Dominic (14 page)

“Sir,
our
problem is
sol
v
ed,”
she
hailed
gaily, co
m
pletely ignoring his
f
rown.

“I was n
o
t aware that
w
e
had a proble
m
,” replied Vale, standing and facing her haughtily. “However
m
ad
a
m
, whether
the
problem is
solved
or
not,
I
m
ust
again
m
ake known
m
y
i
ntention of leaving.”

“Fie on you,
m
y lord,” she trilled, oblivious of his disdain.
“Y
o
u shall
not
leave
until
I
have
introduced
Miss Sophie Thornton to you. She too finds herself out of sorts with
the
ga
the
r
ing
and I
have
pr
o
m
ised
to
f
i
nd
her
a
suitable
partner
.
Could
I
not
prevail
upon
you, sir, to
render this service?
I pro
m
ise
you
she
will
prove
a
m
ost worthy da
n
cing co
m
panion.”
W
aiting for no reply Mrs. Lewis turned on her heel and hurried away, quite confir
m
ed
in
the
b
elief
that
she
had
succeeded in
her
q
u
e
s
t and secured the
interest of this haughty young e
arl.
For
who
is
he
to
show such
contempt
for
our compan
y
, she thought
petulantly.
Now,
if
it
had
been
his
father,
well, that would be a candle of a
d
ifferent color. He is both a nobleman and a gentleman
.

Oblivious
of
these
thoughts, the newly introduced couple
stood
in
silence,
both feeling
a
degree
of
unease. Throughout
the
discourse
the
young girl
had
stood with head bowed, not even raising it when Mrs. Lewis took her leave,
u
n
til,
after
what
f
elt
an eternity,
she
raised
her
eyes to
his
lo
r
dship’s
f
a
c
e.
“Sir,
I
am
morti
f
ied,”
she whispered.
“I
cannot
tell
you
how
dreadful
that
wo
m
an is.”

Seeing her obvious discomfiture Vale relented and in a much
m
ore
civilized
to
n
e
said,
“Th
e
re
is
no
n
e
e
d
to
tell
m
e, Miss Thornton,
she treated
me
in
m
uch
the
sa
m
e cavalier
m
a
nner. Shall we be seated until she is well away and then we can
m
ake good our retreat
?
”

Seated
once
more
at
t
h
e
table,
he
to
o
k the
ti
m
e
to
study his
co
m
panion’s
co
u
ntenance
and
was
pleasa
n
tly surprised.
A
lthough not aspiring to the inco
m
p
arable, it was a very char
m
i
ng f
a
ce and he perceived the hu
m
or in her
eyes
as
they
returned his
scrutin
y
.
“
W
ill
you
allow
m
e to order you so
m
e refresh
m
ent, Miss Thornton?” he asked politely,
his attention
diverted
m
o
mentarily
from leaving, and
at
her
agree
m
ent
ordered
ratafia
from the
atten
d
ing lackey.

“
W
hat
a
pair
we
are
, sir
,
”
she
smiled
.
“
We
have
allowed
ourselves
to
be
brow beaten
into
submission.
I assure
you,
it
was
not
my
des
i
re
to
be
forced
upon
you
but I
find
the
wo
m
an
so
hard
to withstand
without
outright inci
v
ility.
I
ca
m
e
to
the ass
e
m
bly
r
o
o
m
s
si
m
ply
to
please my
aunt
who now finds
herse
l
f
engaged
with
her
cronies, leaving
m
e very
m
uch to
m
y own devices, and as I know no one, I felt very
m
u
ch out of
co
m
pany.” Then as if i
m
parting
a
confidence,
“You
s
ee,
I
am not
used
to
such social gatherings.”

For
a
brief
m
o
m
ent
her
voice
arrested
h
i
m
,
as
if evoking so
m
e
long lost
m
e
m
ory but, i
m
patient
at his i
m
aginings, he brushed it aside. “Do you not live in the area that you know no one?” he asked with polite, but idle curiosity.

“I
have
but
just
co
m
e
to
live
with
m
y
Aunt
Lydia whose
boundaries
lie
alongside your
own,
I
believe,
m
y lord.”

“From
where do you co
m
e
?
”

“London, sir.”

“And you saw naught
of London
society
?
”
he
asked with raised brows.

“
I have never had a season
,
” she smiled, and then
added ruefully,
“and now I t
h
ink it highly unlikely. My aunt has not the
m
eans to bring
m
e out, she has her own f
a
m
ily to consider and I h
a
ve no fortune of
m
y own.”

“Then
that
is
a
pity,”
he
countered,
his
eye
appreciating her
face
a
n
d
fo
r
m
.
“It
is
societ
y
’s
loss
t
h
at
it
is
de
n
ied your acquaintance.”

“
There
is
no
need
to
flatter
me
,
sir
,
”
she
chuckled
softly, coloring at the co
m
p
li
m
ent. “I know well enough my
li
m
itations.
My
e
n
trée
into
s
o
ciety
wo
u
ld cause
no comment.”

“That,
Miss
Thornton,
is
where
you
are
quite
w
rong,” he began and would have said
m
ore but his sentence was cut
short
by
the
caustic
tones
behind
h
i
m as
Mr
s.
Lewis once again approached.

“Fie on you, sir, and still you do not join the dancing,” she
reproved,
standing
with
hands
folded
pri
m
ly
before her.
“
You will excite too much comment sitting alone
with Miss
T
hornton. Indeed, heads turn already.”

“Mada
m
, I have
m
ade known my intention of not dancing,” s
n
apped Vale, standing to face her.

“Then
at
l
e
ast
co
m
e
into
the
ball
r
oom and
watch
the dancers,” she suggested forcibly.