Dominic (23 page)

Vale
brought
his
horse
to the
coach
door
and
w
ithout dis
m
ounting flung it
w
i
de, peering into the shadowed interior. Seeing Sophie cowering back,
m
uch to the confusion of her fellow travelers
,
he expostulated, “Jack,
you obstinate girl, don’t think you can elude me that
easily.
Have
done
with
this behavior
and
get
down im
m
ediately. This is nonsense.”

Sophie
rose
from her
seat
a
n
d
would
have
atte
m
pted
to escape by the opposite door if Vale had not quickly leaned from the
saddle
and
plucked
her
from the
interior. Depositing
her
none
too
gently
face
down
across
Merli
n
’s
withers,
he
pinioned
her
with
his
arm
lest
she
should atte
m
pt to flee again.

As the farmer’s wife would have
exclaimed
at his
rough
handling,
he
m
ade
a
short
bow, s
m
iling
at
his
m
ost char
m
ing. “You
m
ust forgive
m
e
ladies and gentle
m
en for interrupting your journey,”
he said, “but you
m
ust understand
that
m
y
young
c
o
usin
here
is
a
m
ost
wayward son
.
He is always
attempting
to
abscond
from his
mama. He has the notion to join the navy,
a
fact
that
co
m
pels
m
e
to
be
forever retrie
v
i
ng him from
the most unlikely of places.”

As
Sophie
would
have
protested
at
this,
he
held
her even
m
ore tightly, which served as a warning to hold her tongue.

The
farmer
nodded
his
agreement
.
“
The
young
are
indeed
a
trial
to
us
all
sir,
but
to
be
honest,
I
would
not have suspected this young
m
an of being a trial to anyone.”

“No,
so
innocent
he
looks,”
i
n
terpolated
his
wife.
“Such
an endearing
little
face.”

Vale grin
ne
d devilishl
y
. “Don’t let that face
d
eceive you,
it
hides
a
character
the likes
of
which
you
would
not believe.”

This
was
not
to
go
unchallenged
and
Sophie
dug
a sharp
elbow into
his
ribs
and
attempted
to
wriggle
free
of his
hold.
“You
will
let
m
e
go,” she
de
m
anded
fiercely,
but this o
n
ly h
a
d the e
ff
ect of
m
aking
his
lordship
tighten
his grip even
m
ore until it
m
ade it diff
i
cult for her to breath.

“I
see
that
you do indeed
have
your hands full
with
the young lad,” said the far
m
er, chuckling, “but he does not lack spirit, a real ga
m
e ‘un.”

“Very
ga
m
e
indeed,”
V
ale
agreed, grinning. “One can certainly
not
be
m
oan
his
lack
of
spirit,
but
he
will
f
eel
m
y
hand
if
he
does
not
cease
his
fidgeting.
Even
in
full
view of so keen
an
audience,
I shall
have
no compunction whatsoever
in
laying
m
y
hand
across
him
if
he
continues to struggle.”

Believing
him,
Sophie
abated
her
atte
m
pts at
freedom for
the
m
o
ment
and
lay
m
eekly across
the
horse’s
withers. “Dear
cousin,
please
let
m
e down,”
she
wheedled,
“I pro
m
ise I will not run a
w
ay again.”

“You will not have the opportunity,
Jack, for I certainly will not let you down. You ar
e headed for home and your mama
.
”
At
this
,
a
m
u
r
m
ur
of
approval
issued
from
the occupants
o
f the
coach
and
s
m
ili
n
g,
Vale
once
m
ore executed a
s
hort bow. “I will keep you good people from your
journey
no
longer.
Please
accept
m
y
apologies
for the delay.”

A
m
idst calls of approval,
the
coach
lu
m
b
ered
forward
leaving the two on an e
m
pty road.

“Please will you not let
m
e down, Do
m
i
nic,” Sophie pleaded,
trying
to
see
his
face. “In
d
eed,
I
will
n
ot
atte
m
pt to run away, I pro
m
ise you.”

“I will let you down when
you tell
m
e
what you are at, you
silly
chit,”
replied
Vale
in a
severe
tone
she
had
not heard before.

“You don’t understand, sir,” she replied, tears in her voice. “My aunt... your father...”

“Oh
, I understand only too well
,
”
he
replied
in
a
quieter tone, allowing her to slip to her feet and dis
m
ounting
to
stand
before
her.
“Your
brother
ca
m
e
to see
m
e.
How
else
would
I
have
known
where
to
find
you?
How
else could I have retrieved you?
This is not at a
l
l necessary. It is not the answer. You can’t be forever absconding.
I
am taking
you
to
m
y
mother
and
I
want
no more
of
your
silly i
d
eas.
W
e
will
e
x
plain all
to
her
and I know
she
will
help.
W
e
are
not
such a
fierce
fa
m
ily
as
we would
have
you
believe,
though
you
would
not
know
it. Be assured, my parents can be quite understanding when the occasion arises. Have they not had
m
e
as a son to contend
with,
and
who
would
prove a
m
ore
severe
trial
to their
p
a
tie
nc
e
than
I
?
Co
m
e,
up
beh
i
nd
m
e
and
we
return to Stovely.”
Then
grin
ni
ng, “Always knew those breec
h
es of yours would serve s
o
m
e purpose. Now up, I will bro
o
k no defiance
.
”

S
m
iling now, once Vale was
m
oun
t
ed, Sophie stood on the
toe
of
his
boot
and
he
swung
her
up
behind
him and after
only
a
m
o
ment’s
hesitat
i
on,
she
put
her
ar
m
s
about his waist the better to keep her seat.