Dominic (53 page)

So
m
e
while
lat
e
r,
h
e
r
s
l
u
m
ber
was
rudely
int
e
rrupt
e
d by the sound of the large,
h
eavy door being dragged open to reveal
V
ale standing silhouetted by the driving rain, peering into the dim inter
i
or. Reaching forward, Sophie hastily snatched up the loft ladder. It was this move
m
ent that attracted
his attention, and he ca
m
e abruptly inside
,
closing the door behind hi
m
.

“Is that you, chit?” he de
m
anded, co
m
i
ng to stand beneath the loft and attempting to s
e
e her in the di
m
ness.

She
dared
n
ot
answer,
b
ut
lay back
away
from
t
he
ed
g
e hoping to re
m
ain undiscovered.

“Answer
me,
forswear
I have had enough of this foolishness,”
he
roared,
his
r
e
ason co
m
pletely
f
orsaking him and
h
i
s
te
m
per
f
l
aring.
“If
you
are
fearful
for
W
roxh
a
m,
he
lives
and
by
now is half-way back to London.
If
he
is
what
you
truly
want,
then
you
shall
have
hi
m
,
only
f
i
rstly
you
m
u
st
listen
to
m
e.
I
will
h
a
ve
m
y
say.
Now
come
down
,
I
am
soaked
and
completely
out
of
patie
n
ce with you, you silly
g
i
rl.”

Sophie
edged
towards
the
rim and
peeped
over
at
the sodden
figure
beneath,
his
upturned
countenance appearing
even
darker
in
the
poor
light,
and
still
she
did not answer. However Vale caug
h
t sight of her white shirt and
golden
curls
and
a
slow relieved
s
m
ile
spread
over
h
i
s visage now that he was confir
m
ed of her presence.

“Very well, Jack, have it you
r
own way,” he said
m
o
r
e cal
m
l
y, turning his back and heading for the door. “If you have no desire to talk to
m
e,
I will return to the inn. There is
no
point
in
m
y r
e
m
aining
here,
not
when
I
can
have
the war
m
th and comforts of The Greyhound. I will await you there
should
you
choose
to
join
m
e.
If
not,
I
return
to London on the
m
orrow.” He paused before opening the door,
but
as
he
heard
no
move
m
ent
from above,
he
pushed it wide and went once more into the rain.

Sophie waited a moment before struggling into her
now
al
m
ost
dry
coat
and care
f
ully
l
e
tting
do
w
n
the
ladder. Swinging
her
legs
over
the
rim she
cautiously
descended
t
he
r
i
cke
t
y
s
t
ruc
t
ure
but
as
so
o
n
as
she
achieved
the ground she ran to the door, swinging it wide. However, peering
through
the
do
w
npour
she could see no sign of his lordship and in panic she called, “
Do
m
inic
.”

Im
m
ediately
Vale
ap
p
eared
from where
he
had
been standing around the side of the building, his grinning countenance
infuriating
her
as
he
pushed
her
none
too
gently back inside.

“
W
ell
?
” he said, holding her shoulders so that
she was forced
to
meet
his
g
aze.
“
W
hat
now?
Am I
to
ret
r
ie
v
e
W
r
oxh
a
m for you or are you pre
p
ared to listen to
m
e
?
”

“You are hateful,”
she cried,
sta
m
ping her foot and atte
m
pting
to
wriggle
free
of
his
hold.
“Let
m
e
go.
You will not c
o
erce
m
e. I want nothing to do with you. Whatever
you have to say is of no interest
whatsoever to
m
e.”

“Then why did you call
m
e back
?
” he asked, only the slight twitching of his li
p
s betraying his a
m
us
e
m
ent.

“I don’t know,” she lied, at last breaking free of his hold.
“I...I
am lost
and
do
not
know
how
to
return
to
the inn.”

“I
see,”
h
e said with mock solemnity.
“I
am
to
act
m
erely
as
your
guide,
am I?
Should
we
not
re
m
ain
here until
the
r
ain
abates
and then
we
can ret
u
r
n
?
I
m
ay
still
be in ti
m
e to waylay
W
roxha
m
.”

“I have no desire whatsoever for
W
r
oxha
m
.”

“Then tell me, why the wish to elope with hi
m
?
”

She gave
no answer to
his question; instead, she asked quietly, “Could we not go back, Do
m
i
nic
?
I am cold and hungry
.
”

“Aye,
and
so
am I,
Jack.”
he
replied.
He
was
so
m
e
what perple
x
ed
a
t
her r
e
luctance
to di
s
cuss
t
h
e
matt
e
r
b
u
t realized
he
must
approach
the issue
with
so
m
e
caution
l
e
st he should put her to flight again.

“Co
m
e,
we will
ret
u
rn
,
”
he
s
a
id.
“W
e
can
talk
later when
we
are
dry
and
w
ar
m
.
I
will
be
lacking
in
m
y
duty
as tutor if I allowed
you to take a chill.”

As
he
wou
l
d
have
turned
from her
to
open
the
door Sophie
forestalled
his action by
taking
hold
of
his
sleeve. “Do
m
inic,
there
is
something
I
must
ask
you,”
she
said quietly,
as
he
turned
enquirin
g
ly
to
face
her. “I
m
ust know—is it your Bird of Paradise?”

“Is
what
my
Bird
of
P
ar
a
dise
?
” he asked, thoroughly perplexed, not understanding her
m
eaning.

“
W
hom you
have
taken
to
m
i
stress,”
she
replied
in
a s
m
all voice, not daring to hear his answer.