Page 77 of My Blind Duke
In her distress, the carefully guarded endearment slipped out with a devastated wail. “Mama! Do not leave me!”
The innocent cry, the heartfelt plea of a child who had come to see Prudence as a mother figure, pierced through the shock and confusion. Prudence’s heart shattered. Tears welled in her eyes, and a single drop escaped, tracing a path down her cheek as the constable gently but firmly led her away, leaving behind a distraught Melanie and a furious William.
The world swam into sharp focus for William as he heard the click of the front door closing behind Prudence and the constable. Melanie was still clinging to his legs, her small body wracked with sobs, her cries of “Mama” echoing in the sudden silence.
“Papa, do not let them take Mama away!” she pleaded, her voice choked with tears. “Clementina hates her. And she is mean to me too. I do not want to be left alone with her.”
William knelt, pulling Melanie into a tight embrace, doing his best to appear strong for his daughter as his mind collapsed in light of what just transpired. “What do you mean, Melanie? How has Clementina been mean to you?”
“Ah, Your Grace, do not listen to her. Her mind has merely been filled with filth thanks to that false duchess. We should celebrate her removal–”
“Be quiet,” William snapped at Clementina, his eyes still fixed on Melanie as his voice gradually filled with a dawning horror. “Petal… Tell me. What happened?”
Melanie’s small hands clutched at his coat. “Papa,” she sobbed. “She shouts at me. And sometimes… sometimes she hits me.”
William’s blood ran cold. “Hits you? When did this happen, Melanie? Why did you not tell me?”
Melanie’s tears flowed even more freely. “It started… it started after Mama… after Prudence got bitten by the snake in the garden. When she was trying to keep it away from me. Clementina was very angry with me for interrupting her tea when I went to her for help. And she says I am a bad girl. She pulls my hair sometimes. And she says… she says if I am naughty, you will not love me anymore.”
A white-hot fury surged through William, so intense it momentarily blinded him to his grief regarding Prudence. His hands tightened around Melanie, his heart aching with guilt and rage. He had been so consumed by his own darkness, so focused on his own pain, that he had failed to see his own daughter’s suffering.
He stood up, his sightless gaze fixed in the direction of the drawing-room doors, where Clementina still stood, a smug expression on her face. “Clementina,” his voice was low and dangerous, “get out.”
Clementina’s triumphant smile faltered. “What did you say? Your Grace–”
“I said, get out of my house,” William repeated, his voice rising with each word. “Now. You are no longer welcome here. Not for a moment longer.”
“But Your Grace…” Clementina began, her voice laced with indignation.
“Not another word,” William cut her off, his fury radiating from him in palpable waves. “Get out. And do not even think of taking a single thing with you. Jefferson!”
At the sound of his name, the butler stepped forward and William wasted no time ordering,
“Throw her out. She leaves with nothing but the clothes on her back.”
Clementina’s face contorted with rage. “You cannot do this! This is my home too! My nephew–”
Before she could finish her protest, Henrietta, her face grim, stepped forward.
“My Lady,” she said, her voice surprisingly firm. “My lady, please. His Grace has spoken. It is time for us to leave.”
Faced with William’s unwavering fury and Henrietta’s unexpected defiance, Clementina finally realized the tide had turned against her. With a final, venomous glare at William and Melanie, she stormed out of the room, muttering curses under her breath, hurriedly followed by her companion.
Once they were gone, William knelt again, pulling Melanie into another tight embrace.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
It was much worse than he had thought, his ignorance and absence. He had taken too many things for granted and it all ended now.
He held her close, stroking her hair, his heart heavy with guilt and a fierce resolve.
“I promise you, Melanie. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to prove Prudence’s innocence. And I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
Chapter 25
“Anything?”
“Nothing,” Aaron Marner, Duke of Harper sighed, frustrated. “It is still the same story. We need clear-cut evidence to present to them to exonerate Prudence. Without it, they will not even entertain any requests for her freedom.”
