Page 56 of Hold On

Dominic nodded.

“My father and James are back. They want you to go and see them.”

“I’ll just clean up and change.”

Dominic had a quick wash, then grabbed a blue T-shirt. Was he going to be given a date by which he had to leave? Didn’t matter, because he was going anyway. The ride back had given him a chance to think. No more messing around. He needed to look for a job, anything would do, and a hostel to stay in. One week here was all he dared allow himself. Maybe he ought to have that conversation with Col before he went to speak to the marquess. Except if he did, Col would try to stop him going. Dominic didn’t want to go. But he didn’t have to leave Col forever. Nor did he want to walk away from Ren.

But…

His life was full of problems.

He changed from boots to his shoes. Was he worrying too much about Kilic? Would any of the handful of prison service professionals who knew where Dominic was agree to open their mouths for a carrot or a stick? Dominic had long given up thinking the best of people. Everyone had a price. Look at what he’d done to protect Col, and what he had to do now.

Telling the police was something to consider, but what would they care? They were hardly likely to offer protection to a convicted murderer. If he told the clinical operations manager at Marsden about Sturdy, the news might filter back to Kilic, which would just be playing into his hands. Maybe if he moved, only his Offender Manager would know where he was. In theory. It would be on Dominic’s file though. How easy was it to hack into it? Anxiety made acid rise up his throat.

There was a knock on the door and he stood up and opened it.

“Thought you’d fallen asleep,” Col said. “Your face has some colour. Been lying in the sun?”

“For a while.”

“Where did you go?”

“A hill somewhere about an hour away. Amazing view. By the way, can I have Merlene and Livingston’s number? I want to thank them.” He didn’t add—and ask them to look out for you after I’ve gone.

Col beamed.

The three of them set off across the courtyard and Theo led them in through a side door. As they moved through the building, Dominic thought how beautiful Asquith was, and how hard and expensive it must be to maintain a place like this.

“That’s a pair of Meissen leopards,” Theo said as they passed a small table holding two white animals. “You can tell it’s Meissen because of the crossed swords mark on the base. I’d pick one up to show you but my father would kill me if I dropped it. Horrible, aren’t they? Why make them white? I’d sell them and buy something that looked like a leopard.”

“Not that you tell visitors that,” Col said.

“I tell them Meissen china was the first European hard-paste porcelain. Porcelain was developed in China around 2,000 years ago, but the method for making it stayed a mystery to Europeans until Johan Friedrich Bottger discovered the magic formula. And in 1710, the Meissen factory was established. Blah blah.”

“Theo’s had to learn the history of everything in here.”

“This for example…” Theo put his hand on the banister. “Responsible for a broken arm, bruised backside and no supper. My brother used to slide down too but he never got caught. Or injured.”

Dominic followed the pair up. Everywhere he looked there were old paintings, marble sculptures, clocks and antique furniture. It was like a museum. It was hard to see how it could be a home. But then he’d never really had a normal home.

At the end of a corridor, Theo tapped a code into a box and they went through the door.

“This is a private area now,” Theo said.

It didn’t look any different to Dominic. Same sort of paintings on the wall, same furniture.

Theo knocked on a door and a voice called, “Come in.”

The two men in the room rose to their feet as the three of them entered. Dominic’s nerves revved up and he pressed his sweaty palms to his thighs.

“Father, this is Col’s brother Dominic. Dominic, this is my father, the Marquess of Farnstall and his partner James Ward, who’s in charge of the grounds.”

Dominic wasn’t sure if they’d want to shake his hand but they both walked forward and when he saw Theo’s father begin to raise his hand, he lifted his.

“I’m pleased to meet you, your lordship.” Dominic shook his hand and that of James. “Sir.”

“You two can go,” the marquess said.

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