Page 23 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

From all appearances, he was not a gentleman. Far from it. His green coat was shabby, his hair unkempt, and his hat pulled low over his forehead.

It took a moment for her to realise he was the same man who had been loitering outside the church on her wedding day. Oh dear. Was the poor fellow still out of work and in need of charity?

She expected him to approach her and ask for money. Instead, he strode off down the road after Julia. Cassandra predicted the man’s plea would fall on deaf ears.

Sure enough, after what looked like a heated altercation, the man doffed his hat and walked off.

To her surprise, Julia did not continue on her way but stomped back up the street toward her, looking, if possible, even more irritated than when they had parted. She stopped in front of her, hands on her hips, and glared at her.

“You can tell that stuffy husband of yours if he wants to know my opinion of his marriage to my sister, he should find the courage to ask me himself, instead of sending someone else to wheedle the information out of me. I’m quite prepared to tell him to his face, but if he thinks I’m going to reveal anything to that creepy man, then he can think again.”

With that, Julia turned and resumed her walk down the street.

Questions buzzed around inside Cassandra’s head as she stared after her sister.

Why had the man in the green jacket plied Julia with questions? Had he been listening to their conversation as well? Could the man really be in Jethro’s employ?

Her husband wouldn’t hire someone to spy on her—would he?

The thought did not sit well with her. Wasn’t it enough for him to dictate what she could and could not do in the house? Was he trying to control her behaviour outside the home too?

Cassandra restrained herself from stamping her feet in annoyance as she continued on her way. If Jethro cared so much about how she behaved, perhaps he should spend more time with her himself.

It was a relief she hadn’t said anything that could be construed as disloyal. If the man was reporting back to her husband, he would have nothing ill to say of her. The picture of her sister would not be flattering, but Julia’s surliness toward Jethro at the wedding had been so obvious that her attitude would not surprise him.

Before she reached home, all the fight had leaked out of her, and she was left with a hollow feeling inside. How could her marriage feel so empty? Because it was not a proper marriage.

If this was the basis on which many of her class wed, no wonder people with fewer principles than her and Jethro struggled to remain faithful to their wedding vows.

There was little she could do if this was how her husband wanted to conduct their relationship, but Cassandra could not stand the thought of spending the rest of the day on her own, starved of company, waiting for him to come home.

She needed to make a bigger effort to occupy herself. With sudden decision, she altered her path and walked toward the seafront. She would subscribe to Harvey’s Library and borrow some books. Though not much of a reader, it would help the hours of waiting pass more quickly.

If her husband chose to spy on her or curtail her activities, she would respect his choices, even if she didn’t agree with them. It was of the utmost importance she gave him no reason to question her loyalty.

Maybe when he learned to trust her, they could build a more solid basis for their relationship that went beyond the mutual convenience on which their marriage was founded.

Chapter 12

Jethro sat in the office of his warehouse, staring out the window at the harbour. His mind had strayed too often of late, and always in the same direction.

What was Cassandra doing? Was she visiting the dressmaker’s as he’d suggested, or was she sitting in the drawing room working on her embroidery? Was she curled up in a chair reading a book, or was she gazing out the window, thinking of the boorish man she had married?

Was she happy—or did she regret marrying him?

What a fool he’d been to suppose having a wife would affect him no more than taking on a new valet or housekeeper. Cassandra was dependent on him in a way his servants were not. They relied on him for their livelihood, but could seek another employer if he dismissed them, or they felt they had been treated unfairly.

Cassandra could not. She had tied herself to him for life and Jethro had thought he could keep her at a distance like everyone else—but he could not.

She might not share his bed, but she invaded his thoughts more often than was comfortable.

There was a knock at the door of his office, and without waiting for an answer, Crowley entered. He perched on the edge of Jethro’s desk, making it impossible for him to continue working—not that he had so much as glanced at the paperwork spread out in front of him for the past half hour.

“Why are you still here?”

The words niggled him. There were some disadvantages in employing your best friend as your manager. Crowley had a habit of stepping out of line, but their friendship gave him no right to question Jethro’s actions.

“Why shouldn’t I be here? It’s my business, or had you forgotten?”