Dominic (31 page)

*****

T
he following
m
orning Vale strode uncere
m
oniously into t
h
e small salon at the rear of Blake House where Regina sat sipping her coffee.

“And
to
what
purpose,
m
ay
I
ask,
do
we
see
you
at these hallowed portals at s
u
ch an early hour?” she asked haughtily. “We have but just risen from
breakfast.”

“Be certain it is not to
s
ee you, dear sister,” assured Vale,
s
m
ili
n
g
sweetly.
“There
is
no need
to put
yourself into
a
taking;
I
co
m
e
to
s
p
eak
to
Sophie.
W
h
ere
is
she bye-the-bye
?
”

“I
thought
it
wouldn’t
be
a
ny
of
us
you
ca
m
e
to
see, one
would
have
thought
you
to
be
still
abed
as
is
your usual wont after your night’s excesses.”

He
frowned,
finding
her
in
c
i
v
ility
unc
o
mmonly irritating.
“
Take a damper, you silly girl
,
” he said
. “Though why it should prove a
m
atter of comment
that I choose to visit the fa
m
ily ho
m
e I know not. Now tell
m
e where is S
o
phie?”

“She has a headache and kee
p
s to her roo
m
. She looks prodigiously pale and Ma
m
a th
i
nks it best that she should rest.
W
e should have ridden to Richmond this morning for nuncheon but, as Sophie is unable to go, so are we.”

“I thought so
m
ething had occurred to put you out of
f
ra
m
e,
”
said
Vale
,
depositing
his
length
in
one
of
the
plush chairs. “It is in all probability your complaining which gives her the
h
ea
d
ache.”

“To tell truth she see
m
e
d not well after we drove in the park yesterday,” r
e
plied Regina with so
m
e concern. “Is there so
m
ething between the two of you?
Have you been churlish
?
”

“
W
hatever gives you that idea
?
”

“The fact that she retired to her room
i
m
m
ediately
on our return and looked
m
onstrous shaken. Have you
behaved
hatefully
toward
her, for I tell
you
if you
have...
?
”

“Go
to
her
and
tell
her
I
would
speak
with
her.
Alone
,” he said sharply, cutting across her words. “I will wait
here,
and
when
she
co
m
es
down,
m
ake
sure
we
are not disturbed.”

“Then you have!”

“Regina...” he warned.

“I go, I go, but only because I hate to see Sophie so disconsolate. You are hateful, Dominic, do you hear
m
e, hate
f
ul.”

“As
you
have
so
often
been
at
pains
to
tell
m
e.
Now go, forswear I will box
y
our ears if you tarry lo
n
ger.”

“Very brotherly indeed!” she snap
p
ed in re
p
l
y as s
h
e fled from
the room
at sight of his thunderous frown.

*****

The
e
arl
was
left
k
i
cki
n
g
his
h
eels
for
what
a
p
peared an
eternity
and
was
on
the
point
of
going
to
Sophie’s room to
retrieve
her
hi
m
se
l
f
when
the
door
quietly
opened and she ca
m
e hesitantly into the
s
alo
n
.

“So, you co
m
e
at last,”
he said,
going
forward
to
m
eet her
and
taking
her
cold
hands
in
his
warm clas
p
.
“A
few mo
m
ents more and I
w
ould have thrown caution to the wind
and
fetched
you
mysel
f
.
W
h
at,
m
y
dear,
you
will still
not look at
m
e?
Have I given
you such an aversion of
m
e?
How can I reclaim
myself in your eyes?”

But
she
was not
liste
n
i
n
g,
she
saw
not
the
int
e
nsity
of his
gaze
or
heard
the
passion
in
his
voice,
instead
she raised fearful
eyes
to
h
is
f
ace
and
clin
g
i
ng
to his
fingers cried,
“Dominic, he has returned.”

“Returned?
Who
?
” he asked thoroughly perplexed.

She uttered but one na
m
e
“
Ray
m
o
nd,” and the tears, which had been so near the surface, ca
m
e in torrents.

He
swore
harshly
beneath
his
breath
and
placing
an arm around
her
shoulders
led
her
to
sit
beside
him
on
the couch. “Have no fear child, you are safe here,” he whispered,
stroking
her
curls
in
an
atte
m
pt
to
soothe
as she grasped his coat and cried unrestrainedly on his breast.

It
affected
h
i
m
deeply
to
see
h
er
in
such
d
i
stress
and his te
m
per rose. “The
damned
cur w
i
ll pay for what he has done to you,” he seethed t
h
rough clenched teeth. “
H
e cannot hurt my little one and still re
m
ain on this earth
.
”

In her anguish she noticed not the endear
m
ent and instead cried, “No, Do
m
i
nic, no. He will
k
ill you and I could not bear it.”

“He
m
ay try, but he will fail.
W
here is he
?
”

“I
know
not.
He
came
to the
side
of
the
carriage yesterday after you had gone, whilst Regina and Isabella were
engaged
with
a
friend,
so
they
did
not
see.
He
says he
will
come
for
m
e
and
I
m
ust
be
ready.
If
I
don’t
go with
him he
swears
he
w
ill
h
arm David
and
dish
o
nor
your f
a
m
ily by saying that I was taken by force from
m
y legal guardian and I have beco
m
e
your
m
i
stress. I must go, I daren’t defy hi
m
.”

“By hell’s teeth,
you will n
o
t!” he swore forcibly. “I prote
c
t
m
y own and I will p
u
t an end to
h
i
m
.
There
a
re ways and
m
eans
of
f
i
nding
hi
m
;
he
will
n
o
t
long
go undiscovered. Say nothing to any other
m
e
m
b
er of the
f
a
m
ily,
esp
e
cially
m
y
f
a
ther.
I
will
sort
this
m
a
tt
e
r;
y
o
u need worry no
m
ore. Be
assured you are safe, none shall harm you,”
and
he
held
her
tightly
to
hi
m
,
wishing
only
to comfort her.