Tall, Dark and Royal

by Vanessa Kelly

  “Really, Dominic, there’s no reason to be so rude.” Chloe sounded slightly out of breath as he pulled her up the stairs. “I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss.”

  Dominic’s eyes almost crossed with frustration that she would take her safety so lightly, and the fact that he could hear Griffin trying to smother another laugh didn’t improve his temper in the least. He herded them into his study and shut the door with a decided bang.

  Griffin strolled over to the drinks trolley and poured himself a brandy. “Mother, can I get you something to drink?” he asked politely.

  “No, thank you, dear. But perhaps you could pour one for Dominic. He seems to need it.”

  Grinding his back molars, Dominic stalked over to the fireplace. He braced both hands on the mantel and stared down into the glowing coals in the grate, inhaling deep breaths in an effort to remain in control. Chloe had a knack for blasting through his defenses, pulling his most volatile emotions to the surface. That obviously wasn’t going to change anytime soon, so he might as well start learning to manage them.

  Mentally fortifying himself, he turned to face Chloe and her son. They stood side by side, Chloe the picture of composure while Griffin held two tumblers of brandy. A faint, sympathetic smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Superficially, mother and son looked nothing alike—until one noticed the identical determined tilt to the jaw, the high, carved cheekbones, and same direct gaze. And as angry as he was with them, Dominic couldn’t suppress a flare of happiness that Chloe and Griffin had finally been reunited.

  “I assume,” he said, “that something happened at Camberwell to send you two haring off on that mad folly?”

  Chloe pursed her lips, clearly not liking his characterization, but she nodded to Griffin who proceeded to outline the events of the afternoon.

  “I take it,” Griffin said, finishing up, “that my ever-practical wife sent you a message as to our whereabouts?”

  “She did, and you can be grateful for that. God knows what would have happened if I hadn’t arrived when I did.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Campworth and I would have reached some sort of accommodation,” Chloe said. “It was very kind of you to come, Dominic, but it was entirely unnecessary.”

  Her tone made it clear that she didn’t find his interference kind at all.

  “Christ, woman,” he finally exploded. “Are you daft? I can understand the need to deal with Campworth and I can even understand sending your reprobate of a son, but you had no business going there. What you did, putting yourself in grave danger, was entirely unnecessary. It’s my job to take care of men like Campworth, not yours.”

  Chloe propped her hands on her hips, scowling at him. “I disagree. You clearly believe you’re doing me a service by interfering in my work, but I assure you such is not the case.”

  “I’m not interfering in your work, I’m trying to keep you alive,” Dominic roared.

  Her eyes popped wide. He couldn’t blame her, since he rarely lost his temper and never yelled. But Chloe’s return to his life had upset his mental equilibrium in ways he was only starting to realize. Some days he barely recognized himself.

  Chloe recovered from her surprise and marched up to him. She jabbed a forefinger into his chest—hard. “Now you listen to me, Dominic Hunter, I’ve had quite enough of your—”

  “For God’s sake,” Griffin broke in. “Will you two please shut the hell up? You’re worse than a pair of squabbling children.” He took Chloe by the elbow and steered her to one of the club chairs in front of Dominic’s desk. “Sit, Mother,” he said sternly.

  Much to Dominic’s surprise—and Chloe’s, he suspected—she did.

  Then Griffin turned his irritated gaze on Dominic. “Take the other chair, Dominic.”

  Dominic momentarily debated refusing, just to see how Griffin would react. Then he shrugged and took the seat next to Chloe, curiosity overriding his anger.

  The young man stood before them, his arms crossed over his chest as he disapprovingly eyed his elders. As usual, Griffin looked more like a highwayman than a gentleman, with his dramatic black garb and long, clubbed-back hair. But Dominic’s reluctant protégé had come a long way on the difficult road to slaying his personal demons and reclaiming the life that was rightfully his. Dominic would never have a son, but Griffin was the closest thing to it. He couldn’t help feeling something akin to a father’s pride and affection.

  Such an expression of emotion would appall Griffin. But it was there nonetheless, and Dominic intended to do everything he could to cherish Chloe and her family.

  Griffin shook his head in disgust. “You’ve been circling each other for over a month, and Justine and I can hardly stand to be in the same room with the two of you. You’re so bloody cautious with each other that one would never know you were once the best of friends. These days, you’re barely polite strangers. I’m not entirely sure what the problem is with Dominic, but you, Mother, have been wallowing in guilt long enough.”

  Chloe’s shoulders went up around her ears. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Griffin’s brows lifted in a sardonic tilt. “Mother, you’re so patently transparent it’s laughable. Rarely does a day go by that you don’t apologize to me for all your past failings, as you put it. Yes, you made mistakes, and we all agree it was the height of foolishness to hide yourself away for so many years. But we know why you did it.” He switched his attention to Dominic. “Don’t we?”

  Dominic met Griffin’s challenging gaze, and in that moment, all his half-formed theories and tangled emotions about Chloe suddenly sorted themselves with stunning clarity.

  “Yes, we do,” he replied. “Your mother was punishing herself for the past, for the shame she imagines she brought to her family and her good name. By denying herself the company of those she loved, she hoped to cleanse herself of those imaginary sins.”

  “They were not imaginary,” Chloe said in a tight voice. When she twisted in her chair and looked at Dominic, the sorrow in her eyes made him want to weep. “That shame all but killed my father, and I hurt you too, Dominic. And how can I forget the damage I inflicted on Griffin by abandoning him?”

  Dominic took her slender fingers in his. “My love, you were an innocent girl who was taken advantage of by one who knew better. No shame attaches to you. The fault was all Cumberland’s.”

  Like a child, she rubbed the tears from her cheeks with her free hand. “You warned me about him. I should have listened to you.”

  “I grew up with the swine, Chloe. I knew him a great deal better than you did. But it doesn’t matter. Not anymore. He doesn’t matter.”

  “Perhaps, but how can I be forgiven for what I did to Griffin?” Chloe stared earnestly at her son. “I was a coward to let my uncle take you away from me. I should have fought for you. I should never have given up so easily.” She shook her head in self-disgust. “I was afraid, and I let that fear rule my life.”

  Griffin let out an exasperated breath then hunkered down before her. “It pains me to resort to mawkish sentimentality, but you need to know that I have forgiven you. You were, in your own illogical way, trying to protect me. Besides, if not for the choices you made, I likely never would have met Justine. And that, my dear mother, would have been the greatest harm anyone could have inflicted on me.”

  Chloe let go of Dominic and took her son’s hands. “You truly feel that way?” she whispered.

  Griffin nodded. “Truly. And since I have forgiven you, surely you can learn to forgive yourself.”

  He leaned forward and brushed a kiss on her forehead, then rose to his feet and directed a scowl at Dominic. “As for you, for God’s sake stop trying to control everything and everyone. I know that’s like telling you not to breathe, but my mother has proven she can manage her own business. As I’ve discovered with my own wife, being overly protective rarely works.”

  Dominic was torn between irritation and laughter that Griffin had the nerve to read him a lecture
. “Anything else?” he asked dryly.

  “Yes. You’ve spent years looking for Chloe, running around like a bloody knight chasing down the Holy Grail. Now, she’s finally here, and you’ve got her, so make the right decision.” Griffin glared down his arrogant nose at him. “Or else you’ll have to answer to me.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Very well, then I will,” Dominic replied.

  Griffin eyed him suspiciously, then nodded. “About time. Now that I have you two sorted out, I’ll be on my way.”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” Chloe complained. Still, she surreptitiously wiped away a few tears, and her eyes were shining with love as she gazed at her son.

  “Dominic will explain, Mother,” Griffin said as he pulled on his gloves. “I’ll see you back in Camberwell.”

  With a nod to Dominic, he strode from the room. They heard a murmur of voices out in the hall, and a minute later the slam of the front door. Then silence fell, broken only by the solemn tick of the mantel clock and the hissing of the coals in the grate. The late afternoon sun shafted through the windows, casting a soft benediction of light that reached into corners and dissolved shadows with its warm glow.

  Dominic finally allowed all the accumulated tension of the last few days—of a lifetime, probably—flow away on a great, invisible river. The answer was now so clear. It had been there all along, from the moment Chloe walked into his study two months ago.

  “I don’t fully understand what you and Griffin were talking about,” Chloe said in a hesitant voice. “I wish you would explain it to me.”

  Dominic reached over and scooped Chloe out of her chair and onto his lap. She squeaked and clutched his shoulders, her big eyes round with surprise and, perhaps, a little apprehension. Right now she looked so much like the girl he’d first come to love that his heart ached. He couldn’t wipe away the pain of the intervening years, but he would do his damnedest to make sure her future—their future—was rich with love and happiness.

  As he cradled her against his chest, he felt a profound gratitude that she was safe in his arms. “In a minute, love. First, I want you to tell me why you were so insistent on confronting Campworth without me.”

  She winced. “I’m sorry I upset you, but I had to prove to myself—and to you—that I had the courage to face down a man like that. To face down any man, even someone like Campworth, or . . .” Her voice faded for a few seconds, but then came back on a clear note. “Or like Prince Ernest. Because Griffin was right. I have been living my life in the shadows for too long. If I couldn’t stand up to Campworth and confront my fears, then I didn’t deserve to have either my son or you in my life.”

  Dominic stroked her cheek. “I understand, and I admire your courage. But you put yourself in harm’s way. You know that Campworth is a very dangerous man.”

  She gave him a surprisingly cheeky grin. “That’s why I brought Griffin with me. I knew Campworth would be loath to pick a fight with him. Plus, I did have my pistol.”

  Dominic groaned and bowed his head. “Don’t remind me.”

  She huffed out a little chuckle but then put her fingers under his chin, tipping his head up to hold his gaze. “Dominic, do you still wish to marry me?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “More than anything I have ever wanted in my life.”

  She drew in a full breath, as if for courage. “Then I accept.”

  His heart jerked hard against his ribs. “Do you mean that?”

  “Yes.”

  Dominic wanted to leap to his feet, spin her around in his arms, and then carry her off to bed. But he reined in the delirious impulse. “I will do my best to protect you from gossip and scandal, Chloe, but there are no guarantees.”

  She nuzzled her soft mouth against his in the most perfect of kisses. “I know that,” she said when she pulled back. “But I’m done with hiding away like a frightened child. I’m only worried about the impact on your reputation and work.”

  “There’s no need to worry, love. My reputation will be just fine.” He leaned in to kiss her again, but she stopped him by putting her fingers to his lips. “There’s more, isn’t there?” he asked in a tone of mock resignation.

  Though she flashed him a contrite smile, he saw the determination in her gaze and felt the tension in the rigid muscles under his hand where it rested low on her back. “Yes. I’m sorry, but I must make it clear that I will not give up my work in Camberwell. I understand that decision won’t please you, and I’ll do my best to work around it, but I will be spending at least part of every week in the country with my girls and the babies.”

  “I suppose that’s an inviolable condition?” He moved his hand in a soothing stroke along her spine down to her bottom.

  Her cheeks flushed pink, but she still managed to dredge up a scowl. “It is, and don’t try to distract me with that, Dominic. It won’t work.”

  He exhaled a sigh. “Such a pity. In that case, I have no choice but to agree to your terms.”

  “You do?” She sounded astonished.

  Dominic let out a rueful laugh. “I suppose I deserve that, given what an unthinking brute I was the last time I asked you to marry me.”

  “No, I understood that you simply wanted to protect me.”

  “I still do,” he said, “which is why I will be moving out to Camberwell with you. I am well aware of your ability to manage your own affairs, but I would like to believe you could benefit from my assistance. Just think of how many more girls we could help by working together.”

  As she gaped at him, Dominic had to repress a laugh. “And, my darling, you do have a tendency to attract a rather unsavory sort. Just think how handy it will be to have me around the next time a nefarious crime lord or murderous aristocrat starts skulking about.”

  “But what about your own work? How can you manage your government business from Camberwell?” She frowned. “Dominic, it would hardly be a good idea to have spies coming and going at all hours of the day and night. It would be very disruptive and possibly dangerous for my girls.”

  “I agree, which is why I’ll be retiring.”

  She almost slid off his knee.

  “Careful,” he said with a laugh as he grabbed her by the waist.

  “Dominic . . . I . . . why would you do that?”

  “Because I love you and because you’re the most important thing in my life. I lost you once, Chloe. I’m not going to let that happen ever again.”

  She stared at him, looking anxiously hopeful. “Are you sure? What will the Regent or the prime minister think about that?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t give a damn what they think.”

  “But—”

  He silenced her with a kiss, ruthlessly taking her mouth. She melted against him, trembling in his arms. By the time Dominic pulled back, his hands were shaking with passion and need.

  “Chloe, I’ve given most of my life to the Service and to my country. I’m proud of my work and have no regrets. But I used it as an escape, too. I used it to forget my pain and to find purpose in my life. Now I have another purpose—loving you, helping you with your work.”

  “Will it be enough?” she whispered.

  “It will be more than enough. And it’s time, anyway. I’m not young anymore, and I find myself increasingly weary of the work. It’s right to hand it off to a younger man.”

  She unleashed a smile so luminous that it made him lightheaded. “I’m so happy you feel that way,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

  Dominic held her close. His heart and mind seemed to be undergoing a quiet revolution, absorbing the change in his life with an almost prayerful gratitude. He had never thought this day would arrive, and yet here it was. Though he could never truly be ready for it, he would spend the rest of his life doing his best to be worthy of Chloe.

  She rested against him for a few minutes, as if she also needed time to take in such a momentous change. Then she stirred and sat up with a thoughtful look o
n her face.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m thinking about Griffin, and how ironic this is.”

  “Ironic in what way?”

  “Well, it was Griffin—or my pregnancy, rather—that initially drove us apart. And then his birth sent me into exile, for lack of a better word. Through no fault of his own, his very presence is what kept us from each other.”

  Dominic paused for a moment, then let out a laugh. “And it’s because of Griffin that we found each other, too.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Because of who he is, I was able to reach out to him for help when I truly needed it. And,” she added with a sly grin, “because he’s so outspoken—”

  “You mean disrespectful.”

  “In some ways, yes. But that quality allowed him to tell us the truth about where we were going wrong. Who knows if we would have ever found our way to each other without Griffin?”

  “Good God,” Dominic said, rather appalled. “Do not tell him that. He’s swell-headed enough as it is, and if he thinks he’s responsible for bringing us together . . .”

  “I’m sure he already does,” she added with a suspicious quaver in her voice.

  “Ah, well, he’s your son, so I suppose I’ll have to put up with him.”

  She laughed. “I do hope there will be at least a few compensations.”

  Dominic flashed her a wicked grin. “Oh, I can think of one or two you can show me right now.”

  And with laughter on her lips and joy in her eyes, Chloe did just that.

  Epilogue

  Lyme Regis

  June 12, 1815

  My dear son,

  I was pleased to receive your letter and your assurance that all is as it should be in Camberwell. Dominic and I are so grateful that you and Justine are caring for my charges while we are on our wedding trip, and I promise to make it up to you as soon as we return. You have my word that you will not have to hold another colicky baby or manage any more hysterical young females until Christmas, at the very least. You are kindness itself, dearest Griffin, and no mother could ask for a finer son.