Page 63 of My Blind Duke
“Oh,” she breathed, then cleared her throat. “Well, no time like the present. You are not busy currently, are you?”
William’s eyes narrowed.
“I am not.”
“Excellent. Melanie would like you to join her in the music room.”
A sigh made its way through his lips. “I do not think–”
“Please, William. I understand that mishaps occurred last time due to a misunderstanding. This time, we are prepared to make things better. You need a chance to set things right and she would like to share a special moment with you. As long as you are patient with yourself, you can get it done,” she insisted.
“You have far too much faith in me.”
“And you have too little faith in yourself. If you have doubts, then I would like to ask you to trust me this once. You might not believe that I have your best interests at heart, but I do have Melanie’s. Please trust that I will not let her efforts go to waste again. And I will not allow you to be disappointed either.”
She sounded… earnest. William felt as though he had nothing to lose by relying on her, just this once. After all, she had proven to be reliable thus far.
“All right. I will go and see her right away,” William conceded.
“Good,” she said, her tone betraying her satisfaction. “Thank you.”
“I believe it is you who are deserving of gratitude. Thank you for caring for my daughter.”
“Do not thank me just yet, Your Grace. Let us get through this first,” Prudence replied.
William wanted to tell her that he preferred it when she called him by his name, but perhaps that was merely asking for trouble, so he shook the thought out of his mind.
Then he gestured in the direction of the door, willing his resolve not to break.
“Lead the way then.”
“Papa! You came!”
The sound of Melanie’s excited voice made William’s heart quake with fondness.
How long had it been since he had heard her seem so happy to see him? How many times had he received such a warm reception from her in the last few years?
“Of course, I did,” he smiled gently. “You invited me again, even after what happened last time. I owe you an apology, Melanie. I was… embarrassed. Because I have always tried to appeal to you as a strong father figure you could always rely on. And I…clearly have not been doing so well, in fulfilling fatherly roles. Failing at an aspect I at least had some experience being great at seems to have dealt a stronger blow to my ego than I imagined. But itshould not have mattered. Not when you are more important. I do not believe I have all it would take to be better now, but I will try my best. For you.”
William heard nothing for a moment, then he nearly jumped when small hands enclosed around one of his.
“Thank you, Papa. For coming back.”
William nodded. “I will return to you as many times as I can. As many times as you need me to, and even more if you say you do not need me.”
He then held out the neatly wrapped box he had taken with him, clearing his throat and shaking it slightly when she did not take it immediately.
“I got you a gift, on my way back. You can open it… now. If you would like.”
Melanie took it from him and he heard the lid being pried off. William waited a moment before he said,
“I noticed that you seemed to really like flowers. I heard there was a way to preserve flowers in snow globes so they last forever – or at least a long time, provided the snow globe does not break. I picked the flowers myself, with some help. So, they should all be in your favorite colors–”
He had scarcely finished his statement when Melanie’s body collided with his. William scrambled to hold her securely while catching his balance, his heart stuttering uneasily.
“Melanie–”
“Thank you, Papa. I love it. It is very pretty. I will treasure it forever!”
