Page 8 of My Blind Duke (The Twisted Dukes #5)

“ V ery good, Your Grace. We can finally begin to earnestly work on restoring the Pemberly title to its former glory.”

William nodded, pushing his chair back from his desk as he stretched his arms and legs. It had taken more days and nights than he would have liked, but he and Robert were finally able to make sense of the estate’s affairs and craft a plan on how to deal with the numerous issues on the ground.

The duke had been particularly encouraged to sort it all out as soon as possible, in a bid to keep his mind occupied and focused on more important things and away from a certain vixen.

It seemed as though she was now a permanent fixture in his head, either consuming his thoughts or floating about in his dreams. He could not shake the memory of her body in his arms, the scent of her perfume. If he were any less than a gentleman, he would have pushed her against the wall and ravish her until…

No. This is merely because I have not been with a woman since the accident.

He was also still thinking about Lord Montclair’s accusations, and even if he had not made up his mind to involve the necessary authorities yet, he still had Robert keep a watchful eye on her.

If she was truly capable of killing a person and had poisoned her late husband, she likely would not take things lightly with him after his attempt to have her removed from the house.

“How is Melanie doing?” William asked suddenly, recalling the way Prudence had stood between him and his intention to scold her.

Either the duchess was a good actor or she was not who the marquess thought she was, because her empathy and concern for Melanie had confused him as much as it had irritated him then.

“She is doing well, Your Grace. Still as… spirited as ever,” the steward responded with a strange inflection in his voice.”

William immediately knew the other man was attempting to fib.

“Robert.”

He heard a sigh of defeat before the man continued,

“She really is well, Your Grace. Occasionally, a complaint of her little jokes will surface from a maid or a footman, but such antics have become fewer and fewer. It is as if she is becoming more well-behaved as of late. She has also been attending her lessons and most of her tutors have done nothing but sing praises of her excellence.”

“Is that so?” William asked, impressed by the news he had received.

It was quite a relief to hear that she had begun to adjust and act appropriately. It was about time she found some normalcy and order in her life.

I wonder if the duchess had anything to do with it , a part of him thought, knowing it was more likely that pigs would take flight in a moment than for his daughter to suddenly turn over a new leaf without motivation.

If there was one thing they had in common, it was their stubbornness.

A thought suddenly occurred to him and he wasted no time voicing it out, “You said ‘ most’ of her tutors have commended her. Why not all of them?”

He heard Robert inhale sharply and guessed from the blurs moving in front of the man’s body that he was likely wringing his hands together nervously.

“Well, you see – I did all I could, Your Grace. I have begged and pleaded with her, but the little lady has refused to attend some lessons. She can be quite… determined when she wishes to be.”

With a sigh, William queried further, “What lessons?”

“Her music lessons, Your Grace.”

At the mention of the word ‘music’, William felt his body stiffen and his fingertips began to itch.

Images flashed through his mind, with a rush of screamed words and threats, rage and frustration that eventually boiled into horror as he watched the flames blaze higher and higher, consuming everything in its path.

His hands tightened on the arms of his chair as he recalled the distraught echoes of loss that had nearly brought him to his knees when he found his wife’s body as he desperately held onto his daughter, doing all he could to save her at least–

“…Grace? Your Grace!”

William blinked, taking his hands off the arms of the chair and intertwining his fingers together tightly.

“Yes? What?”

“N-Nothing, Your Grace. You were just… you fell quiet and began to stare into space so I was worried I had upset you–”

“You have not,” William said, cutting Robert off. “I was… I was merely lost in thought, is all.” The duke cleared his throat and continued. “If Lady Melanie refuses to attend her music lessons, then let her be. As long as the other ones are keeping her out of trouble, then it is fine.”

“A-Are you sure, Your Grace?” Robert pressed, sounding surprised.

William nodded and heard the man sigh in relief.

“All right then, Your Grace. Would you like me to send a maid to fetch you some refreshments?” Robert questioned.

“No, I am fine. I will just rest and perhaps take a walk around the estate later,” William said, shaking his head.

“Very good, Your Grace. I shall return when you are ready to go out on the walk, then.”

William had refused to behave as though he were an invalid after the loss of his sight and had trained himself not to be too dependent on his steward. He had explored every nook and cranny of his former house by himself, with Robert lingering a few feet away behind him, only allowed to step in whenever things got a little dangerous.

And he had begun to learn about this estate the same way too, exploring the corridors and rooms in his spare time. He refused to be completely reliant on anyone and was determined to ensure his weakness would not give people the courage to undermine him.

“Robert,” William called out as a sudden thought occurred to him.

“Yes, Your Grace?” the steward responded.

“Keep an eye on the duchess. Watch her closely and look into her past as well. I want to know what she has been up to in the past year. Any suspicious movements or meetings that might have transpired under this roof. I must ensure that Melanie isn’t exposed to any form of threats or danger – especially within her own home. Do it discreetly.”

“Certainly, Your Grace,” came Robert’s response.

The duke waved him away, noting the bent form of Robert bowing before he left and sighed, leaning back in his seat.

He closed his eyes and tried to forget the smell of fire and smoke.

“Why are you still here?”

Prudence inhaled sharply, holding her breath and counting to five before she turned around, against her better judgment.

“Lady Clementina. Whatever can I help you with now?”

“Do not pretend, you sly witch. Even if you manage to convince everyone else of your innocence, you will never fool me – or the new duke. He will see right through your facade, just as I have, and you will be out on the streets without a dime, as you should be,” Clementina spat.

Prudence nodded. “All right. Thank you for sharing your thoughts that were not needed. As always, it was enlightening to converse with you. Do have a pleasant day.”

As the duchess turned around to continue her walk to the garden, the older woman snapped, stepping closer with her companion scurrying after her.

“Have you no shame? First, you kill my dearest darling nephew, who had nothing but greatness ahead of him! I told him countless times not to marry you, but men and their mule-like stubbornness will be the death of me, as it was for him, thanks to your conniving ways and greed for his wealth. As though that was not enough, you have decided to remain in the estate and to impose on us like the leech you are! What sort of woman are you? Have you no dignity?”

“Have you nothing better to do?” Prudence sighed tiredly. “Must we engage in this pointless dance, back and forth, all the time? I have told you countless times before – I did not kill your nephew. I married him because we were a good match for each other. I had no reason to end his life when we had both taken oaths before God. I know you do not believe me, but that is the truth. And I will not leave this house because it is my home. It has been for a year now and no one – not even the duke – has any right to chase me away.”

Clementina’s face turned red with rage and she came forward, pointing an angry finger at Prudence.

“We will see about that. Your delusions will not protect you forever. Sooner or later, justice will be served and you will learn once and for all, just how pathetic and worthless you truly are. Mark my words, you insufferable little–”

“Your Grace! I found a caterpillar in the gardens! Look!”

Clementina turned around just as Melanie uncovered her hand and held it up, revealing a green caterpillar nestled in the center of her palm, and screamed.

“Goodness gracious! Oh, what a horrendous little thing!” she said, holding a hand to her chest as she moved away from the child.

Henrietta snorted but quickly covered the action with a cough, gesturing to the path that led back to the house.

“My lady, perhaps we should return back to–”

“It is not horrendous. It is pretty! And it will be prettier when it is a butterfly one day!” Melanie refuted with a glare.

“I was talking about you, you insufferable little brat.” Lady Clementina rolled her eyes, making a shoo motion with her hands at Melanie.

“That is enough, Lady Clementina. I know you despise me but there is no need to take it out on the child. She has done nothing wrong,” Prudence said, stepping in front of Melanie, and gently ushering the child to hide behind her.

“What do you mean she has done nothing wrong? Are you blind? Or deaf? Have you not at all heard about all of the distasteful actions that she has consistently put on since she arrived at this estate? Is it until she puts spiders on our scones and thorns in our beds before we realize that we need to punish such a menace?” Clementina glared at Prudence angrily.

“Do not make her out to be such a nightmare. They are only harmless pranks, as she is just a child. If anyone is badly behaved here, it is you! You called me shameless and yet, here you stand, berating an innocent little child for her jokes. Where is the dignity you claim I lack? Because it seems as though it cannot be found in you either.”

Prudence would have never assumed it would be possible for Clementina to get even redder, but it seemed that there was no limit to how flushed the woman’s face could get as she huffed and puffed angrily.

It was getting rather old, how insistent the woman was to make life difficult for Prudence. This was not the first time she had cornered her to hurl insults at her face or berate her for her presence in Pemberly.

Especially recently, since the duke had begun to restructure the estate’s affairs and household according to his preference. Clementina had suddenly become even more motivated to provide a large helping of misery to the duchess’ life. And while it was wearing Prudence out, she knew that Clementina had no power of her own and therefore, posed no real threat to her.

However, involving Melanie had anger flaring within Prudence. She had done her best to advise the girl to stay away from Clementina, knowing that the woman’s wrath was one not easily dealt with. And to her knowledge, Melanie had obeyed.

But it seemed that the mere sight of the child made her deeply enraged. Regardless of whatever might have spurred her bad feelings toward the child, Prudence was not going to stand there and watch her insult the girl.

“Why you little–”

“What is going on here? Why are you all blocking the path?”

Prudence could barely stifle the gasp that threatened to burst through her lips at the sound of the duke’s voice.

Clementina had no such reservations and screamed, startled by his sudden appearance.

“Dear God – Your Grace! Oh dear, I did not hear you walk up–”

“Likely because you were busy screeching and blocking up the path,” William said, deadpan.

Clementina laughed, loudly and awkwardly and she shuffled aside with Henrietta slinking back with her.

“We were… I mean, I was merely telling the duchess that perhaps she should set a better example of proper behavior for Lady Melanie. The least she could do as an entitled mooch is to make sure the little lady does not wander around picking up insects and such. Would not you agree, Your Grace?”

Instead of addressing Lady Clementina, William called out, “Melanie? What have you done this time?”

Prudence watched, heartbroken as Melanie stepped forward, her hands still keeping the caterpillar safely cupped in her palm.

“It was only a caterpillar, Papa. I merely wanted the duchess to see it because I thought it was pretty–”

“How many times have I told you not to pick things up and bring them into the house? Why have you chosen to consistently behave recklessly? You have disappointed me, Melanie,” William stated sternly with a frown.

Melanie’s shoulders dropped and Prudence felt her heart begin to hurt as the child’s eyes filled with tears.

“It was only a caterpillar! She did not lure a pig into the estate,” the duchess said angrily.

“I was not speaking to you, Duchess. You would do well to watch your manners,” William stated, without so much as a glance in her direction.

Clementina shot her a victorious smirk and stepped closer to the duke.

“Were you on your way out, Your Grace? Would you like some company? It is a rather fine day out if I do say so. The gardens are so vibrant this time of the year–”

“I believe the brilliance of the gardens would be wasted on me, without the ability to perceive its wonder. And if I needed someone to follow me around and talk so much, I would have gotten a dog. Now, get out of my way,” William sighed.

Embarrassed, Lady Clementina stepped out of the duke’s path, making a face as he walked away without another word to anyone.

She turned to Prudence and Melanie, made a ‘ humph’ sound, and wandered off silently.

Prudence sighed and fixed her attention on the sad child standing next to her.

“Melania, sweetheart–”

“See? I told you. Papa hates me.”

“No, he does not, sweetheart. He is just… he is your father. He merely wants what is best for you.”

“No!” Melanie shook her head. “He wants me to be perfect and I keep trying but I am not getting anything right and I always disappoint him. All I want is for him to play with me like he used to.”

Hearing the little girl’s sniffles made Prudence gently embrace her, hoping that she could wrap the child in enough warmth to keep all the bad thoughts and feelings at bay.

It was disheartening to watch both Melanie and her father misunderstand each other so greatly. She knew where their intentions came from and the motivations behind their actions, but it was difficult to get them to see eye to eye.

“He does not hate you, Melanie. He wants you to be a perfect lady because he believes that is the only way you will live a good life. And I know that is not true, but he does not. He is only worried, dear. Do not think harshly of him. I give you my word, you, and I will teach him how to accept you, in all the wonderful ways that you exist. All right? Please, do not think so little of yourself,” Prudence told her softly.

Melanie nodded gently, pressing her face against Prudence’s stomach.

“All right,” the girl sniffed, pulling back slightly.

Prudence smiled down at her and wiped the tears off her cheek.

“Come along now,” she urged gently, steering the girl in the direction of the front door. “Let us return that little caterpillar to where it belongs.”