44. Chapter 44

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 Cassandra had withdrawn and seemed to be avoiding him as much as possible .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.

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.”

He still had no idea what Cassandra meant. “What man?”

“The man in the green jacket who follows me about. Don’t try to deny it.”

Jethro’s chest tightened. Someone was following his wife. But who? Why?

“I hope you are satisfied with his reports. They must be dreadfully boring. Did you truly think I would break my wedding vows? I would never be unfaithful to you. Never. And it hurts that you trust me so little that—”

He put a finger over her lips. “I do trust you.”

She brushed his hand away. “Then why do you employ a man to follow me about? To pester my sister and question the servants.”

“I don’t.”

Cassandra’s eyes grew large, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. “You don’t?”

“No.”

She grasped both his arms, and he could feel her whole body trembling. Eyes full of fear, she stared up at him. “Then why is someone watching me?”

Jethro wished he knew.