Page 58 of My Blind Duke
William managed to grab the man by his arm and pull him back.
“What are you doing?” the duke hissed.
“What you cannot, Your Grace. Asking the difficult questions. I will find proof that this woman–”
“Has done nothing wrong,” Sylvia spoke up suddenly. “Why do people think she has?”
“Well, all evidence points to her. She was the only one close enough to the former duke to have killed him as discreetly as he was. It is obvious she did it so she would inherit his wealth. That is why she asked for their wedding to be quick and–”
“Pardon me, my lord,” the woman interrupted once more. “The duchess was not the reason they were married so quickly. It was the duke. The duchess had come with her mother to discuss their wedding preparations and the duke had been the one to suggest the date on which they would be married. The duchess protested that it was too soon, but he insisted that he could not wait to spend the rest of their lives together. And her mother hadeagerly agreed, as she had been worried that the duchess would not have obtained a proposal at all.”
“Anthony had never told me such, he–”
William put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Let’s let her finish. Shall we?”
“Certainly, Your Grace. I do not believe the duchess loved the former duke, but she cared about him enough to have looked forward to their life together. The night of his death, she had been practically inconsolable. She kept mumbling something about her father and that was when a maid said she had heard that the duchess’ father had also been found dead in his bed when she was a child. It was not until the duke had been removed from the premises that she regained herself.” Sylvia shook her head sadly.
William felt his heart drop at the thought of Prudence having to experience a nightmare made reality. He had experienced his fair share of horrors in his lifetime and knew not everyone could survive the difficulties and trials life presented to them. But Prudence had seen her fair share, and yet she was still standing.
He supposed that was what made her the wonderful woman that she was.
And it was unfair that what she got in return was her name being dragged through the mud.
“Do you think the duchess killed the duke?” William asked, point blank.
“That is a ridiculous notion. The duchess could not hurt a fly; she is far too good for it, and I do not believe that she killed the duke. If there was anything about the duke’s death I have always felt was worth noting, it was how he had somehow managed to escape scrutiny for so long.” Sylvia shrugged.
“Wait, what do you mean? Do not slander my good friend’s name if you have nothing more to say!” Hugo snapped.
“I am merely speaking as I know, my lord. The former duke was something of a hound around women. It was known among members of the staff that the duke was famous for handing out invitations to his bed. Made all sorts of promises to them. In fact, last I heard, he had invited a maid to his chambers. We never knew who the maid was, but I suspect she might have resigned shortly after the duke passed,” Sylvia responded. “And if you ask me, I think was this his bad habit that got him killed.”
Hugo’s silence spoke volumes to William, after all, it was obvious that they might have been gravely mistaken.
But all the question remained; what really happened to the former Duke of Pemberly?
Chapter 19
“Do you wish to give up?”
Prudence thought all of Melanie’s feelings toward her father’s unintentional rejection were fair. She knew the work the girl had put into her music and understood that if she were in her shoes, she would feel just as hurt and as angry.
And Prudence herself was starting to question the extent to which she should meddle. She felt that she might have already done too much.
But still, she wanted to help. She especially wanted to help William who had admitted that he was struggling to be the sort of father he believed Melanie needed.
First, though, she needed to know what Melanie thought and felt.
“Was Papa angry that he could not play?” the child asked Prudence.
Prudence thought about how best to answer the question, without making William look weak and Melanie’s eyes. Then she realized this exact reason was what had crafted a rift between them in the first place.
“He was disappointed in himself. We had thought that if he heard you play, he could memorize the song and play with you, but we unintentionally put him at a disadvantage. He had not played in so long and without being able to read the sheet music, he was moving in the dark. It was not your fault, dear. And it was not his either. Neither of us was prepared for that and that was not good then, but it is fine now. It is fine that we know what to do. Still, the question remains – do you wish to give up?” Prudence questioned.
Melanie shook her head slowly, and the small, adorable reaction gave Prudence hope that William and his daughter would be just fine.
“All right. This time, we need to also find a way to help him play. Some way for him to be able to have the music sheet for him to study. Any ideas?” Prudence queried, also racking her own brain.
“I feel bad that I did not think of this then. If I had tried to help–”
