Dominic (40 page)

Moving
slowly
through
the
throng
toward
his
fa
m
ily, he
waited
until
t
h
e
group
of
ad
m
irers
that
had gathered around Regina and Sophie had lessened so
m
e
what and he was able to stand at
S
ophie
’
s side without drawing his sister’s atte
n
tion as s
h
e was otherwise engaged.

Dropping his voice so as not to be overheard,
he leaned toward her and whispered earnestly, “I feared you would not
co
m
e.
I
only
ca
m
e
myself
in
hopes
that
I
m
i
ght
see you.
I
could
not
leave
m
atters
how
they
stood
between us.”
Recei
vi
ng
no
re
p
ly
he
co
n
tin
u
ed
to
p
ress
his
poi
n
t,
his eyes never leaving her averted countenance
.
“You must
belie
v
e
m
e
when
I
say
that
the
f
ault
is
e
n
tirely
m
ine and I dee
p
ly regret it.
W
ill you not allow me to
m
ake a
m
ends
?
”

Seeing
Regina
turn
to
w
ard
them
he
straightened
and not
wishing to
be
found
out
asked
casually,
“
W
ill
you allow
m
e
to procure so
m
e
refreshment
for you,
m
y dear? The heat beco
m
es insufferabl
e
,” and was gratified at the hesitant s
m
ile he received in return.

Realizing the need for caution, Sophie replied quietly,
“Thank
you, perhaps a glass of ratafia
,
if
you
please,”
and im
m
ediately he went in search of the liquid. When he returned, the other fa
m
ily
m
e
m
bers had
m
oved away and Sophie was left talking to one of the other debutantes present,
but
at
h
is
ap
pr
oach,
she
t
u
rned
toward
him and when
he
presented
the
glass
to h
e
r
he
was
rewar
d
ed
with
a very quiet, “Thank you, sir.”

“Such
politeness,
Jack,”
he
chi
d
ed
gently,
att
e
mpting to
lighten
the
s
itu
a
ti
o
n.
“I
am more
used
to
yo
u
r commands.
Co
m
e,
could
we
not
put
our
m
i
sunderstandings
behind
us
and
begin
again
.
Let
us
forget
that
this
afternoon
e
v
er
existed.
It
was
badly
done on
m
y
part,
the
error
was
entirely
m
i
ne
and
I
cannot
bear to
lose
our har
m
ony,
m
y Jack.”

“Nor I, D
o
m
inic, as for f
a
ult...” she would have said more save that at that precise
m
o
m
ent
so
m
eone took to the spinet which heralded an i
m
promptu ball and the lackeys ca
m
e in to re
m
ove the tables and c
h
airs and roll back the carpet so that the room
c
ould be cleared for the dancing.

Sweeping a
m
agnificent bow h
i
s lordship com
m
a
nded, “Dance
with
m
e, rogue,”
and laying
aside
her glass she placed
h
er
h
and
lig
h
tly
on
his
arm to
be
led onto
the
flo
o
r to
join
other
young
c
o
uples
as
the
first
set
of country- dances was announced.

*****

“Three dances in succession are quite enough,” Regina re
m
onstrated as, t
h
eir
d
ifferences
p
ut a
s
ide, they ca
m
e to the
edge
of
the
floor
flush
e
d and
laughing
after
atte
m
pting the late
s
t
jig. “Tongues will wag if you dance togeth
e
r more.
Indeed,
there are those eyeing you askance
already.”

“Kill
joy,”
snapped
Vale.
“Let
them think
what
t
h
ey will, Regin
a
. I ca
r
e not
f
or th
e
i
r ce
ns
ure.”

“If not for yourself think of Sophie,” continued his sister.
“You
are
beyond
rede
m
ption
but
she
is
not
and there are th
o
se asking for introd
u
cti
o
ns.”

“
Do
you
care
for
introductions
, Jack
?
”
he
asked, turning
to
Sophie,
but
as
she
would
have
answered, Regina sta
m
ped her foot.

“Do
m
inic,
you
are
al
w
ays
everything
that
is
hateful, you know Papa is forever
m
i
ndful of the proprieties. He will
a
llow
n
o breath of
s
candal to attach itself
to us.”

“Strange that such should bother him,” snapped Vale. “He cared not for proprieties in his youth.”

“Ah, but then
I had none to injure
but
m
yself,”
purred a soft
voice
behind
hi
m
.
“You
on
the
other
hand,
Do
m
i
nic, have a fa
m
ily, and it would not do to lay Sophie open
to go
s
sip.
She
is
p
l
aced in
o
u
r
care;
therefore
I
will not allow you to bring her to the attention of the scandal mongers. You
m
ay
m
a
ke what you will of your own actions, but beware her reputation.”

Vale spun round on his heel.
“Forgive
m
e, Father,” he said,
his
v
o
ice
heavy
with
sarca
s
m.
“I
had
not
realized how
worthy
of
note
my
actions
are,
how
closely
you
feel it ne
c
ess
a
ry to
f
ollow th
em
.”

“Then
it
is
ti
m
e
you
realized it,
and
took
m
o
r
e
care. Your
m
other would allow you too much freedo
m
; she is too lax with you. I, on the other hand, have an eye to the propri
e
ties
a
nd
will
h
ave
them observed.
Now
make
yo
u
r bow and seek another partner. Sophie
m
ust not be seen to be
m
onopolized and you will injure her reputation if you will in
s
i
s
t
o
n de
f
ying me.”

“As
ever,
y
our
servant, sir
,
”
m
ocked
Vale.
M
aking
a short
bow
he
turned
to
Sophie
and
briefly
kissed
her fingers before going in search of their hostess to
m
ake his adieu, he would not re
m
a
in under
his
father’s
censure.