Page 45 of Miss Vincent’s Vow

Jethro looked up as she entered the drawing room. He gazed at her face and then lowered his eyes to the necklace at her throat.

“Do you like it?”

Cassandra’s mouth spread into a wide smile, but she made sure not to advance on Jethro’s position.

“How could I not? It’s beautiful. I don’t deserve such a magnificent piece of jewellery. How can I ever thank you enough?”

Jethro gave a brief nod. If she hadn’t been looking for it, Cassandra might have missed the slight upturn to the ends of his mouth.

The tenseness in her chest subsided. He was pleased she liked the necklace.

“You are my wife. You deserve the best.”

She glowed with pleasure. No one had said such a thing for a very long time—if ever. It had been her stepsister who had received the best of everything in her father’s household—not her.

“I’m proud of you, Cassandra. You’ll make a fine impression on Mr Wade with those gems around your neck.”

His words acted like a hatpin, pricking her bubble of delight.

Now the present made sense. The jewellery was a symbol of his wealth that he wanted her to display. She was just a wife for show. She resolved never to wear it at home again.

The unwelcome thoughts robbed Cassandra of all pleasure from Jethro’s gift, and she had to force her lips into a smile.

“As you wish.”

She would uphold her end of their bargain and be the dutiful wife he required. Nothing more.

Chapter 25

The following day, Jethro escaped to the warehouse earlier than usual. He wanted to avoid Cassandra until he knew how to put things right. If that was even possible.

This time, he had no idea what he’d done wrong. One minute, she seemed to revel in his gift. The next, she’d replaced her mask of indifference and become his dutiful, but unemotional, wife once more.

The closer it came to dinnertime, the more agitated he became. How could he repair the damage he had unwittingly caused last night when he didn’t even know what had made Cassandra retreat again?

Crowley knocked on his open door. “How did the apology go?”

Jethro grimaced.

“Oh dear. That well. The course of true love never did run smooth.”

“I’ve upset Cassandra—”

“Again.”

“Yes, again, and I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

As they locked up the warehouse, Jethro relayed his wife’s reaction to the gift he’d bought.

“And you said nothing to provoke such a response?”

“Not that I know of. I just told her how impressed Mr Wade would be to see her like that, with the amethysts around her neck. I thought how pretty she’d look and—”

“Did you tell her that?”

“Tell her what?”