Dominic (33 page)

Chapter
Ten

Vale
arrived at
Blake
House
only to be informed
that Miss Regina and Miss Sophie had gone
w
ith Lord
W
roxh
a
m and
friends
to
the
play
at
Drury
Lane
and
cursing
so
ft
ly
he
r
e
tur
n
ed
to his
coach
and
directed
his driver
there
im
m
ediately.

The second act was well und
e
r way when, entering the theatre,
he went im
m
ediately
to his lordship’s box. Drawing a
s
ide the curtain, he crossed the threshold unnoticed.

W
roxh
a
m
’s
was
the
first
form he
saw
sitting
close beside
Sophie
overlooking t
h
e
p
it,
b
u
t
ig
n
oring
h
i
s presence
he
stole
behind her
chair
and
bending
low whispered
in
her
ear.
To
W
r
oxha
m
’
s great
annoyance Sophie rose at once and left the box on his lordship’s ar
m
.

Im
m
ediately
upon
reac
h
ing
the
corridor
she
an
xi
ously asked
,
“
Have
you
found
him
,
Dominic
?
I
have
scarce
dared leave the house. If Ray
m
ond should co
m
e for
m
e...” He
placed
his
hand
over
hers
as
it
lay
on
his
ar
m
. “Have
no
f
e
ar,
child,”
he
said
gently,
atte
m
pting
to
allay her
fears.
“I
have
his
location
and
he
will
not
have
the
opportunity
to
terrify
you
a
g
ain.
Haven’t
I
pro
m
ised
you that I will
p
ut an end to his ty
r
ann
y
?”

“
W
here is
h
e?”

“
It is better that you should not know,
my
dear
.
It would serve no purpose. I assure
you;
very soon you will be free of him.”

“But
what
if
he
should
harm you?
I
could
not
bear
it. You do not know his temper.”

Do
m
i
nic smiled
m
ost unpleasantly. “And neither does he know
m
i
ne. You need not worry on
m
y ac
c
ount. My retribution will
be
thor
o
ugh—quite
thorough.”

She looked fearfully up at hi
m
. “You will n
o
t
ki
ll
h
i
m
, will you, Do
m
i
nic
?
”

“You
don’t
wish
him dead
?
”
he
asked
incredulously. “You have suffered so at h
i
s hands and
still
you would have him
live?”

“He
is
still
my
brother,
no
m
atter
how
he
has
treated
m
e.
No,
I
would
not
wish
him dead,
and
think
of
the consequences
should you be found out. I cannot allow you to put yourself into such a
s
ituation for
m
y sake. Please, Do
m
i
nic, pro
m
ise
m
e.”

“Very
well, my dear
,”
he
agreed with a
g
r
eat
s
h
ow
of reluctance.
“I
will
hon
o
r
your
wishes,
but
ask
no
m
ore,
it is
su
ff
icie
n
t
that
I
am not
to
re
m
ove
him
f
rom this
li
f
e. Now
go
back
to
your
play
and
send
W
r
oxh
a
m
to
m
e,
I need have
w
ords with him and then I away.”

“Could you not
stay just a little while longer?”
she beseeched, catc
h
ing at his sle
e
ve. “I feel so much
m
ore secure when you are here.”

He
turned
h
i
s
head
away,
finding
it
difficult
to
resist the
pleading
in
her
eyes,
her
co
m
plete
trust
in
hi
m
.
An
unfatho
m
ab
l
e
look
crossed
his countenance, but he could not allow hi
m
self to be swayed from his purpose. Instead, turning back to
h
er
h
e
s
m
iled
gently
and
taking
her
fingers to
his lips
s
aid
so
f
tly,
“All
will
be
well,
child,
all
will
be well. Now back to your box and send
W
r
oxh
a
m
.
”

*****

Joining
his
friend
in
the
corridor,
W
r
oxh
a
m
m
ade
no effort
to
disguise
his
displeas
u
re
a
t the
e
a
r
l’s
intru
s
ion.
“
W
hat
game
is
this
you
play,
D
o
m
i
n
i
c
?
”
h
e
sna
pp
e
d,
scowling heavily. “I had thought
us
f
ree of your co
m
pany. Why
m
ust you find it necessary
to disrupt the evening
?
”

“I was not aware that my presence irked you so,
m
y friend,” scorned Vale. “You have not always found it so. Indeed
,
at
one
time
it
was something
you
sought
. However
you
m
ust
forgive
the
intrusion,
for
I
have
need of
your
confidence,”
and
taking
his
f
r
iend’s
arm in
a
vice like
g
rip
he
ste
e
red
him toward
an
anti-cha
m
ber
which re
m
ained vacant during the perfor
m
a
nce.

“
W
hat’s to do now
?
” co
m
plained
W
r
oxh
a
m as he was thrust uncere
m
oniously into a seat. “I don’t see you for more than a sennight and then you present yourself and command
my
assi
s
t
ance
.
”

Frowning
, Vale took the chair opposite, saying, “
I don’t have ti
m
e
for your belli
g
erence. ‘Tis not for
m
e, but for
Sophie
that
I
require
your confidence.
Or
do
I
ask
too much
?
”

“
For
Sophie
?”
as
k
ed
Wroxham
,
taken
aback.
“You must know that I would do anything for her.”

“Then
if
you
can
assure
m
e
of
your
co
m
plete discr
e
tion,
I
have
a
na
rr
ative
to
t
e
ll
which
I
m
ust
r
ely
o
n
you
not
to
repeat,”
and
at
this
Vale
related
Sophie’s
story to hi
m
, pausing only when he ca
m
e to the end.