Page 70 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

Jethro commended Alexander’s behaviour during the service. The lack of antagonistic looks in his direction seemed to indicate that there was an unspoken truce between them, whilst they were in God’s house. Or perhaps Julia was keeping him distracted. Yes. That was more believable.

But then he discovered the real reason. It was not his sister who was claiming his brother-in-law’s attention, but Eugenia Frampton.

His heart sank. If Alexander faced Eugenia with half the rancour he had expressed against the woman at home, it could be messy—very messy indeed.

As soon as Mr Barnes had led the closing prayers, Jethro hustled the others out of the pew, and linking arms with Cassandra, and almost pulling her up the aisle, he moved toward the door with Alexander and Julia following behind.

To Jethro’s annoyance, his wife paused to talk to the curate. She drew her brother forward, and he shook hands with Mr Barnes.

“It is good to see you, Alexander. How long has it been—18 months or is it more?”

“I was last home on leave a little over two years ago.”

“What a lot has happened since then. Your father has passed away, and your sister is married, and we are not.”

Jethro ground his teeth. Didn’t the curate realise his words were like a flame to gunpowder? If he wasn’t careful, he could provoke an explosion.

“Not through lack of trying,” said Alexander, sending a dark look in Eugenia’s direction. “Some women have no notion of faithfulness.”

“But there are plenty who do,” Mr Barnes said in a calming voice. “Such as Mrs Hunt and…”

His eyes rested on where Julia stood talking with her fellow teacher, Miss Day, and then hurried on to where the sexton was conversing with his wife.

“…Mrs Gibbons.”

Jethro bit back a smile. The little he knew of his sister-in-law did not lead him to believe she was cut from the same cloth as Cassandra. He suspected Julia might be as trustworthy as Mrs Frampton had proved when a better offer had come along.

After a few more moments of conversation, Cassandra and her brother took their leave of Mr Barnes and headed for the door. Jethro trailed behind them, onto the street outside. He thought they were safely away when the captain’s progress was arrested by the source of his disappointment.

“Why, Alexander—is that you?” Mrs Frampton called after him.

The captain turned, and Jethro’s chest tightened as he saw the pained expression on his face.

“Have you forgotten me so fast, Eugenia?”

“I haven’t forgotten you at all, Xander,” she cooed, and would have grasped his arm, but he jerked it out of her reach.

“Don’t call me that. Only my friends are allowed to use that name.”

Eugenia raised a hand over her exaggerated gasp. “Am I not still one of your friends? After all we have been through together?”

Jethro’s opinion of the new Mrs Frampton was already poor, but this performance confirmed his belief that Alexander was well rid of her.

“You cannot be serious. It’s impossible to be friends with someone who has betrayed you like you have betrayed me.”

“Betrayed? Oh, Xander, that’s a harsh word,” she said, with a pout.

Did the woman have no sense of propriety? If she spoke much louder, her husband would hear.

Cassandra shot Jethro a pleading look, but he wasn’t sure what she expected him to do. Pull Alexander away by force? That would hardly help their already strained relationship.

“You left me for him,” the captain said, flinging an arm out toward Mr Frampton.

“You must not take a pet. I would much rather have married you, but you were always at sea—”

“You said you understood.”

She shrugged. “I found I didn’t. Besides, I was bored with waiting for you to make your fortune—”