Dominic (16 page)

Taking
a
circular
route
so
as
not
to
be
observed,
he rode
to
the
f
urther
end
o
f the
ri
s
e
a
n
d
atte
m
pted
to
ri
d
e
its length
in
the
cover
of
the
trees that
lined
it.
It
was
not
long before he perceived the hors
e
m
an sitting with his gaze riveted on the paddock, watching Sonnet being led around by the groom. Leaving the cover of the trees, he began his approach.
A
s
he
neared,
the
r
i
der t
u
rned
in
the
saddle
a
t so
m
e
sound.
Why, ‘tis
o
nly
a boy,
thought
Vale
to
hi
m
self and
would
have
hailed
him good-naturedly
if
the
boy
had not beco
m
e aware of his app
r
oach and swinging his horse about,
urged
it
to
a
gallop
and
sped
away.

A
m
u
s
ed
by
the
incide
n
t
Vale
r
e
turned to
Stovely,
c
on
f
ir
m
ed
that
the
b
o
y was
but
showing
an
interest
in the
schooling
of
the
horses, for had he not done the self-sa
m
e thing when he was of such
an
age?
Indeed,
h
e would
have
no
objections
to
the boy co
m
i
ng down to the stables if he so wished and he decided
on
sending
a
groom to
tell
him
so
when
next
he appeared.

*****

The opportunity to speak to the boy arose earlier than Vale had anti
c
ipated.
W
hilst out shooting early the next morning
, his three spaniels bounding before him, he
espied the boy riding on the boundaries of his land and atte
m
pted
to
att
r
act
hi
s
att
e
ntion
by
rai
s
ing
his
arm in salute.
Unfortunately
the
boy, appearing
deep
in
thought, did
not
immediately
perceive
him and
instead
allowed
his horse to a
m
ble
along,
the
reins hanging slack on its neck, its head hanging low.

The dogs raced before him toward the rider, putting up two
pheasa
n
ts
in
th
e
ir
h
a
ste.
Seeing
the
birds
rise
from the corner of its eye, the horse took exception and reared in prote
s
t
of
t
h
eir
flight, depo
s
iting its rider
none
too
gently onto
the t
urf
.
Seeing
t
h
e
ac
c
ident, Vale
t
h
rew
aside
the brace of birds which were strung
o
ver his sh
o
ulder and started forward at a run, reac
h
ing the boy just as he sat up. However, he was brought to an abrupt, unco
m
prehending halt.
The
face
was
fa
m
i
liar
but
he
was
confused,
al
m
ost not believing what his eyes told him.

The
cru
m
pled
form sitting
on
the
ground
returned
his gaze
with
a
gurgle
of
laughter at
the
perplexity
only
too appare
n
t on his face. “As you see sir, Sophie is Jack and Jack is Sophie,” she s
m
iled.

“That
m
uch I had already perceived,” he snapped, pulling her roughly to her feet, all
m
anner of questions chasing through his
m
i
nd. “
W
hen I
m
et you the other evening
you
struck
a
vague
chord
in
m
y
m
e
mory,
though at the ti
m
e I
m
ade no connection. How could I?
When last we
m
et, you were so badly beaten that I could not fully discern
your
features.
It
was
the
voice
that
struck a
chord. But then,” he chuckled, “I have heard so
m
any f
e
m
ale voice
s
; it is not surp
r
i
si
n
g that I could not place it.”

“You
were
also
somewhat
in
your
cups
when previou
s
ly
we
m
et,”
s
h
e
s
m
iled,
brushing
the
dust
from her clothes and straightening her cru
m
pled cra
v
at. “It was no wonder that you should not recognize
m
e.”

“But why the disguise now
?
” he asked, confounded. “Do not your petticoats sati
s
fy you? How come you here? Why
did
you
leave
when
you
knew
you
had
m
y protection?
Where did you go
?
”

She
s
m
iled at his onslaught of questions. “If you would but give
m
e the chan
c
e, I
will ex
p
lain
all,
s
ir.”

“You
m
ost de
f
i
nit
e
ly will
,
” he re
p
l
ied, “but sh
o
uld we not first
m
a
ke so
m
e atte
m
pt to catch that stupid horse of yours
before
you
are
forced to
walk
ho
m
e,
or
m
ore correctly
to
your
aunt’s
house
?
”

“Oh,
he
will
be
in
the
stables
by
now
in
all
pr
o
bability. I don’t
m
ind walking in the least, sir. Perhaps I could acco
m
pany
you
to
the
south
pastures,
for
it
is
there
that our boundaries
m
eet, and whilst we walk, I will tell you all.”

“Hu
m
ph,” was his only reply. Being confir
m
ed that she was not injured in any way
a
nd desirous of knowing her tale
,
he
called
the
dogs
and
started
forward
.
He
had
thought of her plight briefly on occasions over the past weeks but had beco
m
e
reconciled
to the
thought
that
the mystery would re
m
ain unresolved.

Sophie had al
m
ost to skip to keep up with him and was glad
that
she
had
no skirts
to
ha
m
p
er
her.
He
strode
on until, noticing
her
e
ff
o
rts
to
k
e
ep
pace
with
hi
m
,
he suggested that they sit on a nearby tree trunk which had been
felled
in
so
m
e
long
forgotten
storm and
now
only served as a welco
m
e seat for weary travelers.

“Now then,
Jack,
you have
m
y
full attention,
so speak,” he said, as they sat side by
side
on
the
log.
“
T
ell
m
e
now what befell you when you so foolishly left
m
y roo
m
s. Did you
still
fear
m
y
intentions?
For
I
tell
you
no
w
,
for
once in
m
y
life, they were entirely honorable and even though I was a trifle foxed you could have trusted
m
e.”

“Tell
truth,
sir,
you
were
m
ore
than
a
trifle
foxed,”
she chuckled, raising her eyes to his face. “It was t
h
ree she
e
ts to the wind with you.”