43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Cassandra hoped Xander’s removal to the Golden Lion would result in Jethro spending more time with her, but he didn’t. He seemed to avoid having any meaningful interaction with her at all. Their conversation at breakfast and dinner was trivial at best, and he spent the rest of the day at the warehouse, or shut away in his study.

Her brother’s abhorrent behaviour must be to blame. Jethro was still too angry with him to tolerate her company. She had been tainted by association, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The flicker of hope that her marriage to Jethro could develop into something more meaningful died, and Cassandra found it hard not to resent Xander for the part he had played in snuffing it out.

Perhaps when her brother went back to sea, the situation would ease, but she feared her relationship with her husband might have been damaged beyond repair.

In the meantime, Cassandra poured her energies into improving the decorations in the house, and discussing menus with Mr Oliver, the new cook whom Jethro had employed.

She visited her unrepentant brother at the Golden Lion as often as she could. He refused to apologise for causing the rumpus that had led to his expulsion, but at least he refrained from openly criticising her husband in her hearing .

Cassandra made no attempt to reconcile the two men—and neither did they. Her brother sailed without seeing Jethro again.

The morning after Xander’s departure, she sat alone in the drawing room when a footman brought in a letter. That was strange. It was in her brother’s hand.

She broke open the seal and a piece of paper which had been enclosed in the first fell out onto her lap. Ignoring the second sheet, she read the note from Xander.

Dear Cassy

Forgive me for imposing upon you, my beloved sister, but I find myself quite unable to pay my account at the Golden Lion. I am confident your adoring husband will be only too happy to extend his magnanimous generosity toward your only brother in footing the bill. It is but a trifle to one in his position.

I am much obliged.

Your adoring brother,

Xander

How could he? Cassandra was tempted to screw the letter up and throw it into the fire. She was thoroughly ashamed of him. Was this his way of exacting revenge?

She spread open the second sheet on her lap. She gulped hard as her eyes lighted on the figure at the bottom of the page. 96 guineas? How on earth had Xander racked up such a debt in so short a time?

It soon became clear as she read the details. Xander had charged the costs of his entire party to her husband’s account—their food, their drink, their lodging, and who knew what else included in the nebulous term ‘other expenses’. How was she going to tell Jethro about this? Would he ever forgive Xander for taking such a liberty with his name?

She would have to find a means to pay the bill herself. Could she defer paying for her latest millinery account? She didn’t like to presume upon her friendship with the owner, but Bridget Fisher was her only hope of hiding Xander’s treachery from her husband .

Cassandra wasted no time in visiting her friend’s shop. She was fortunate to find her alone and greeted her warmly.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Bridget asked. “Never say you’re here to order more gowns.”

“Not today, I’m afraid. I am in a spot of difficulty, actually. I don’t like to ask, but would it be inconvenient if I delayed paying your bill until I receive my next quarterly allowance?”

A frown appeared on Bridget’s forehead. “I think you’d better sit down and explain.”

Cassandra took a seat beside her friend on the sofa, but struggled to find the words to justify her request without giving away the real reason. “I’ve been spending a little too freely, and I’d prefer not to ask my husband—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You are worrying unnecessarily. Mr Hunt wouldn’t blink an eyelid if my account was twice as large. Would you like me to send it direct to him, if you’ve outrun your allowance? You won’t be the first wife to do so, and you certainly won’t be the last.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

Bother. Bridget was making this awkward. “Because I don’t want Jethro to know why I can’t pay your bill.”

“And why would that be?”

Cassandra gave up hiding the truth. “Because my brother left Jethro to settle his account at the Golden Lion and I need the money to pay it before he finds out.”

Bridget’s frown deepened. “You should tell him. It’s not wise to keep secrets from your husband. It breeds mistrust.”

Cassandra considered her friend’s words. Jethro already treated her with suspicion, so how could it make any difference? Would hiding the truth push them even further apart? Maybe, but wasn’t it worth the risk if it avoided an irreconcilable breach between the two men?

“Please, Bridget. Can’t you see I’m trying to protect my brother?”

“Your first loyalty should be to your husband.”

“I know. I’m trying to protect him, too. Please.”

“You’re fooling yourself, Cassy. This won’t solve anything. I won’t hound you for payment, but if you haven’t settled your account by the end of the month, I’ll present it to Mr Hunt.”

“I thought you were my friend—”

“That’s why I’m doing it. For your own good. Tell him yourself before I make you. ”

She returned home in a worse position than when she’d left. It hadn’t occurred to her that Bridget would not only withhold her help, but force her to tell Jethro the whole. Her friend meant well, but she didn’t understand how different Cassandra’s marriage was to her own.

Cassandra still believed it would be better if Jethro didn’t learn what Xander had done, but there was no way to avoid telling him now.

Though her good sense told her she should confess her brother’s crime as soon as possible, her heart shied away from the task, plagued by doubts about how Jethro would react.

Until she could pluck up the courage to tell him, she avoided him as much as she could, convinced her guilt must show on her face—not the guilt about what her brother had done, but of trying to hide it from her husband.

How would Jethro respond if she threw herself on his mercy on Xander’s behalf? She prayed he would not hold her brother’s behaviour against her.

There was only one way to find out.