Page 44 of The Rake's Bride
All pleasant musings evaporated as soon as he entered the dining room and saw not only Victoria, but Dominic already seated and waiting for him. The sight of his nephew wearing his best clothing and seated across from Victoria was so unexpected that his steps stuttered.
The boy turned to him, his face utterly beaming with pride. His smile was so wide that it revealed the tooth in the side of his mouth that had come loose only the week before. His clothing was a perfect miniature replica of what Rafe wore—adark coat, a patterned brown waistcoat, breeches, and a starched white cravat knotted simply beneath his chin. Even his shoes—the ones Victoria had purchased for him shortly after their first meeting—were polished to an impeccable shine. He was turned out in the highest of fashion for someone his age, and Rafe was confused.
“What is going on here?” he finally asked, looking between his nephew and his wife. Unfortunately, this caused his attention to snag on the vision that was Victoria. She was dressed in a sky-blue gown more suited for a ballroom than a quiet supper at home. The cut exposed the delicate curve of her shoulders, a tantalizing hint of her decolletage lifted to delectable perfection, and accentuated the trimness of her form. Gems glittered at her ears and were draped from her throat, cascading in a waterfall to her cleavage. She was clothed to stun and impress.
His mouth went dry so suddenly and so fiercely that he could not form a protest when Victoria stood, made a quick excuse to Dominic, and wrenched Rafe from the room. She whirled on him as soon as they were out in the hallway, but he could think of nothing past the gorgeous contrast between her ivory skin and sable hair.
“This is the country,” Victoria began in a low hiss. “I thought the setting would be informal enough that it would not be an issue if I invited Dominic to join us at the table for supper.”
He could not form another thought beyond, “Children do not usually dine with adults.” He knew it was inane, but how could he possibly concoct anything more coherent with her looking as beautiful as she did?
She pursed her lips and made a rather rude sound so incongruous with her elegant appearance that he actually jumped. “It is his birthday,” she whispered more loudly. “And the boy desires nothing above being just like his uncle. Do not shatter his joy by sending him away. If you do, so help me—”
“Very well!” Rafe’s chuckle masked just how unnerved he was by Victoria’s powerful vehemence. He snagged her wagging finger and brought the back of her hand to his lips. “How can I resist when it is clear you’ve put such thought into planning this evening?”
She replied with a sniff and regal nod of her head before allowing him to escort her back into the dining room, where Dom waited for them. He was busy kicking his feet back and forth, watching the repetitive motion with downcast eyes. He looked up at their entrance, and the slump of his shoulders was evidence of what he expected to happen next. It twisted Rafe’s heart in his chest that this boy—the one who, if Victoria could be believed, idolized him even though he possessed very few redeeming qualities—thought he would send him away. He was shaken by the faith both Dom and Victoria had in him, unnerved by the power he held in their lives. He wasn’t certain he could live up to whatever image of him their minds possessed. He wasn’t sure he was worthy.
Taking a few precious seconds to regain his composure, Rafe guided Victoria back to her seat, saw her settled, and then took up his own chair at the head of the table. He could feel Dom’s expectant eyes upon him, gauging his every move to see when he would be sent back up to Nan and his sisters.
Rafe cleared his throat and raised a hand to the footman in the corner. The man ducked away to begin retrieving the dishes Victoria had planned with the kitchen staff. Rafe turned his attention to Dom and asked, “So. What was your favorite part of today?”
Immediately, the boy sat up straight in his chair and launched into a detailed account of how much he’d enjoyed his gifts and, much to Rafe’s chagrin, how Rafe had been forced to wade nearly waist-deep in the pond to retrieve the pole that hadslipped from his hands…while Dom had caught no less than five fish.
Victoria’s giggle was unmistakable, and Rafe shot her a look that promised retribution.
The comfortable, upbeat chatter lasted throughout the meal. From the potato leek soup to the fresh trout landed by the lad of honor just that day, to the herb-crusted roast and on through to the sticky toffee pudding—which everyone agreed was delightful and the highlight of the delicious meal—Dom was elated to be treated like the little lord he was. His manners were remarkably impeccable, if a bit exaggerated. Every polite request, each time he refrained from slurping or dropping his food to the tablecloth or his clothes, Rafe grew more and more impressed with his nephew—how had the boy learned and grown so much without him noticing? Furthermore, more than once, Rafe caught Dom mimicking his posture or timing his bites to match his own, further underscoring Victoria’s belief that the lad idolized him. It was humbling.
His heart swelled watching Dominic and Victoria interact and converse. There was respect in every one of her queries and comments. A wave of contentment washed over him as he sat there with his family. He couldn’t stop staring at the scene Victoria had curated, the care she had placed in every detail that entire day. What had begun as a hunt for money had somehow wound up leading him to the one woman the children needed most…thathehad needed most.
How had that happened?
How had she come to mean so much to all of them?
A grinning Victoria turned to him, and he suddenly knew the answer.
Because she wasVictoria.
No other woman could have moved so seamlessly into their lives and made them all brighter. No other woman could havetolerated what he’d put her through and remained as strong and self-possessed. No other woman could have made him feel like he could turn his back on everything he’d ever believed was important and reconsider what his life could be.
Following the meal,their trio adjourned to the sitting room for a game of charades spearheaded by none other than his wife.
Normally, Rafe would not have participated in the game for all the gold in the world, but he was apparently pathetically weak when presented with Victoria and Dominic’s hopeful faces. He’d felt quite absurd pretending to trot around the room like a horse, but experienced redemption when Dominic was forced to pantomime a cat and Victoria was at a loss over how to mimic a frog with any sort of grace or dignity during her turn. Rafe did not believe he would ever forget the sight of his wife attempting to hop across the room in an evening gown—something he knew every other woman of his acquaintance would have sneered at or simply refused to participate. The uproarious laughter echoing off the wood-paneled walls of the room made it all worth it.
The clock chimed the late hour and, with impeccable timing, Nan appeared to whisk Dom off to bed.
“I don’t want to go,” Dom groused, arms crossed over his chest. For all his mature behavior throughout the meal, this was a reminder that he was, indeed, still a boy, and it was hours past time when he would have been asleep. Despite the excitement glittering in his eyes and the joy radiating from his body, Dom’s exhaustion was evident in every one of his features.
“Lord and Lady Blackwood were extremely kind to invite you to dine with them and then allow you to stay up so late tonight. Do not be ungrateful and demand more of them still,” Nan chastised gently.
Victoria held out a hand to the boy and Dominic barely managed to stifle a yawn. He rounded the low table set beforethe sofa and she patted his arm. “I am so pleased you enjoyed your day of birthday celebrations, Dominic. It was lovely to dine with you, and I hope we will have the opportunity to do it again soon.”
Sensing that his time free of the nursery was growing short whether he liked it or not, Dom whirled on Rafe. “I will go to bed, but only if you promise I’ll be able to join you for after-dinner drinks one day.”
The request was so unexpected, so specific, that Rafe couldn’t help the slight chuckle of disbelief that passed his lips. He went silent when he saw the fierce determination on Dominic’s face. “Very well. One day,” he said.
“Promise.” Dominic leveled his most intimidating stare at him. “Promise me.”
“I promise, Dom.”
