Page 26 of My Blind Duke
But also, her curiosity had been piqued.
The duke… was a musician?The man who looked as though he should not be expected to understand emotions knew how to make music?
It was so incredibly surprising, and it reminded Prudence of how little she knew of the man who now shared a roof with her. What other secrets did he have? What sort of person was he truly?
She felt overcome with the urge to learn more about him, hoping it might help her understand the relationship between the duke and his daughter better.
“I am sorry sweetheart. I wish there was something I could do to help matters,” Prudence apologized with a frown.
Melanie shook her head, putting on her brave smile, clearly trying to make Prudence believe she was all right.
“Papa is busy now. I understand. And I will keep doing my best to stay out of trouble, so he will not be upset with me anymore,” she stated with conviction.
Actually, your father could stand to behave better, himself. It is only fair that he make some new resolutions and stick to them, just as you are.But she knew that would not help matters much by making any such comment and decided to try another approach.
“Perhaps he would be pleased with you if we made him a gift,” Prudence suggested, looking around.
“A gift? What sort of gift?” Melanie asked, her wide blue eyes shining as her attention was captivated by the suggestion.
“Erm…” Prudence hummed in thought, grinning when she spotted some colorful flowers. “How about a wreath? To brighten up his study and fill the air with pleasant scents!”
Melanie jumped and clapped excitedly.
“Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea! Can we get started on it now?” she asked adorably.
“I do not see why not,” Prudence smiled gently, nearly overcome with fondness.
Melanie giggled and began to dart around the garden, excitedly chattering about how pretty the wreath would be and how she could not wait to show her papa.
“Pick all your favorite colors and the flowers you think are pretty. Or smell nice,” Prudence encouraged as she plucked a few flowers she thought would look good.
“I will!” Melanie shouted from somewhere on her right.
Prudence was happy that she had managed to uplift the girl’s spirits a little, looking forward to working on the task with her. It was almost painful, seeing her so determined to win her father’s attention, whilst William was so set in his ways, determined to have results he felt mattered, by his own terms.
She wished he would look at his daughter for once and see, not with his eyes but his heart, how much she needed him. Melanie did not need to lose all that she had. Not when the gap between them could be so easily bridged.
I will make him listen, Prudence declared to herself, humming as she continued to pluck flowers from bushes and branches.
After a few minutes, she decided to check on Melanie, noting that the girl had gotten a little far from where she was.
“Melanie?” Prudence called out, dropping her flowers into a small heap on the grass.
“Over here! I found a lot of yellow flowers! They are my favorites!” the girl responded from a corner of the garden.
Sighing in relief, Prudence began to walk over toward her.
“That is wonderful! Pick as many as you like – especially the pretty ones, so that…”
Horror filled Prudence’s veins as she finally set her eyes on Melanie.
The child was fine, reaching for flowers on a branch that hung low above her, cheeks flushed with excitement. Completely unaware that there was a snake, making its way to her steadily.
Prudence wanted to scream at her to move, but she feared that she might startle the snake and cause it to hurt Melanie even more, or that she might distract the girl and cause her to be bitten.
And so, she made a quick decision and ran to her, quickly lifting Melanie into her arms.
Just as she had started to step back, she felt a sharp sting on the calf of her left leg, and kicked back, managing to fling the snake off her leg.
