Page 38 of My Blind Duke
“Who does she think she is? I remained silent about her accusations against you after your husband’s death, but this is where I draw the line!” Marina declared.
“Leave it be, sister. She does not scare me. If we pay her no need, she will know that nothing can be done because she has no power. I am sorry you had to witness that.”
Marina continued to fume, and Prudence let her be, knowing better than anyone that she had every right to be angry.
Then she turned to Melanie to make sure she was okay.
“My lady, are you all right–”
“I will not let it happen. I will not.”
Prudence blinked down at the child.
“What do you mean, Melanie?”
“I will not let Papa send you away. I-I will talk to him. I will make sure you stay,” Melanie said, her eyes alight with determination.
Prudence was touched by the young girl’s care for her and she put her arms around the child in a gentle embrace.
Is he really looking for reasons to send me away? Even after he said that he would not?
She did not know what to think. But she knew one thing. What the duke would eventually decide was out of their control.
Chapter 13
“And the reconstruction of the barn?”
“It is progressing nicely, Your Grace. It should be completed in about a day or two,” Robert informed, flipping through the pages of his notebook.
“Excellent. I would like to purchase some horses. The finest breeds you can find. I want there to be many options for Melanie in case she ever wants to learn to ride sometime,” William said.
“An excellent idea, Your Grace. I shall make some inquiries and inform you do my findings,” Robert nodded.
“Good,” William paused, hesitating for a moment before he asked, “Have you heard anything from the inspector?”
“Nothing concrete as of now, Your Grace. He claims to be searching for staff members previously employed in the estatebut eventually quit after the late duke’s death. He feels one of them might be the key to the testimony we need. But he did discover that the courtship’s duration between the late duke and his duchess was short. They had barely courted for two weeks before they decided to get married.”
That was nothing too noteworthy unless perhaps there were special circumstances as to why their wedding had to have happened in haste. But such a reason did not exist, and if Prudence’s reactions were much to go on, it had never been conceived.
It certainly caused things to lean in the direction of the duchess being a potential gold digger, but that did not seem to be the case either. If she were such, she would have demanded he pay her a large sum or split the inheritance from the first day he had asked her to leave the estate.
William sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
He was sick and tired of the ever-present thoughts of Prudence. He was always thinking about her, always craving her warmth, catching whiffs of her perfume in the corridors. She haunted his dreams and made him ache for her taste in ways he had never imagined.
They had not talked much after what had transpired between them. In fact, their paths hardly crossed at all. William was purposefully avoiding her in a bid to lose all urges to claim her, but it seemed as though she had the same idea as well.
“That will be all, Robert.” He dismissed the steward.
“Yes, Your Grace.” The man bowed and took his leave.
It was getting far too complicated for his liking. He had thought that by now, he would have had a clear view of his and Melanie’s future. Even when he arrived to find that the duchess was a spirited woman, he still believed the matter of her presence would be resolved easily.
Now, there were too many factors to consider, and she was still here. Still taunting him with her attitude and well-meaning intentions.
He needed a solution, and he needed it fast.
“Your Grace? Lord Montclair is here to see you.”
