Dominic (42 page)

Taking
only a s
m
all
port
m
anteau
with hi
m
,
he le
f
t London by the north road. Thoughts of Sophie and
W
r
oxh
a
m ever present in his
m
i
nd to tor
m
ent hi
m
, he drove
at
break-neck
speed
with
his
groom clinging precariously behind.

Chapter
Thirteen

Reaching
Kennington
, despite
the e
x
tre
m
e lateness
of the hour, such was the press of pedestrians and vehicles in the stre
e
t
s
th
a
t
h
i
s
lords
h
ip
was
obli
g
ed
to
s
t
eady
h
i
s
team and slacken
t
h
eir
pace
c
o
nsidera
b
ly. The
town
appeared tee
m
ing with life and when he finally drew his vehicle up outside
The
Bull,
a
l
a
r
g
e
inn
sit
u
at
e
d
on
the
m
a
in
stre
e
t, he was amazed at the nu
m
ber of phaetons, gigs and curricles
present
in
its
y
ard.
Handi
n
g the
r
e
ins
o
ver
to
his groo
m
, he
s
prang lightly down and striding into the inn found it to be full to overflowing with sporting gentle
m
en. Peeling off his driving gloves
he searched
the
throng for sight
of
Drummond
or
Fitzwilliam but
failing
to
see
either of
th
e
m he
strode
over
to
the
landlord
de
m
anding
whether roo
m
s had been secured on his behalf.

“I
am
a
f
raid
not
sir,”
said
the
landlord
apologetically. “All
the
r
o
o
m
s have
been
b
e
spoken several days in advance.
However,
Mr.
Fitzwilliam has
left
a
message
for
your lordship saying that he has managed to procure
roo
m
s
at
The
Pheasa
n
t
only
t
w
o
m
iles
on
the
north
road out of
Kennington
. He said he would be greatly obliged if you would join them
there, sir.”

Vale thank
e
d the lan
d
l
o
rd and r
e
tu
r
ning to his curricle drove
it
out
of
the
yard
and
back
to
the
m
ain
coaching road
which
he
followed
until
The
Pheasant
ca
m
e
into sight.
It
was
a
long,
low, whitewashed
building
and
its setting was much quieter than that of The Bull, although there
still
appeared
to
be
a
s
u
rfeit of vehicles
in
its yar
d
. The ostlers ca
m
e readily forwa
r
d to take charge of the horses
whilst
Vale
ordered
his
groom to
supervise
their care and then to bring his port
m
anteau into the inn.

The interior of the inn was not
m
uch less crowded than had been
T
he Bull but his lordship had no difficulty in locating
his
friends
who
were
s
itting
in
t
h
e
tap
r
o
om with several
other
young sporting
blood
s
, all eagerly discussing the possibilities of the projected
m
atch.

“Deuced glad you
m
a
de it,” grinned Drummond, pressing a tankard of ale into Vale’s
hand.

“
You doubted it
?
”
queried
his
lordship
,
drinking deeply
to
w
ash
away
the
dust
of
the
road
from his
parched thro
a
t.

“
W
ell you were heavily in your cups when last I saw you, wondered whether you would still be of the sa
m
e
m
i
nd once you sobered.”

“
Drunk or sober I am always of the same mind
,” replied his lordship, holding his tankard
aloft
so that
a serving girl could refill it. “My intellect
is not as feeble
as you
would
seem to
believe
it to
be,”
and
he
once
m
ore drank deeply, finding it diffic
u
lt to
q
uench his thirst.

“That
is
o
n
e
thing
you cannot
be
accused
of,”
stated Fitzwilliam clapping
his
hand
on
Vale’s
shoulder.
“Never known
you
t
o
be
anything
other
than
slap
up
to
the
nines.
It
would
have
to
be
a
knowing
cove
who
could
put
one over on you.”

“I
am gratified
at
your
con
f
idence
in
m
e,”
replied
Vale silkily. “N
o
w tell
m
e what ti
m
e
the match is
tomorrow?”

“Noon, at Steeple’s Cross.”

“Good,
then
we
have
plenty
of
ti
m
e
to
try
our
luck
with the cards.”

“By
Gad,
do
you
never
sleep, Vale
?
” asked Drummond a
m
azed at his lords
h
ip’s fortitude.

The e
arl grinned, saying, “Only when absolutely necessary.
Why
waste
the
e
v
ening
when we can
b
e otherwise
engaged?
However
I
do
have
a
need
for
food, so if you g
e
ntle
m
en will allow
m
e, I
will order my supper and then I
w
ill
b
e with
y
ou dire
c
tly.”

Once
m
ore,
the
play
lasted
well
into
the
early
hours and their existed a hardness about
Vale’s
countenance,
but none dared ask its cause, both Drummond and Fitzwilliam dee
m
ing it prudent to
m
ake no re
m
ark. Once
again, the brandy stood at his elbow.

*****

Rising shortly after ten the next
m
o
rning, his lordship
m
ade
his
l
e
isur
e
ly
way
down
to
t
h
e
co
ff
ee-ro
o
m
to
join his friends over a hearty breakfast. Nothing but the slight frown
that creased his brow at any sudden
noise proclai
m
ed
any
consequence from
the
previous
night’s excesses
a
n
d
he
appeared
full
of
enthusia
s
m for
the projected outing.

“I have se
n
t
m
y
m
an to procure a ringsi
d
e place
,
” in
f
or
m
ed Fitzwillia
m
. “The spect
a
to
r
s will have sta
r
ted to arrive
early
and
it
would
not
do
that
we
should
be
forced
to
the
rear
.
W
e
need
but
take
one
vehicle
;
that
will
suffice.”

“An
excellent
i
d
ea,”
a
p
proved
Vale,
attacking
h
i
s
p
l
ate of
steak
and
eggs
which
he
washed down with a fo
a
m
ing tankard of ale. “All bodes well for a good
m
atch. The last ti
m
e I saw Toby and Tabbs fight it lasted a full thirty rounds
, over sixty minutes without either being the
outright victor. It’s ru
m
ored t
h
at both have achieved peak
f
itness, t
h
er
ef
ore today will
p
r
ove t
h
e test
.
”