Dominic (41 page)

Lady
Buck
m
aster
proved
an
elus
i
v
e
hostess
a
n
d
it
was a short while before he was able to
m
ake his
excuses. However, on his return to the
m
ain salon his eyes im
m
ediately
sought
Sophie.
Once
again
the
situation
was to be left unresolved and it irked him
beyond belief.

Seeing
her
at
t
h
e
furt
h
er
s
ide
of
the
salon
he
would have gone to bid his farewell but he was brought up short by
the
sig
h
t
of
W
roxham accepting
a
flower
from her corsage and his jealousy flared. Had he but known it, Sophie bestowed the favor only in a desire to be rid of her would-be
suitor
who
had
begged
her
for
a
token
and would
not
leave
her
side
until
she
had
co
m
plied,
but
he did
not.
Instead
his
te
m
per
m
ade
it
such
that
he
did
not dare
approach
the
pair
and instead left the soiree in a very disagreeable
m
ood.
Casting
hi
m
self into his coach, he commanded his driver to take him
to Ridleys.

*****

Ridleys,
w
hich
catered
m
ainly
for
the
younger
m
e
mbers of the
haute ton,
appeared so
m
ewhat sparse of co
m
pany
;
an unusual occurrence for so late in the
evening
,
but
even
so,
his
l
o
rdship
had
no
problem in finding like-
m
i
nded acquaintances to
m
ake
up a
table.
The night wore on into the early hours, a bottle of brandy, of which he frequently partook, continually sitting at his elbow.

Drum
m
ond
and
Fitzwillia
m
, entering
the establish
m
ent so
m
e while later wer
e drawn by the murmur of voices
and ca
m
e
into
the
room
which
was
devoid
of
players
other than tho
s
e who acco
m
pa
nied the e
arl.

“Vale takes all, I see,” said Drum
m
o
nd.

“Better t
h
at we sho
u
ld play elsewhere,” replied Fitzwillia
m
. “He looks in a hell of a
m
ood, and three quarters drunk into the bargain. Best be avoided.”

The
gentle
m
an
to
the
le
f
t
of the
e
arl,
noti
c
ing
t
h
e
late arri
v
als, r
a
i
s
ed
a
h
and
in
sal
u
te.
“Co
m
e
take
a
seat,
F
it
z
, Drum
m
ond.” he called.

The
e
arl
looked
up
from his
cards. “Is
that
y
o
u
there, Fitz
?
” he queried. “If you have a
m
i
nd to it, I’ve no objections.
Fact
is, would
welco
m
e
so
m
e
new
blood.
The ga
m
e’s turned da
m
ned dull.”

Seeing
the
heap
of
gold
and
pledges lying on the baize in
front
of
his
lordship,
Fitzwilliam shook
his
head.
“I’m not
playing
tonight,
Vale,
not
when
you
are
so
obviously in luck. What
chance have
I when the cards
seem deter
m
ined to run your way
?
”

Vale s
m
iled wickedly. “I raise the stakes by a hundred gentle
m
en,”
he
said,
throwing a
pi
le
of
guine
a
s
into t
h
e
center
of the table. A
s
t
o
cky
m
a
n, sitting at the end of the table growled, “You pu
s
h the play too deep,
m
y
lord, the stakes are high enough.”

“If
m
y play is not to y
o
ur li
k
ing we will n
o
t
m
i
ss your
presence, March,” scorned the e
a
rl. In his cups he
m
ay be but
he
re
m
ained
p
e
rfectly
lucid,
only
a
certain
recklessness proclaiming his inebriation
.
“Drum
m
ond, you
take
his
seat,”
he
com
m
a
nded.
“I
can’t
win
forever. By
the
law of
averages,
I
am bound
to
take
a
tu
m
ble eventually. Co
m
e, have so
m
e courage.”

“It
’
s
too
l
a
te
to
sta
r
t
with
a
new
set
now,”
stated
Drum
m
ond.

“Late
?
” queried his lordship. “‘Tis early.
W
e
h
a
ve but just reached half
after t
h
ree.”

“Ah, but I head for
Kennington
at six, Vale.”

“
W
hat the deuce
do you go to that
God forsaken place for, and so earl
y
?”

“
A prize fight, my friend, one that should not be
m
i
ssed. Toby
m
atches Jim Tabbs.”

“A
m
atch definitely not to be
m
i
ssed,” enthused his lordship, sitting
uprig
h
t
in
his
chair.
“I have half a
m
i
nd to go
m
yself.
Kennington
you say
?
”

“Aye, three days hence. Damme, I
m
ean day after to
m
orrow, I forget what day I am
in.”

“Then I shall finish up here and follow in your wake. Thoughts
of
a
prize
fight
certainly
appeal.
I
shall
not
be far
behind
you.
Be
so
good
as
to
bespeak
roo
m
s
for
m
e and
m
y man, I have no
d
oubt the
p
l
ace will
b
e crowded.”

“
W
e
intend
m
aking
a
week of
it.
Do
you
join
us
?
” queried
Fit
z
willia
m
,
taking
snu
f
f and
dusting
his
f
i
ngers lightly. “There are to be other bouts spread over the days. Thought we
m
ay as w
e
ll re
m
ain and perhaps get a few pointers. Toby is setting up a boxing school on his return, have half a
m
i
nd to patronize it.
W
h
at think you
?
”

“An
excellent
idea
,
”
a
g
reed
Vale. “As
for
m
aking
a week of it, then certainly. London starts to bore
m
e. I would find amuse
m
ent elsewhere.”

Seeing his friends depart in preparation for the journey, Vale decided to follow their exa
m
ple and bringing the ga
m
e
to a quick and profitable end, he too departed for his roo
m
s, com
m
anding his curricle to be brought round at seven,
reasoning
that
he
could
still
be
in
Kennington
by nightfall
the
following
day.
In this mood, he had not the desire
or
inclination
to
info
r
m any
m
e
mbers
of
his
f
a
m
ily that he was going out of town, confir
m
ed that they would be only too relieved to learn of
h
i
s absence, the
effects
of the brandy only adding weight to his conviction.