Page 84 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

He waited for her to speak, but when she remained quiet, he knew he must take the initiative. He could not pass by this opportunity to sort things out with his wife.

Praying he would say the right words, he went straight to the root of the problem.

“We can’t go on like this, Cassandra.”

She bit her lip. “What do you mean?”

“We need to be honest with each other. Can you do that?”

She gave a brief nod, but that wariness was back in her eyes, and it bothered him. Did she truly doubt she could trust him?

“I wish you would stop looking at me as if I am the worst beast alive. I’m sorry for the way I treated your brother. If I had realised it would hurt you so much, I would have tried harder to be more forbearing. To have ignored his goading.”

“You have no reason to apologise, Jethro. The fault is mine. I’ve brought this trouble upon you. Xander’s behaviour is despicable.”

“Is? The matter is past—until next time he comes home on leave. And I promise to do my utmost to tolerate him, despite how much he riles me.”

She shook her head.

What was that supposed to mean? Wasn’t she going to give him a second chance? “Do you doubt my self-control? If you do, I’ve no one but myself to blame.”

She withdrew her arm from where it rested on his and grasped her hands together in front of her. “This is what I came to see you about, and yet, now I find I don’t know how to tell you.”

His mind was bombarded by all the dreadful possibilities conjured by her words. He had better discover the worst at once. “Tell me what?”

She took a few paces away before turning to face him again. “Xander—oh, bother the man.”

Jethro waited patiently for her to continue.

“My brother—I’m afraid he’s charged his stay at the Golden Lion to your account. I had hoped not to trouble you, but despite my generous allowance, I cannot meet the cost.”

How dare he? The man was determined to get the better of him, even after his departure. A myriad of withering comments danced on the tip of his tongue, but he pressed his lips closed. If he wanted to be reconciled to his wife, he must restrain what he said about her brother—however great the temptation.

“I see—but why did that make you afraid of me?”

“Afraid? No. Well, maybe just a little, knowing it would cause you to hate Xander even more—”

“It would be dishonest of me to say I like your brother, but hate is a strong word. I disapprove of his behaviour, and cannot condone it, but I will love him as much as I am able, for your sake. I didn’t banish him from our home. He banished himself.”

“But I had hoped the two of you could be friends. Foolish of me, I suppose.”

“Not foolish, but not easy either. Neither of us trusts the other. And without trust, there can be no friendship. Any relationship not based on trust is a sham.”

“Does that mean our marriage is a sham?”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me, Cassandra?”

“Do you trust me?”

Did he? He was about to put her doubts to flight when Mr Barnes’s face came to mind. There were times when he still battled with the jealousy, struggling to believe that her feelings for the curate were in the past. The doubt must have shown.

“I thought not. Now, do you see why I was so nervous to tell you about Xander’s latest misdemeanour? You might think I encouraged him to behave in such a scandalous manner. Yet another reason for you to mistrust me.”

Her brow puckered as she met his gaze, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Is that why you spy on me?”

What was Cassandra talking about? “That’s a strange accusation to make. In what way am I spying on you?”

“Not you. The man you hired.”