Dominic (56 page)

*****

W
hen
Vale
retur
n
ed
to
the
p
a
rlor
a
short
while
later, the
d
uke
poured
him out
a
gl
a
ss
of
the
claret
and
waited f
or his opinion. Sophie and the d
uchess re
m
ained in the apart
m
ent above.

“Though
why
they
sh
o
uld
find it
n
ecessary
to
take
so long about their dressing I know not,” co
m
p
l
ained the d
uke. “Now, Do
m
i
nic, tell
m
e, what do you think of the wine?
Is it to your taste?”

“Undoubtedly,
very
pleasing,” replied
Vale,
coming
to sit
with
his
f
ather
on
the
settle
by the
h
e
arth,
f
eeling
a cordiality
in his
co
m
pany
that
h
ad
b
een
abse
n
t
for
so
m
e while.

Savoring the wine, the d
uke eased back in his seat,
stretching
his elegantly booted legs before him and
neglige
n
tly
crossing
th
e
m
at
the
ankle.
“Perhaps
now
you
will enlighten
me
about
Kennington
?
Undoubtedly you
have
a
perfectly
sound reason
for
your
journey,
but
you must realize that your sudden disappearance lead to so
m
e concern.”

Mirroring
his
fathe
r
’s
actions,
Vale
too
took
his
ease. “A
whi
m
,
sir,
a
m
ere
whi
m
.
I
heard
tell
of a
m
ill
between Toby and Jim Tabbs and thought it too good a
m
atch to
m
iss.”

“And the outco
m
e
?
”

“A
victory
f
or
Tabbs,
though
I
m
ust say that the result was far from certain. They were quite evenly
m
atched.”

“Knocked his
m
an out, did he
?
”

“Devil a
b
it.
A clean ho
o
k to the jaw!”

A
brief sile
n
ce
r
e
igned
u
ntil,
laying
a
side
his
g
l
a
s
s,
the d
uke turned fully to face his son and in a tone that indicated he would brook no def
i
ance said, “Now the niceties are
over,
I
will
co
m
e
straight
to the
p
oint.
You must
m
arry Sophie. The child will be ruined and I cannot allow
it.
S
h
e
deserves
b
ett
e
r
than
t
h
at.
Indeed,
f
rom what your
m
other tells
m
e, it is you she wants not
W
roxh
a
m. Though
why
she
found
it
so
necessary
to
elope
with
him I know
not.
I
will
never
u
nderstand
t
h
e
chit’s
rea
s
oning.
It is quite beyond
m
e.”

“But
not
beyond
m
e,
sir,”
ad
m
itted Vale
quietly.
“I understand
the
m
otive
behind
her
actions
only
too
well and the fault is entirely
m
i
ne I assure you. As to
m
arrying her—it
is
m
y
very
intention.
Indeed,
it
is
what
we
both
desire.”

“Excellent,”
replied
the
d
uke,
rising
to
refill
their glasses. “A
r
range
m
ents
will
b
e
m
ade
im
m
ediat
e
ly
on
o
u
r return
to
L
ondon.
W
e
can
allay
the
tittle-tattles
and
all will
ap
p
ear as
it
sho
u
ld be.”
He
w
a
s
taken ab
a
ck
by
t
h
e alacrity
with
which his son had
agreed
to
his ordering.
He had
expected
a
repeat
of
his interview
at
Stovely
and
had been prep
ar
ed
f
or a battle of
wills.

*****

Sophie explained all to the d
uchess with the exception of the Bird of Paradise, thinking it prudent to o
m
it this from
her dialogue.

The d
uchess being delighted at the news that they were to
m
arry embraced her war
m
ly. “My dear, not
h
ing could please
us
more,”
she
said,
f
i
nding it necessary to wipe a
tear
from
her
eye
.
“
Y
ou
will
be
the
making
of
him
. Indeed,
your
influence
is
in
evidence
already.
F
orswear I have
never
s
een
him
so
a
m
enable
when
pre
s
ented
with
h
i
s
father’s
cen
s
ure.”

*****

There
was
a
great
air
of
cordiality
when
the
y
all
sat
in the parlor a short while later. “I have known all along how it
would
be,”
proclai
m
e
d
the d
uchess,
s
m
iling
brightly
at her son and patting his hand as she sat beside him on the settle.
“It
was
just
a
m
atter of
ti
m
e.
I
know you
better
than you know yourself, and see
m
ore than
you would credit. Am
I
not
your
m
other
and
as
such
understand
far
m
ore than you would allow?”

S
m
iling
war
m
ly,
the
e
a
r
l
carried
his
mother’s
fi
n
ger
to
his
lips.
“There
is
no
doubt
you
understand
m
e
better
than
I
understand
myself
,
my
dear
,
”
he
said
.
“
I
had
not
e
nvisaged such a happy outco
m
e when I took a pupil.”

“It will be a
m
agn
ificent wedding,” enthused the d
uchess. “Everything as it should be.
W
ho would have thought that you would be
m
arried before Regina? It will probably put her nose out of joint
,
but that we must bear.” Then turning to Sophie, “You shall have the
m
ost
splendid wedding gown and bri
d
e’s
c
l
oth
e
s, my love.
W
e will
h
ave such
a
ti
m
e
choosing
your
trousseau.
Now
you
truly
will be our daughter.”

The evening continued in
m
uch
t
he sa
m
e v
e
in, all appearing extre
m
ely well pleased
w
ith t
h
e outc
o
m
e of the day
until,
as the
ti
m
e
to
retire
ne
a
re
d
,
his
lordship
notic
e
d that his betrothed’s
m
ood sobered so
m
ewhat and a slight fr
own clouded her brow. When the duke and d
uchess decided to retire, he held Sophie back so that he
m
ay enquire of the source of her concern.