37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

On Sunday, Jethro made a point of leaving early for the church service—without his wife or her quarrelsome brother. His forbearance had been pushed over the limit more times than he cared to mention since Alexander’s arrival, and he didn’t think the man’s company, even for the short walk to St Mary’s, was conducive to preparing him for morning worship.

Jethro entered the coolness of the church building and sat down in his box pew alone. Falling to his knees, he prayed for more patience and self-control. If God did not answer his plea, the next few weeks were going to be extremely hard work.

He was still kneeling in prayer when Cassandra and Alexander arrived. The captain shot him a supercilious glance when he entered the pew, as if he doubted the sincerity of Jethro’s devotion. Fortunately, his wife had the good sense to seat herself between them.

Julia slipped in beside her brother, just before the curate took his place at the lectern to read the opening liturgy. That was a surprise. She did not make a habit of attending church often, and when she did, she sat with her students and fellow teachers. Miss Seymour must have given her a special dispensation to sit with them while Alexander was home on leave.

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—”

“So that’s it. I wasn’t rich enough for you,” Alexander said, his tone increasing in rancour as the wretched woman antagonised him.

“Of course. What else did you think? That I didn’t love you anymore?”

Jethro cringed at the woman’s poisonous words, and was not surprised that Alexander raised his voice in response, drawing several pairs of eyes in their direction. “How dare you talk to me like that? If you had an ounce of decency—”

“Good day to you, Mrs Frampton,” Jethro said, looping his arm through Alexander’s and holding it close to his body. He would not allow his brother-in-law to disgrace them all.

“Walk away,” he growled in the captain’s ear. “Now.”

Alexander gave Eugenia a curt nod, and let Jethro lead him down the road, toward the harbour .

As soon as they turned the corner of St Mary Street, the captain ripped his arm from Jethro’s hold. “Why did you do that? I had the matter in hand.”

“If that’s what you think, I pity those who serve on your ship,” Jethro retorted. “You accused Mrs Frampton of lacking any sense of decency, yet you are somewhat deficient in that area yourself. Why didn’t you just leave? You were embarrassing your sister as well as yourself. Mrs Frampton is not worth your time. You’re better off without her.”

Alexander lurched toward him, as though he intended to hit him, but Cassandra moved between them.

“Gentlemen, please,” she said, giving them each a pleading look.

“Tell your husband to mind his own business,” Alexander said.

“Tell your brother I will mind my own business, but if he behaves in that manner again, I will drag him away by the collar as if he was an errant schoolboy.”

“I’d like to see you try—”

“Might I remind you both that this is the Lord’s day?” Cassandra said, as they arrived back at the house. “A day of rest.”

“What a timely reminder, sister. I’ll spend what remains of the morning in my room—resting—meditating on my broken heart in private, where no one will criticise the way I choose to express my disappointment.”

The captain disappeared upstairs, and Jethro heaved a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry that woman was so vile to Alexander, but he shouldn’t have let her words rile him so badly. He should have just walked away.”

“Yes, but as you know, that is far easier said than done, isn’t it?”

Jethro agreed, but he had the nasty feeling Cassandra wasn’t only talking about her brother.