Dominic (34 page)

“
Nom
de
Dieu
,”
W
r
oxham expostulated.
“I
cannot belie
v
e
t
h
at
the
c
h
ild
ha
s
been
su
b
j
e
cted
to
such
m
i
suse. We
m
ust find Thornton without delay.”

“There
is
no
we
about
it,”
said
V
ale
fir
m
ly.
“I
will redress this
m
atter. Alone! My reason for telling you all is that,
if
by
so
m
e
m
i
schance
so
m
ething
should
happen
to
m
e,
you
m
u
st
protect
Sophie. Protect
her
against
Thornton and
have
him brought
to
justice.
I
cannot
leave
her unguarded.”

“You
love
the
child,”
stated
W
roxham flatly,
it
was
not a question; he had never seen his friend so intense.

“I do, and when this coil is resolved I intend securing her if she will but have
m
e.”

“Oh,
she
will
have
you,
there’s
no
need
to
worry
on that
head,”
said
W
r
oxham
har
s
hly
as
he
rose
to
leave. “She idolizes
you. It is for
e
ver
Do
m
i
nic
says
this
and Do
m
i
nic
does
that.
I
tire
of hearing
your
na
m
e,
so
often does
she
have
need
to
use it.
She
has
no
thoughts
for other
s
; you will find her an easy co
n
quest.”

“I
wish
for
no
conquest,
I
love
her
too
well.
I
take
her to
wife.
I
would
neither
expect
nor
accept
any alt
e
rnative.”

“You?
Be tied to a wife
?
”
m
ocked
W
roxh
a
m. “Hell’s breath, here is a new
st
ate of affairs.
W
ho would have thought that possible?”

“If you have designs in that direction yourself I advise you
to
forget
the
m
,
m
y
dear friend,” seethed Vale. “Now, do I have your confidence or not?
Can I rely on you
?
”

“Aye, but be assured it is for Sophie’s sake alone that I swear to it. I too would give
m
y li
f
e for her though the child is har
d
ly aware of my existence.”

“Then I am away. I visit our friend on the
m
orrow, and re
m
e
m
ber
,
no
word
of
our
conversation to Sophie
.
I would not wish her alar
m
ed in any way.”

*****

The following evening the e
arl traveled to The Red Cockerel
in
a
hired
con
v
eyance.
It
would
not
do
to
arrive in
such
an
area
in
his
own
coach
with
his
ar
m
s e
m
blazoned
on it.
Before
leaving
his apart
m
ents he had taken the
pr
ecaution of pocketing certain papers and also a s
m
all gold-mouthed pistol whi
c
h he could feel pressing against his thigh as he alighted
from the conveyance.
As the
vehicle
departed
he
looked
about
him with
so
m
e distaste. The light was very poor but he could see indiscri
m
i
nate
for
m
s
m
o
ving
about
in
the
shadows and
the disgusting aro
m
a of the back streets
assailed
his
nostrils.

Striding
forward
he
thrust open the door to the inn, having to bend his head to enter. The stench of unwashed bodies and acrid s
m
oke
i
m
m
ediately
assailed his nostrils, threatening
to
overco
m
e
him and
he
scowled
heavily
in dista
s
te. So
ill
lit
was the
interi
o
r
th
a
t
h
e
c
ould
n
o
t im
m
ediately
discern
its inh
a
bitants until, as his eyes beca
m
e
accusto
m
ed
t
o
the
dim
light
shed
by
the
occasio
n
al candle, he espied
a rat
-
li
k
e man in a filthy
apron
whom
he
assu
m
ed
to
be
the
landlord.
This individual
ca
m
e
slowly
forward. “There’s
nothing
here
for the likes of you,
m
y
young b
u
ck,”
he
said
through blackened
teeth.
“If
you
be
looking
for
sport
this
night
it’s
best
that
you
should
look
elsewhere.
I
want
none
of
the likes of you in here.”

“
W
here is
T
hornton
?
” de
m
anded V
a
le.

“Oh,
one
of
his
set
are
you
?
” sneered the landlord. “Might
‘ave
known
it
by the
cut
of
y’jib.
Top
of
the
stairs; second door on the left. ‘Ere, take this bottle with you, he called for it not long since.”

Taking
the
bottle
of
gin
none
too
gently
from the landlord’s hands, his lordship pushed his way through to the unlit stairs and started up th
e
m
, having to feel his way so as not to lose his footing.

During Vale’s discourse with the landlord, none had noticed that a youth had slipped quietly through the inn door, pressing h
i
m
self
a
gainst the
w
all so that he re
m
ained in the s
h
ad
ow
s.

*****

A
chieving the dark landing, the e
arl uncere
m
oniously thrust open the second door, startling the inhabitant who appeared
to
be
finishing
his
su
p
per.
This
room was so
m
e
what
bett
e
r
lit, Vale
well
able
to
see
the
s
ur
prise th
a
t
f
litted a
c
ro
s
s
Thornto
n’
s
blo
a
ted c
o
untenance
a
s,
pushing aside his plate, he rose in protest of the intrusion.

He was a large, florid
m
an, a
l
m
ost as tall as
V
ale b
u
t much
heavier
and
it
t
o
ok
h
i
m
a
mo
m
ent
to
comprehend the cause of the disturbance as he had been drinking steadily throughout the day.
“
W
ho
the
hell
are
you
?
”
he growled as the e
arl forcefully closed the door behind hi
m
.

Taking all in, his lordship proffered a s
m
all
m
ocking bow.
“I
am sir,
Do
m
i
nic,
Earl
of
Vale,”
and
he
sneered
at his
m
ost awful.

Falling ba
c
k
into his chair, Tho
r
nton
issued a
h
a
rd laugh. “
W
ondered how long it would take you to seek
m
e out. I was beginning to tire of the waiting. Can assure you, if you hadn’t presented yourself in the near future I would have been co
m
pelled to con
t
act you myself. However, you save
m
e the inconvenience.”