Page 50 of My Blind Duke
“You can keep one paper butterfly, Melanie. I do not want them all because… they are yours. You deserve to hold onto the prettiest things that life can offer,” William said.
Melanie grinned and nodded.
“All right, Papa!”
Chapter 16
“How does this sound?”
Melanie played a few notes, and although they were a little shaky on delivery, they still sounded nice.
Prudence smiled and nodded. “That is very good, poppet. Do you remember what those notes were?”
Melanie paused, then scribbled a few musical notes onto the blank page of her open book, before showing it to Prudence. The duchess beamed with pride.
“Yes, exactly. Excellent work. Play it again, this time sit up straighter and be bold. Do not be scared of making mistakes. We can always fix whatever we do not get right.”
“Yes ma’am,” Melanie beamed as she refocused on the keys beneath her fingers.
Prudence had thought Melanie and her father needed to spend some time together. Without Prudence’s influence or presence. While she had taken over the role of Melanie’s music instructor and they were doing nicely together, she had not forgotten the significance of the duke being the one to teach his daughter music.
And to her, there could be no better way to bond than with a common interest between them. Especially if it was something that meant so much to them that they could share.
So, Prudence had intended to teach Melanie just enough that they could create a project that would require the duke’s expertise. Somewhere along the line, she thought, ‘Perhaps Melanie could write a song for him.’
When she had suggested it to the child, the girl had nervously shaken her head.
“I-I do not think I can do that. Papa says that writing songs is a very important skill, and I am not good enough to do it. What if I only embarrass myself?”
Prudence had held her gently and told her, “He would not care about anything like that. All he would see and acknowledge is the effort and time you dedicated to doing this for him. He would understand that you cared about him so much, you have a piece of the life that meant so much to him. He loves you, Melanie. And I am sure he would be happy to receive whatever you give to him.”
The child eventually agreed and they had gotten to work.
Prudence firstly did everything she could to teach Melanie the basic notes, armed with a music book she had found in the library and her somewhat reliable knowledge of the pianoforte. Then together, they tried their hand at songwriting but simply played a few keys to find what sounded good.
It took them a few days of trial and error, which was laced with frustration and mirth. Every time an idea did not come together, there was a moment of immense happiness that came from playfully tinkering with the piano.
Melanie was always flushed with excitement, and watching her made Prudence feel like a proud mother, a notion she ignored because she had already overstepped with the duke. She did not wish to do the same with his daughter, even if she apparently liked her.
Finally, the song was ready and Prudence had Melanie invite the duke himself.
“B-But what if he says no?” Melanie stuttered, looking close to tears.
“He will not,” Prudence said to her gently. “And I will be there with you the whole time.”
True to her word, Prudence had followed Melanie to speak with her father, both of them slipping into the study when they were permitted to.
“Yes?” William asked from where he was seated at his desk.
Melanie was clearly nervous, so Prudence held onto her hand and gave it a small, encouraging squeeze.
The child took a deep breath and spoke up courageously, “Papa, Her Grace has been teaching me how to play the piano, and I wrote a song. I would like to play it for you if you would be so kind as to listen to me.”
William paused for a moment, then he said, “I would be honored, Melanie. When do you want to play for me?”
The child perked up immediately. “N-Now. I can play it for you now, Papa,” she said eagerly.
William nodded and then rose to his feet, walking around the desk to stand before her.
