Dominic (27 page)

For
a
m
o
m
ent,
Vale
stood
m
e
s
m
erized
by
the transfor
m
ation
of
his
pupil,
t
h
en
laying
aside
his wineglass
on
a
side
table,
he
went
forward
to
m
eet
her with
hand
outstretched.
To
hi
m
self
he
whispered incredulously,
“
By
Gad,
but my Sophie
transforms into a
beauty
,”
b
u
t
as
she
reached
the
bottom step
he
recovered and s
m
iled. “Co
m
e, Jack,
this
night is yours
,” he said, and bowing low, kissed her hand.

The d
uchess, following in her wake did not miss the significance
of the
m
o
m
ent but any comment
she would have
m
ade
to
her
husband
was forestalled by the arrival of the
f
i
r
s
t gu
e
sts.

The evening had barely begun but it see
m
ed to Sophie that the whole house was f
ull of richly clothed people of rank and fortune
and
still
she
could
hear
m
ore
arrivals.
Turning
to
Vale who
stood
at
her
side
and
laying
a
confidential
hand
on
his
arm
she
whispered,
“It
is
a
l
l
so
exciting
Dominic.
I
have
made the acquaintance of
so
m
any
people,
but scarce
r
e
m
e
m
ber
t
he
i
r na
m
es.”

He
s
m
iled,
laying
his
hand
over
hers.
“Have
no
fear, you are not expected to re
m
e
m
ber
everyone.
Ah,
here is
m
y friend
W
roxh
a
m, that is one na
m
e
you will not forget,”
and
as
W
roxham stood
before
the
m
,
“Miss Thornton, please allow
m
e
to present Lord John
W
roxh
a
m to you.” Sophie curtseyed and
W
r
oxham took her hand to his li
p
s.

“
W
e have
m
et before, my dear Miss Thornton, in the park if you re
m
e
m
ber, but thus far we have not been
f
or
m
ally int
r
oduced. However, now that we hav
e
, will you do
m
e
the
honor
of
standing
up
with
m
e
when
you
are
free to join in the
dancin
g
?
”

“Certainly
,
sir
,
”
replied
Sophie,
dimpling
prettily
as
she dropped a brief curtsey.

Watching
his friend depart to the ballroo
m
, Vale frowned.
“
Did you h
a
ve to appear quite so keen,” he snapped. “You have not yet a
g
reed to dance with
m
e.”

“But
you
have
not
asked
m
e,
Do
m
i
nic,
and
I
know your
aversion
to
dancing,”
she
replied,
peeping
roguishly at hi
m
.

“Then will
y
ou?”
h
e ask
e
d sharply.

“Of course, but not if you look so thunderously at
m
e.”

“Ungrateful
chit,”
was
his
l
a
ughing
reply
as
he
left
her
side to seek out his friend.

As
the
evening
progressed,
the
d
uke
beca
m
e
aware
that
his
son’s
eyes
forever
followed
Sophie
about
the
room as
if
reluctant
to
lose
sight
of
her,
and
he
was
taken aback by the a
m
used indulgence e
v
ident on his face as he viewed her
s
uccess. Lo
o
king toward his wife, he raised an enquiring
brow
and
in
return she
gave
a
knowing s
m
ile.

Drawing him slightly to one side so as not to be overheard she said, “Novel is it not,
m
y
love?
Do you not see
how she fascinates him
?
Dominic is
not even aware
that his
affections
are engaged
.
Sophie
captivates
him and
yet
he
knows
it not. She
invades his thoughts
a
nd he knows not the implication
.
”

The d
uke raised his brows. “Are you saying that she sets her sights on the boy
?
” he asked incredulously.

“Certainly not!
Sophie is
innocent and
not even aware of her attraction.
She
uses no ploys.
She
is
open
and
naive
and so obviously adores him
,
and still he does not see it. It is what he needs to bring him about, to settle his li
f
estyle
,
for she
needs
to
be
loved and protected
and
he will
never tire of
it. Although
I
have
seen
t
h
em
together
on
so
f
e
w
occasions, it is ob
v
io
u
s that he
sees her in a totally different light
t
h
an
any other girl of his acquaintance. He teases her and she
replies
, not
with
m
i
ssish ways, but with a liveliness of
m
i
nd,
whi
c
h
even
if
she
were
not
as
pretty
as
she
so obvi
ously
is,
would
surely
engage
his
interest.
He will
never
tire
of
her
or
beco
m
e bored
with
her
co
m
p
any.
I
would
encourage
this
m
atch,
Marcel.
It
could
bring about results we have both desired.”

“Hu
m
ph,” was the d
uke’s only reply, not being as thoroughly convinced as his w
i
fe of the situation, but unable to offer an alternative explanation.

It was as well then that both were unaware of the thoughts that chased through Vale’s
m
ind at that precise mo
m
ent.
S
e
eing
Sophie
accepting
W
r
oxh
a
m
’
s
invitati
o
n to join in the dancing, he had an overwhel
m
i
ng desire to box
her
ears
and
a
fervent
wish
to
break
his
friend’s
jaw. In
f
act, the whole sit
u
ation th
r
ew him so co
m
pletely o
u
t of sorts
that
he
left
the
ballroom in
high
dudgeon
and
sought
the
comforts
of
the
card
room
and
there
spent
the
re
m
ainder
o
f
the
eve
n
i
n
g.
Even
his
mother’s
request
that he
should
join
her
for
supper
and
not
ignore their
guests went unheeded. He was
totally perplexed by the new and hitherto
unknown
e
m
otions
that
would rise and threaten
to overco
m
e
hi
m
,
breeding
in
him an
unease
he
could
not fatho
m
.

However, as the last of the guests departed and he was aware
t
h
at
the
other
m
e
mbers
of the
f
a
m
ily
h
a
d
retired
to their
apart
m
ents,
he
removed hi
m
self
to
the
small salon at the rear of the house,
which was lit only
by the fire that burned in the grate.
Still not
in
the
best
of hu
m
o
rs he
poured
hi
m
self
a
glass of brandy and threw hi
m
self sullenly into the large chair by the
hearth
and
watched
as
the flickering
fla
m
es
started
to die away.