Page 64 of My Blind Duke
William smiled, patting her head softly.
“I am glad you like it.”
She pulled back and he cleared his throat, feeling a little uncertain all over again as he prompted,
“Pru– the duchess said you wished to show me something?”
“Ah! Yes!” Melanie said and he heard her soft, excited footfalls move away from him, only to return soon after.
She took his hand and pressed what felt like a flat rectangular frame into it, sounding nervous as she explained,
“I really want to play music with you, Papa. It meant a lot to you, once, and I have always liked that you could make music. I wanted to grow up quickly and share your love for it. And so, I… we thought about ways we could make it better than last time.”
Curiously, William tried to use his sense of touch to decipher the object in his hands. It seemed to have solid corners that made up a frame like he had initially deciphered, but then, amid the borders lay stiff fabric. He ran his fingertips over the surface, noting that there were some smooth areas and some bumpy.
He lightly traced the bumps, frowning when he discovered that they made up odd shapes.
No… not shapes. Notes.
His lips parted in disbelief as he recognized the strokes that made up musical notes, arranged into a composition across the surface of the fabric.
“Y-You… how–”
“It was Her Grace’s idea. She thought it would be good to show you the sheet music somehow, in hopes that it would help. So, we embroidered the notes – with a lot of help – onto some strips of fabric and pieced it together to make sheet music, especially for you!” Melanie said.
William recalled that the butler had told him the duchess had entertained guests in his absence and they had gathered to embroider together.
The idea that Prudence had called on her friends to assist with the task just for him made his heart shake in a way William had never felt before.
“This was very… thoughtful, of you both.”
“We ask that you promise to try – really try this time, before quitting. Please,” Prudence implored.
William inhaled sharply, nodding slowly as he held out a hand in the direction he believed his daughter to be standing.
“Lead the way, then.”
Her small hand slipped into his and she tugged him to the piano bench, her hold over him almost tight, as though she was trying her hardest to keep him within her reach.
They settled onto the piano bench and she asked him softly, “Are you ready, Papa?”
William poised a hand over the embroidery piece, his fingertips lightly grazing over the first notes.
“I am.”
Melanie took in a deep breath and she began to play. Almost immediately, William was stuck by the marvelous skill she possessed. He had dreamt, once upon a time that felt like it was lifetimes ago now, of sharing his passion for music with his daughter.
After all, no one else seemed to appreciate his devotion and love for it. His father had all but shunned him after he had chosen music and his wife never forgave him for loving music more than he loved her.
Now, knowing that his daughter had been so eager to learn from him, to share the part of himself he had to bury, disheartened him. William hated himself for all the time he had allowed to waste away, the effort she had spent, waiting for him to acknowledge her – a task that should have been his from the start.
William willed himself to focus on her playing, entranced by the sheer skill she possessed, without any sort of guidance from him, his fingers following the embroidered guide they had made for him.
Soon after, she stopped playing, right as his hand came to a stop on his customized sheet music guide.
“Well?” Melanie asked quietly. “What do you think?”
William hesitated thoughtfully. “Could you play it again? I think I missed some parts.”
