Page 5 of My Blind Duke
Heads turned in stunned silence as the entire room focused on the person standing at the door.
Looking a little sheepish, the short man with a balding head and a pinched expression, cleared his throat. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace, I did not mean to interrupt, but I am afraid there is a matter of great urgency. I must speak with you in private at once.”
Recognizing her husband’s solicitor, Prudence stiffened again as she finally stepped away from the Viscount.
The room continued to stare in stunned silence as she made her excuses and followed the solicitor into the hall.
“My apologies, Mr. Henry. Was there perhaps a meeting I forgot, or has something else come to light?” Prudence’s heart pounded furiously as she shut the door behind them and guided him away from prying ears and into another room.
“No, Your Grace, nothing of the sort. I must apologize again for the intrusion, but the news simply could not wait until morning.” Mr. Henry clasped the brim of his top hat between his fingers and lifted his gaze to meet hers.
Oh, mercy me.
Her throat suddenly felt dry as she thought of all the rumors surrounding her husband’s death. No news that needed to bedelivered in the middle of the night could bode well for her future.
“What is it then?” She attempted to force a smile but failed.
“The heir has been found, Your Grace.”
The world seemed to spin as the music and chatter of her guests suddenly struck up in the background.
“And I am afraid that you will have to leave immediately. Of course, there will be a small allowance for you, but you can no longer reside here in Pemberly House. I am told that the new duke is not a kind or understanding man. He will not suffer you living under his roof.”
Finally, the moment she had dreaded had come.
Prudence thought that she would have felt more prepared to receive this information, or at least stable enough to move swiftly as was expected of her. But suddenly it was as though the floor had fallen apart from under her and she was falling, nearly lost in an endless pit just like the one that had almost consumed her after the death of her husband.
Is this how it all ends for me? Discarded and displaced?
“No.” Prudence suddenly snapped out of her daze.
“No? Your Grace?” The solicitor asked her with a concerned frown.
“No, I will not leave my home in the middle of the night. I am not a criminal. There is nothing chasing me that would warrant me running away as though I have committed some heinous crime. This is as much my house as it is his. The new Duke of Pemberly will just have to come to terms with that.”
“But Your Grace, this man is–”
“Thank you, Mr. Henry. That will be all.” She turned on her heels and headed back toward the party.
If I leave suddenly as he wishes, it will be like admitting I did something wrong.
Her palms began to sweat as she stepped into the empty hall. She did not know who this new heir was, but if he was going to dismiss her so casually, then she fully intended to enjoy the rest of her party. It might very well be the last chance she had to relish in ease and excellence. The rest would have to be dealt with whenever the man arrived.
She looked up to see one of the maids carrying a tray of empty glasses. “Would you kindly instruct the footmen to bring in more champagne?”
The girl’s face twisted into a sour countenance and she thrust her nose in the air, passing by without stopping. “I have toomany chores already, ask somebody else,” she snapped before disappearing down the hall.
These servants will be the death of me.
Prudence sighed and continued to walk back to the ballroom.
It was clear that things needed to change around the manor, and soon. She could not let the new duke see the disarray the household was in. But if he thought that she would leave her own home like a criminal, he would have another thing coming.
Chapter 2
“Be careful Your Grace!” The steward rushed forward and stopped William from bumping into a table that seemed to have been placed in the middle of the entrance hall.
Swearing under his breath, William Wordsworth, the new Duke of Pemberly pushed away the arm thrust in his path and steadied himself. “Let me be, Robert! I am not an invalid!”
