendali dan harus membalikkan badan. "Aku kena pilek sialan karena cuaca ini."
Katrina menikmati pemandangan hidup Clark perlahan memudar tanpa ia sadari apa yang terjadi padanya. Andai Clark mati sekarang agar dilempar ke kuburan yang sama dengan Desmond.
"Aku kuat demi putriku yang kini tanpa ayah di usia muda. Hari ini berbeda karena aku harus mengucapkan perpisahan terakhir pada suamiku. Ibu," Katrina menyapa ibu Desmond, Greta Barrett. "Aku turut berduka atas kehilanganmu."
Greta menatap Katrina sekitar satu menit lalu menghela napas. "Semua keluar kecuali Baroness."
178 Toxic (1)
“Mother, you look wonderful. A tiny mark on your face does nothing to your beauty,” Kate said to cheer her mother up. She stood in her mother’s bedroom, watching her touch the mark created by Edgar.”You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Please do not wither away in your room because of this. I need you.”
It was the biggest shock for her to learn that Edgar had visited their home because of the rumors they spread about Alessandra and the cook. Kate couldn’t believe her ears when James had told her that Edgar cut her mother’s cheek. Kate felt like it was the biggest crime ever committed. Her mother’s beauty was beyond compare in this town so to cut her face should have a punishment of death for that person.
Kate wholeheartedly believed Alessandra had convinced the Duke to harm her mother’s face because Alessandra was jealous. She always thought Alessandra was jealous of their faces and now this proved it. If today wasn’t their father’s funeral, Kate would have tried to damage Alessandra’s reputation even more.
“Thank you,” Katrina showed Kate a small smile to stop her from worrying but she could not stop touching the small mark on her cheek.
The doctor said with proper care it would not be evident soon enough but Katrina wanted it gone now. For so many years she lived without a scratch on her face after she climbed up the social ladder. Now she could be ruined.
It pained her to think how her friends would enjoy seeing her like this.
“Baroness, some of the guests for the funeral have arrived to offer their condolences. They wish to speak with you and Kate. Clark is entertaining them right now,” James informed the two.
“Kate, go downstairs and have a chat with them. I want you to keep an eye on your uncle. I will be down shortly,” Katrina said.
“Okay,” Kate kissed her mother’s forehead and left.
.....
“James, close the door,” Katrina told James after Kate left. “I am hardly in the mood to go out there and act heartbroken over Desmond’s death. If only I had gone ahead with burning his body and sending it to his mother,” she rubbed her temple.
James had convinced her against it. “It would seem like you did not care for your husband enough to give him a proper send-off,” he reminded her.
“It would have been cheaper if I did it. Hell, I would have done it myself. Desmond is no longer useful so what is the point of spending good money to bury him? His family should give Kate some money to ease the burden we faced to bury him. Is there any word on those bastards?” She looked at James in the reflection of her mirror.
“I’ve heard they both left town early in the morning yesterday. You do not have to worry about Alessandra attending the funeral,” James reassured her. He didn’t think Alessandra would show up even if she was in town. Then again, it seemed like Alessandra was doing unpredictable things because of her title.
“It’s hilarious how she won’t visit to see the one parent who took care of her being buried. They’re painting me as a monster but she is no different when it comes to how she doesn’t care for her father. She was never grateful her father did not kick her out after I begged him to. Look at my face,” Katrina turned her head to the side for James to see the cut.
“It is quite small-”
“But it is there,” she said through gritted teeth. Katrina did not want to hear how small it was. She wanted to hear him say it would be gone soon.
“You are still a beautiful woman, Baroness. No other woman holds a candle to you. I will continue to look for the best cream to clear up your face,” James changed his response to fit what she wanted to hear.
“That’s more like it,” Katrina turned around in her seat to face James. She gave him a look over, enjoying the fact she got to do whatever she wanted with him. “If I didn’t have to go mingle with Desmond’s family, I would take you right now. I need to get rid of my built-up frustration. You will visit me tonight, won’t you?”
James closed his eyes for a second then opened them when he came to terms he would have no choice but to be here tonight. He disliked that she took advantage of him but after the numerous times he spent watching her in the past, he started to find excitement in having sex with a woman like Katrina. When would he be able to do something like this again?
James nodded his head. “But there is something that I want.”
“Oh,” Katrina smiled, enjoying the fact he was throwing away his morals and asking for something now that he would continue to sleep with her. “What is it? Money? I am a little tight with it these days.”
“Then you will have to pay it to me as soon as you get it. And I want that if I continue to be loyal to you, you do not try to get me arrested for something that I did not do.”
“Alright,” Katrina agreed to his terms. “Keep in mind that you must be loyal at all times. If I find you to be suspicious I will get rid of you. You should make it in your best interest to please me well at night as you are useful for that. The moment I grow tired of it, I will deem you useless and not care about your loyalty.”
“I understand,” James replied. “That aside, you should clear up the rumors as the Duke requested. Say around others that you have no clue about the relationship between Alessandra and the cook. Since you know the cook’s secret, have him be the one to push the rumors. If there is a way, please give me money to hire men to prevent the Duke from getting to you so easily.”
‘He’s doing his job a little too well but it is good to have someone so competent around,’ Katrina thought. If only her husband could have been as good-looking and smart as James. She might have loved him more than his money.
“I will set aside a budget for you to hire guards. I will have that prepared by the end of the day. Think of how much money you will need before the funeral is over,” said Katrina.
After Edgar waltzed into her home and hurt her, Katrina had no choice but to go into her secret stash of money and spend some to protect herself. Edgar would never be able to do what he did again.
“Come, James. I’ve left Kate to entertain the guest for too long. Heaven’s know Desmond’s mother is not an easy person deal with. Oww,” Katrina groaned after she poked at her eyes to make them water. She had the role of a grieving wife to play.
Before leaving, she looked in the mirror to make sure her eyes were filling up with enough water.
Katrina had to agree that it was true that she could have joined the theater. For years she had tricked many men out of money with the identities she created. Her most successful scheme was convincing a Baron she loved him and now she owned everything belonging to him.
Katrina had to wonder, what else could she reach for now? There were other wealthy gullible men in town she could use to gain money. She had gotten so good at the game that she would not need to sleep with them.
“My younger self would be so proud,” Katrina said, taking pride in the things she did to get where she was now.
Ready to put on a good show, she walked toward her bedroom door with James right on her heels, and downstairs to where the Barrett’s were gathering before it was time for the funeral.
“Mother!” Kate exclaimed when she spotted her mother entering the waiting room. “Thank you for joining us,” she forced a smile as she spoke.
As much as Kate enjoyed being around her father’s family, she was tired of answering questions about her father’s death.
‘A group of people far older than me should know more about being sensitive,’ Kate internally rolled her eyes.
“Sorry,” Katrina wiped tears from her eyes. “I needed a moment to gather myself.”
“Funny,” Clark spoke up. He stood behind his mother as she silently observed everything. “I have not once seen you crying when my mother was not around. Putting on a show?” He asked.
Followed by his question, Clark began to cough uncontrollably and had to turn away from facing his mother. “I got a goddamn cold because of this weather.”
Katrina enjoyed the sight of Clark’s life slowly fading away without him realizing what was done to him. If only Clark would drop dead now to be tossed into the same grave as Desmond.
“I have been strong for my daughter who is now without a father at such a young age. Today is different because I have to say my last goodbyes to my husband. Mother,” Katrina greeted Desmond’s mother, Greta Barrett. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Greta stared at Katrina for about a minute before sighing. “Everyone out except for the Baroness.”
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