Page 66 of My Blind Duke
Prudence saw the exact moment the duke learned it was a near-impossible task to refuse his daughter, smiling as he sighed fondly and told her,
“Just this once. Then you may practice it later, as much as you can until you have mastered it.”
Melanie nodded, clapping eagerly as her father faced the piano once more. Pride welled up in Prudence’s heart as a wave of relief flooded her veins.
It felt good to see them together like that, finally spending some time in each other’s company, as happily as they were meant to be. Prudence was thankful to have managed to bring them together, at least before her approaching departure from the estate.
She eventually had to steer them away from the music room as time progressed, huffing at the matching frowns they both sported in response.
“Surely, your fingers must hurt,” she implored gently. “You can play again some other time, but for now, it is best to give yourhands a break. You can simply move your conversation to a drawing room and continue over refreshments.”
William turned to Melanie. “That is an excellent idea, I believe. What sort of biscuits do you like? Let us have the chef make us as many as possible.”
“Chocolate!” Melanie grinned, and then she deflated slightly. “I am only allowed to have four a day, unless it is a special occasion, though.”
Prudence sputtered, both embarrassed and proud of Melanie for sticking to the rules that had been put in place for her well-being, feeling a little shy because she had been the one to put such a rule in place.
“Today certainly counts as a special occasion,” Prudence said quickly. “You have more than earned as many biscuits as your heart desires.”
“Hooray!” Melanie clapped happily, reaching for the gift her father got her with one hand and his hand with the other. “Shall we go, then?”
“We shall,” William smiled, looking so incredibly handsome and charming, that Prudence had to look away.
They made their way to the door together, Melanie faltering when she noticed Prudence was not following them.
“Will you not be joining us?” Melanie asked, her small brow furrowed with concern as she noticed Prudence lingering behind them.
William, too, turned, his sightless gaze directed toward her, an unspoken question in his posture. The anticipation that had lit up his face at the prospect of sharing biscuits with his daughter seemed to dim slightly at Prudence’s hesitation.
No,she cautioned herself silently.Do not make things harder on yourself.
Prudence forced a bright smile, though a sharp pang of loneliness pierced through the warmth she felt at witnessing their reconciliation. Seeing them so happy together, finally finding their way back to each other through the shared language of music, filled her with a bittersweet ache.
Her purpose here, she could not help but feel, was nearing its end. The threads that had bound her to Pemberly were slowly coming undone, one by one, and the image of her future, separate from this estate and its inhabitants, had begun to take on a more defined shape.
“I am afraid not, dear,” she said lightly, waving a dismissive hand, her tone deliberately casual. “I have some… rather pressing estate matters I must attend to. You two go on and enjoy your chocolate biscuits. I shall find you later, perhaps, if my duties allow.”
It was a flimsy excuse, and she saw a flicker of doubt in Melanie’s innocent eyes, a hint of disappointment causing her to pause for a moment. But the allure of the treats she was promised, alongside the company of her father, quickly won over her hesitation.
“All right,” Melanie said, her small hand tightening on her father’s larger one. “But you promise you will join us afterward? We can even save you some biscuits.”
“That is sweet of you, darling. I promise, to try my best to finish quickly,” Prudence lied gently, her gaze lingering on Melanie’s hopeful face for a moment longer than necessary.
She watched them walk away, their figures receding down the hallway, William’s hand resting protectively on Melanie’s shoulder, a silent testament to the rekindled affection between them. A sigh, heavy with a mixture of relief and a profound sense of solitude, escaped Prudence’s lips as she turned and made her way upstairs, the sounds of their happy chatter—mostly Melanie’s happy chatter and William’s hums of agreement—gradually fading behind her, leaving a void in their wake.
It is the right way. How things should be.
In the quiet sanctuary of her room, the weight of her decision to leave settled upon Prudence. She knew she needed to remain unwavering because, at the end of the day, she was the only one who would look after herself.
The duchess summoned Anna, seeking the familiar comfort and firm loyalty of her maid’s presence, to soothe her slightly wounded spirit. The house she had been insistent to remain in before suddenly felt too large, too empty without the constant purpose that Melanie’s presence had provided.
“Anna,” she began after the maid arrived, her voice soft as she sank onto the edge of her bed, the plush velvet yielding beneath her weight. “It is time we spoke plainly of my departure from Pemberly.”
The words, once merely a distant thought that she had recently begun to put into action, now felt heavy and real as she finally voiced them.
Anna, who was carefully folding a delicate linen dress in a bid to tidy up the room, paused in her task, her gaze lifting to meet Prudence’s with a knowing sadness that mirrored her own internal conflict.
“I had suspected as much, Your Grace,” she replied quietly, her tone filled with a gentle understanding that bypassed the need for lengthy explanations.
