Dominic (21 page)

“Because it would bring about a halt to y
o
ur rake- sha
m
e existence?” sc
or
ned the d
uke at his most awful. “Put a stop to your ga
m
i
ng and wenching
?
”

“I
doubt
that
it
could,”
Vale scorned in return, equaling his
f
ather’s
anger.
“No
wi
f
e
will
put
the
chains
on
m
e,
sir, I do assure you.”

“Then you are a bigger fool than I gave you credit for! You cannot continue to conduct your life in your present hellish
m
anner.”

“You
did
sir,
or
do
you
so con
v
eniently
forget
t
h
e reputation
you
gained
bef
o
re you
m
arried
Mother?
I believe it to be so
m
ewh
a
t worse than
m
i
ne.”

The d
uke dropped his gaze to c
o
nte
m
plate the desk before
him but
not
before
h
i
s
son
had
seen
the
slight curving of his lips at the
m
e
m
ories his words evoked. Then, returning his gaze to his son, his countenance
hardened and he renewed his abrupt manner
.
“
Do not
think to side-track
m
e, Do
m
i
nic. This coil
m
ust be resolved
.
”

Uttering
an
oath
beneath
his
b
re
a
th, Vale
turned on
his heel
and
strode
from the
roo
m
,
slamming
the
door
behind hi
m
.
So
enraged
was
he
that
he failed
to
see
t
h
e
pat
h
etic little
form
standing
the
other
side
of
the
door
as
he brushed
passed
her,
not
rea
l
izing
that
she
had
heard
all that
had transpired.
He had thought her to have returned to her aunt’s house but instead, t
e
rrified of the consequences of
the
d
uke’s
arrival,
she had
crept
along
the
corridor
to listen
nervously
at
the
door.
W
iping
the
tears
from
her face Sophie heard a
m
o
ve
m
ent within the room as if his grace
was
rising
from his
desk
and without
waiting
to face him and
his
accusations, she
ran
t
h
e
length
of
t
h
e
corridor and out into the grounds.

*****

Vale saw nothing of
S
ophie over the next few days. Indeed, although he had retur
n
ed to their usual
m
eeting place on several occasions, the
r
e had been no sign of her. The d
uchess, upon receiving a letter of explanation
from her husband and i
m
a
gining
how things would stand between
father
and
son,
foll
o
wed
him down
to
Stovely
in an
atte
m
pt
to
ease
the
situ
a
tion.
Her
first
i
n
terview
with her
son left
her
so
m
ewhat
confused
as she atte
m
pted
to explain to the d
uke over supper that evening.

“I don’t understand. There is nothing at all of the lover in
his
attit
u
de
toward
her,
Mar
c
el,” she
said,
with
a
s
m
all frown
creasing
her
brow.
“He
talks
of
her
as
a
boy,
indeed
he seems to have treated her as a boy
.
Although his
actions
have
been
foolish,
I
believe
him
wh
e
n
he
says there has been no i
m
proprie
t
y. A scoundrel he
m
ay be, but
f
or
all
th
a
t
,
he
is
not
s
o
blatant
as
to
bring
hi
s
current light-o-love to Stovely. Even
he
has
m
ore
resp
e
ct
for
his parents than to serve us in that
m
anner.”

“Do not believe it,
m
y
dear,”
replied the d
uke, pushing away
his
plate
and
taking
up
his
wineglass.
“I
have
seen the girl, and if Dominic
thinks only of her as a boy, then he is
a
bigger
fool
than
I
gave
him
credit
for.
You
have
only to see the c
h
ild to re
a
li
z
e
where the attraction lie
s
.”

“Ho,
caught
your
eye,
did
she
?
”
said
the
d
uchess,
with a chuckle.

“You
know
very
well
she
did
not,” he reproved. “I am
m
erely
stating
fact.
Young
m
en
of
Do
m
i
nic’s
age
are
not in the habit of giving fencing lessons to young ladies of quality, especially not ones who dress like a boy, and certainly
not out of the
goodness of their
heart.
I swear, there is
m
ore to it than
m
eets the eye.”

“Do you think she has designs on hi
m
?
” asked the d
uchess, confining her gaze to the tablecloth and traci
n
g the pattern with her finger.

“She appeared artless enough when I first spoke to her, but
one
can
never
tell.
She
disappeared
before
I
could have
any
further
conversation
with
her.
Let
us
hope
that she
does
not
reappear
and
this is
t
h
e
end
to
t
h
e
episode. Now that you are here the boy will not dare flaunt his indiscretions. He cares too
m
uch for your opinion and values your approval.”

*****

Vale did not share his father’s thoughts on the subject; he continued to ride over to the boundaries in hopes of
m
eeting Sophie. Now that his
m
other was here he could bring
her
to
Stovely
without
comment
and
he
was
sure that
once
t
h
e
d
uchess
had
m
e
t
her
and
heard
the
girl’s story she w
o
uld be only too willing to
help.

On
the
m
orning
of
the
f
i
fth day
of
Sophie’s
absence,
he was
just
about
to
m
ount
his
horse in
the
stable
yard
intent on
riding
to
her
aunt’s
house,
when
a
groom brought
a young boy of about twelve before hi
m
. “This young gentle
m
an
has
been
asking
for
your
lordship,”
info
r
m
ed the
groom
pushing
the
boy
before
hi
m
.
“
W
ants
a
private
word with
you,
sir.”

“My na
m
e
i
s David,” said the boy, taking
m
atters into his own hands and co
m
i
ng to stand before Vale. “I am Sophie’s brother.”

“Co
m
e into the office,” said Vale, handing his horse over
to
the
groom and
l
ead
i
ng
t
h
e
way
across
the
sta
b
le yard toward the house, entering through a side entrance.