Page 83 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

Chapter 44

Jethro sat in his warehouse office, staring out the window at the harbour. Again. He had done a lot of staring over the past three weeks. Ever since that dreadful night when he had confronted Alexander and thrown him out of the house.

Riddled with guilt over what had happened, he had allowed Cassandra as much time as she needed with her brother, without getting in the way.

She had visited Alexander on numerous occasions before he sailed, but Jethro had refused to see him. Not that a meeting had been suggested, though he was certain his wife had hoped for a reconciliation. But he could only go so far. He would not extend an olive branch only to have it snapped in two.

If the captain had approached him and shown the slightest contrition for his behaviour, Jethro would have met him halfway, but he was not prepared to carry all the responsibility for the events of that evening. The rift would never have occurred if Alexander had not taken liberties in his house, treating it as if it were his own.

Now the captain had sailed, Jethro wished he had made more of an effort. Cassandra had withdrawn and seemed to be avoiding him as much as possible.

He wished he knew how to put things right. She cut short any attempt to engage her in a conversation about what had happened. What he had done could not be forgotten, and he despaired of her ever forgiving him.

Unwilling to force his company on her, he met her reserve with equal reserve of his own. He had even stopped eating breakfast with her, hating to see the bleakness in her eyes. That look of distrust he had created by his treatment of her brother, however justified he still felt it had been.

But if Cassandra and he were going to spend the rest of their lives together, they needed to find a way through this current crisis. He did not want to share his house with a stranger, and the longer they went without communicating, the more like strangers they became.

That was a truth about relationships. Not talking did not leave two people as they were. Instead, they drifted further and further away, as if pulled apart by conflicting currents.

If they did not try to follow a course in the same direction, they would end up in different places, and there would be no chance of them ever having a proper marriage.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. The door opened and Crowley stuck his head into the office.

“Someone is here to see you, Hunt. Shall I show them in?”

How curious. He never had visitors without an appointment. “Am I expecting anyone?”

Crowley grinned. “I should, perhaps, have mentioned that it is a female visitor.”

A woman? Who could it be? No woman ever visited him in the warehouse.

Crowley pushed the door open and ushered Cassandra into the room.

Jethro hurried to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

Crowley rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about the way some people greeted their wives as he shut the door behind him.

“I’m sorry. Have I come at an inconvenient moment?” she asked, a touch of fear in her expression.

The sight grieved him. What had he ever done to make her afraid of him? Did she suspect him of cruelty toward her? Did she think that because he had thrown her brother out of his house, he would treat her in the same way?

“Not at all. It’s just somewhat unexpected.”

“Are you very much occupied? I can come back another time if—”

Jethro recovered himself. He needed to reassure her. This was the opportunity to talk to her he had been seeking. But not here, where they might be overheard. Outside, where only the waves and the seagulls could hear their conversation.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

“That would be lovely—if you can spare the time away from your desk.”

“I can. Crowley will take care of things here.”

Jethro had a few words with his manager, who shot him an undisguised smirk before bidding them goodbye at the warehouse door.

They walked along the Quay, crossed the bridge, and continued their promenade by the water on the other side of the harbour. After passing the Old Rooms, they mounted the incline to the Lookout and paused at the top, where picturesque views could be seen in both directions.

Cassandra stood in silence, gazing out over the town to the open sea beyond. The urgency of whatever had prompted her to visit his office seemed to have gone.