To Have and to Hold (7 page)

In a desperate
attempt to divert his wayward thoughts away from his gloomy emotions, he
studied the milling crowds.
 
Farmer’s
wives dressed simply in coarse cotton herded the laughing children as they
chased the noisy geese through the bustling crowd.
 
People milled in and out of shops lining the
busy street.
 

His heart froze
in his chest as he blinked against the surge of disbelief that swept through
him.
 
There!
 
Was grief playing tricks upon his mind?
 

Reigning Brutus
to a stop he sat perfectly still, the myriad of colours and sound disappearing
to a numbing buzz as he struggled to absorb what, or indeed whom, he was
actually seeing.
  

Heart thumping
crazily in his chest, he ignored the curious stares of the locals and leaned
forward in the saddle.
 
His gaze locked
intently on the cloaked figure moving hesitantly through the crowd.
 
He knew it couldn’t be but his heart screamed
it had to be; it simply had to be!

“Sweet Jesus!”
he murmured softly as he tipped his head sideways to try to see more of the
face.
 
The hood of the over-long cloak
was tugged upwards shielding the face from all but the most intense
scrutiny.
 
He had still caught sight of
the haunting blue eyes that had plagued his dreams for the past few
months.
 
There was
something
about the way the figure moved that was so hauntingly
familiar he just couldn’t discount.
 
Willing the figure to look towards the main road once more, just once
again, he knew he would have the answer.
 
He knew he could discount the possibilities and go home.

Cursing himself
for a fool he waited until the figure disappeared into the bakery before
quickly dismounting and taking the reins in one hand waited patiently for this
insanity to stop, for surely he knew the woman he loved could not possibly be purchasing
bread in the village bakery!
 

It seemed to
take a lifetime for the figure to re-appear.
 
Dominic’s gaze locked upon the delicate curve of the pointed chin that
was clearly visible in the shadows of the billowing cloak hood.
 
Without further thought he placed his not
inconsiderable bulk directly in line of the approaching figure, cursing himself
to be the worst kind of fool for such ridiculous flights of fancy.
 
Within moments, he had his answer.

Isobel’s stunned
blue eyes met and held his with shocked disbelief.
 
Her gasp hung between them briefly before
disappearing into the cacophony of noise that seemed to disappear before
returning louder than ever before.
 

Dominic’s world
rocked on its heels as he stared into the features of the one person he had
never thought to see again.
 
Isobel!

“Sweet
mother of God!”
 
He murmured softly as his ravenous gaze swept
over her beautiful features hungrily absorbing every new nuance and hollow of
her beloved features.

Isobel’s world
swam around her as she stared up at Dominic’s tanned face with a strange
mixture of loving dread.
 
Despite
everything, she knew in that instant, she still loved him and undoubtedly
always would.
 
Oh God, he was so
handsome.

The dark slashes
of his thick brows emphasised the startling emerald green gaze that now pierced
her with hungry intensity, causing her blood to thrum crazily through her body.

Tears sprang
into her eyes as her gaze met and held his. Standing perfectly still she could
make no sound as her body cried out hungrily to the comfortingly solid bulk of
the man before her.
 
Suddenly, despite
everything, she just wished he would slide his arms around her and hold
her.
 
Just once more.
 
Her heart thumped crazily in her chest, and
she found herself unable to move as his hungry gaze roamed randomly over her
from head to foot.
 

“Isobel?
 
Is it really you?”
 
He made no attempt to hide the
incredulousness from his voice.
   

Everything
within Isobel yearned to lean against his solid warmth.
 
The only comfort she received in several long
and very harrowing months.
 
Unchecked
tears trickled slowly down her pale features as she absorbed his very presence
before her.
 
If God should strike her
down now, she would happily cross the gates of Heaven to spend her last moments
with this man
beside her; she thought morosely ignoring the loud growl of her empty stomach
beneath the loose waistband of her breeches.
 

She found
herself unable to murmur a sound as his hand slowly rose to cup her cold cheek
so tenderly.
 
Horror surged through her
as she immediately snapped back to her current predicament and his married
status, and she watched in horror the stooped figure of her Uncle approach.

“Isobel,
darling!”
 
Dominic got no further.
 

“Please help
me!”
 
Isobel whispered, her gaze, frankly
pleading as it met and held his.
 
“If I
ever meant anything to you at all, please help me.”
 
She knew she was begging, but pride meant
nothing to her against her current predicament.
 
With her Uncle and imminent capture fast approaching it was imperative
Dominic understand the situation and help her.
 
She couldn’t bear the thought of being handed over to her Uncle!
 
To be betrayed by Dominic would be the worst
kind of defeat, Isobel didn’t think she could bear!

Dominic’s breath
locked in his chest as he looked at the sheer pleading on Isobel’s face.
 
Frowning in consternation the questions froze
in his throat as he heard the one voice he had wanted to hear so badly, but
hoped not to hear at that exact moment!

Ignoring the
squat man whose presence he could sense directly behind him, Dominic went
against every protective instinct within him.

“I gave you your
duties this morning, lad!” He snapped impatiently.
 
“What do you think you are doing undertaking
errands for cook?
 
Get back to the Hall
this instant!”
 
His voice brooked no
argument as he snapped out his command.
 
Gaze firmly locked upon Isobel’s stunned surprise; he tried with
everything within him to convey all the emotions current circumstances
prevented him from voicing, pleading with her to trust him.
 
Please
darling, go!
 
He tried to convey, but
was bursting with frustration as she hesitated, her delicate brow puckered in
confusion.
 
Determined to protect her at
all costs, he gave her a gentle shove towards the road, and away from the
menacing threat of her Uncle.
 
Without
further discourse he watched carefully as she suddenly launched into action and
disappeared into the milling throng amid the main street, hoping with all of
his heart, she had the wisdom to seek sanctuary at
Tavistock
Hall.

It took everything
within him to turn towards the rotund little man now standing at his elbow with
a dispassionate brow.
 
In reality, he
wanted to beat the man to within an inch of his life.
 
Drawing upon reserves he didn’t know he had
within him, he stared coldly down at Isobel’s Uncle Rupert silently, smiling
cynically as the little man shuffled uncomfortably beneath the penetrating
stare.
 

“Good morning,
my Lord.”
 
Rupert Davenport announced
with a jovial smile that did little to reach his beady brown eyes.

Dominic wondered
why he had brown eyes when Isobel’s were so vividly blue.
 
Casually dismissing the wayward thought he
stared coldly at the little man.

“What do you
want Davenport?”
 
He snapped impatiently
with a quick glance towards the milling throng.
 
“I don’t believe we are well enough acquaintances for you to approach me
in the street.”
 
He made no attempt to
disguise the contempt in his voice and felt a small measure of satisfaction in
the uncomfortable shuffling of the squat little man as he tried to find a way
around the awkward situation he was now in.

“I had heard you
were dead, my Lord.”
 
Rupert Davenport
replied as he watched with interest the heavily cloaked figure disappear into
the bustling throng.
 
His attention was
drawn back to the looming presence of the man before him as he snorted with
derision.

“Sorry to
disappoint you old man,” Dominic snarled with a disgusted glare.
 
He shifted slightly towards the elder man
drawing his attention away from Isobel.
 
Smiling inwardly he knew he had to give Isobel every chance of escaping
the vile creature before him.
 
Sheer
civility decreed it impolite to simply beat the man senseless there and
then!
 

“How is Peter
Davenport. “
 
Dominic wasn’t fooled by
the conversational tone of the older man.
 
“I understand you are good friends with him.
 
Is it true what the gossips are saying?”
 

Despite his
hatred for the man, Dominic found himself intrigued.
 
“What are the gossips saying?”

“Well, I
understand Peter was murdered by some Cornish smugglers” Rupert was unable to
keep the hint of glee from his voice.
 

“Sorry to
disappoint you
old man,
” Dominic felt
a small surge of satisfaction at the angry colour that flooded the cheeks of
the squalid man beside him.
 
“But the
last time I saw Peter, he was very much alive and well.”

“Oh,
but –“
               

Dominic
coldly interrupted the older man’s blustering with a nonchalant shrug of his
shoulders that caused the florid faced little man to blush further.
 
“You know you really must get yourself better
gossips.
 
Everyone you seem to know
appears to be dead!”
 
Dominic’s voice was
tinged with amusement as he casually mounted his horse before pausing briefly,
his gaze cold and disinterested as he stared down intently at Isobel’s Uncle.