Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

JUST HIS LUCK

D ominic headed back to his rooms, replaying the evening in his mind.. He was so distracted that he was barely paying attention to where he was going and walked headlong into Thomas.

"You are up rather late, Cousin," Thomas said.

"As are you," Dominic pointed out with a yawn.

"Emmeline decided to play the pianoforte, and then one of the other cousins decided to get out his violin, and well, the dancing has only just stopped." Thomas stretched and yawned, giving Dominic a sidelong look. "I thought you had retired hours ago."

Dominic explained. "I had some business to attend to with Lady Charlotte."

"Business? At this hour?" Thomas grinned. "Has your little arrangement turned into something more? You sly fox."

Dominic felt a stab of anger that surprised him. "I do not think I care for what you are implying, Cousin."

"All I am saying is that Lady Charlotte is a pretty woman, and I can understand if you were tempted."

"Whether or not I was tempted is beside the point. Charlotte is not that kind of woman and would not behave like that." Dominic flushed slightly. "She cares about propriety and honour and would not be caught dead in that sort of situation. Besides, I am not even interested in her in that way, and we had a chaperone."

"Goodness, you are rather testy. I was only teasing; there is no need to jump down my throat." Thomas held up his hand in a placating gesture.

"I care for her, and I would not see her subject to scandal and ruin," Dominic said. I know how easily rumours spread. "After all, she is doing me a huge service by being here and should not be punished for her good nature."

"Of course, I understand. Consider my lesson learned."

"What are you doing in this section of the castle anyway? Your rooms are in the west wing are they not?"

"Well, I was going to the kitchen for a snack; would you care to join me?"

"Are you sure that is the wisest decision?" Dominic raised an eyebrow at him.

As their family had grown, their grandmother had become increasingly less forgiving of late-night snacking. She felt it unfair to disturb the servants, and on more than one occasion had been furious that such adventures had thrown the remaining meals off track.

Do not get between grandmother and food, not if you value your life.

"I am sure it will be fine. Besides I am famished." Thomas began to make his way towards the kitchens.

Dominic fell into step beside him. "Very well, but on your own head be it."

"Do not act like you are above such things. You and cousin Frederick have both joined me on many a night time kitchen adventure."

"I suppose you have a point. Perhaps if Grandmother is dying, she may have softened somewhat." Dominic gave Thomas a look and they both laughed.

The kitchen was empty as they walked into it. Thomas immediately began ferreting around in the cupboards while Dominic surveyed him. After a moment, Thomas appeared with a triumphant yell.

"And look what I have found!" He held his prize, a figgy pudding, in front of him. "Excellent."

Dominic felt an odd sense of foreboding as he saw his cousin's discovery. "That seems rather too easy to have found. The last time we searched for food, we spent nearly an hour on it."

"You are being paranoid." Thomas waved a hand dismissively as he began to look for a fork. "We are all entitled to a bit of good fortune every now and then."

"I really do not think you should eat that." He reached a hand towards his cousin.

"You sound like an old woman. I am hungry, and I have earned this fair and square." Thomas gave him a look. "Do not expect me to share."

"I want nothing to do with it." Dominic shook his head. "Do not come crying to me when this blows up in your face."

"It is not going to bl— Ugh! That is foul." Thomas made a face and spat out his mouthful. "What on God's green Earth is in this? It is absolutely vile — try it!"

"Under absolutely no circumstances am I going to do that." Dominic made a warding off gesture towards his cousin.

"I need you to experience this. It is truly awful." Thomas wiped at his tongue with a handkerchief. "God, it is like nothing I have ever experienced."

"That is hardly an enticing prospect." Dominic batted Thomas's hand away with a glare. "Stop trying to put it in my mouth."

"Misery loves company." Thomas pushed the pudding towards Dominic again.

He shoved it away, laughing at his cousin who was clearly still struggling with the unpleasant taste in his mouth. He should really know better by now.

"And I am not inclined to make myself miserable." Dominic shook his head. "I told you this was a bad idea."

Thomas ignored him, putting the figgy pudding down. "I need to find something to get the foul taste out of my mouth."

"There may be something in the kettle by the fire?" Dominic gestured to it. "Wait, there is something peeking out of the pudding. Look."

Dominic deftly picked up the little slip of paper that was peaking out of the centre of the pudding while Thomas poured himself a drink. It was a note.

"If you are reading this, then you have failed my little test. I had the cook prepare this with you in mind, and she has replaced all the sugar with salt. I hope you enjoyed your little treat, Thomas." Dominic read. "Much love, AF."

Thomas's head whipped around. "What?"

"The note is addressed to you, it would seem." Dominic grinned. "Oh Grandmother is very clever, and clearly, she knows you well."

"She is wicked." Thomas shook his head disgustedly. "Besides maybe she meant it for a different Thomas."

"I do not think so. She mentions your future title." Dominic showed his cousin the note.

"How did she know?" Thomas's voice was a mix of admiration and frustration.

"Probably because you are the only one of us who is stubborn enough and stupid enough to do this. And because figgy pudding is your favourite," he replied, laughing at his cousin's expression.

"Then this was a trap." Thomas groaned.

"It also says you will be docked two hundred points." Dominic pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I wonder how many points you have."

"It does not matter. I have no intention of finding out." Thomas scowled. "I am leaving in the morning."

"You are leaving? I know you are not invested in the outcome of the games, but why leave?" Dominic leaned against a wall.

"Because I think there is more going on here than some silly inheritance shenanigans. And I will have no part in it," Thomas spat again. "Gad, it keeps getting worse."

"What do you mean? About the games I mean, not the pudding." Dominic frowned at his cousin.

"It is lucky that you are here as an engaged man, rather than an eligible bachelor," Thomas said by way of explanation.

Dominic furrowed his brow. "I do not understand."

"Well, I do not know if you have noticed, but despite these being games for her supposed fortune, there are rather a lot of non-familial connections in attendance."

Dominic opened his mouth to contradict his cousin but realised he was right. In the hustle and bustle of arriving, Dominic had not noticed that many of the guests were in no way related to their family.

"That is rather odd," he admitted.

"And grandmother seems to have invited a great many single and eligible young men and women to this event." Thomas gave him a meaningful look. "And interestingly, there is almost an even number of both. Oh of course, not everyone is single, but there are rather a lot of us."

"And you think she wishes to play the matchmaker?" Dominic ran a hand through his hair. I can just picture her orchestrating meetings and the like. Truly a terrifying thought.

"I would not put it past her." His cousin took another sip of his drink, swilling it in his mouth a moment before swallowing. "The woman is like a spider, and we are all insects trapped in her intricate web."

Dominic had to admit that his cousin had a point. His grandmother was a master tactician, and it was almost impossible to escape her machinations.

"It might just be a coincidence," he suggested though he did not believe his own words.

Thomas gave him a flat look and gestured to the partially eaten pudding. "Do you really think that is a woman who does anything by chance? Mark my words, this is all part of her plan."

"It is hard to argue with that logic, and it really would be just like grandmother to orchestrate such a thing." Dominic was even more glad of his arrangement with Charlotte. One lot of games is quite enough to be focusing on without worrying about matchmaking.

"And she would delight in knowing that any match that came out of it was her doing. She would be utterly unbearable." Thomas shook his head.

"She is already unbearable," Dominic said. "The gloating you would be subjected to. And more to the point, it would be brought up at almost every family occasion."

"Exactly." Thomas shook his head. "Well, this is one man she will not trick into marriage. I do not need her money, and I need her to find me a wife even less!"

Dominic pointed out reasonably. "You could always stay and simply refuse to engage in it."

"And how do you propose I do that? No, grandmother is entirely too wily. Just you wait, if I stay, I guarantee I will leave this place with a wife, and I will have no idea how it happened." Thomas sighed.

"Do you think Grandmother will ever stop meddling in our lives?" Dominic asked as they left the kitchens and began to make their way back to their bed chambers.

"No. Not until she is dead, and even then, I am not entirely convinced she will not continue to do so as a ghost," Thomas said.

"A truly horrifying prospect." Dominic shuddered, imagining the ghostly image of his grandmother haunting him whenever he did something she disapproved of. "I would never know peace again."

"Nor I." Thomas sighed. "I hate being controlled. Much less having my love life interfered with. I am the future Marquess of Elington, and I do not need some old woman who has been thrice married to find me a wife. I do not want that life. I am quite content being happy and unattached."

"I understand that completely," Dominic agreed. What good will a wife do me? More to the point, why would I do that to an innocent woman? "I must say, it makes me all the more glad that I have Charlotte with me. I can only imagine what other tom foolery I would be subject to without her."

"Perhaps I should have found my own such arrangement," Thomas said, and Dominic could not tell if he was joking. "Still, I have my own plan, and I intend to be well away from here by tomorrow morning."

"You know she will never let you hear the end of it, do you not?" Dominic looked at his cousin as he reached the door to his chambers.

"I do. But better that than be married." Thomas shuddered. "It has been good seeing you Cousin, and I wish you all the luck with your endeavour."

"Thank you." Dominic nodded to his cousin and slipped into his room.

As he clambered into bed, he tried to mull over all that had happened. Now that Thomas had pointed it out, it seemed frightfully obvious that there was indeed a glut of single lords and ladies in attendance.

"Well, I am one fly she will not trap in her web," Dominic murmured. "I am already engaged."

And there is no fear that that will turn into a marriage — it is the last thing either of us want.