A Noble Pair of Brothers (The Underwood Mysteries Book 1)
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All this was happening too fast for Underwood, who looked utterly baffled, but managed to pick up on one major point, “That is what Verity said about you – that she loves you like a brother.”
“How very fortunate, since that is precisely what I shall be tomorrow. Now, I suggest you go and beg her pardon for your boorish behaviour. In twenty-four hours she will have given up her freedom, indeed her entire life, to you. Don’t you think she deserves to know it will not be in vain?”
Underwood could not help but agree with this sage advice and went to find his betrothed. She was sitting in the parlour, an open book in her hands, but in truth she had not turned a page for over half an hour.
The apprehensive look in her eyes gave him cause to feel ashamed of his behaviour towards her. It hurt him to think she might be even slightly afraid of him.
“Verity,” he said softly. She smiled tremulously in response, “Mr Underwood. Your hair is all awry, what have you been doing?” He did not bother to tell her that he had disordered it by running his fingers through it in his agitation at wondering what on earth he could say to her to atone for his unkindness. He lifted a self-conscious hand in an unsuccessful attempt to flatten it. She laughed and held out her hand to him,
“Come here, I have a comb, let me do it.”
He obediently sat on a footstool at her feet and allowed her to run her comb through his blond locks “My dear, I want to say how sorry I am…”
“Please don’t. I deserved every word. It was horrid of me to use Gil as I did.”
“Oh, dash Gil! He can look after himself. I shall become seriously displeased if my brother continues to dominate our conversations.”
“Very well, what do you want to talk about?”
“You.”
“What about me? I will try to be a good wife, if that is what you are afraid of.”
He laughed, “And what do you suppose constitutes a ‘good wife’?”
Verity was thoughtful for a moment, and when she answered she sounded rather crushed, “Oh dear! I imagine it means I ought to be able to cook, and sew and run a household, direct servants, and manage to do it all on incredibly small sums of money.”
“And do you have any of those talents?”
“Not one. I’m not a very satisfactory candidate, am I? I don’t suppose I have any useful attributes at all.”
“Is that your way of extracting a compliment from me, Miss Chapell?”
“Will it work?”
“Just this once. I want a wife who will be my companion, who can discuss art and literature, who will enjoy the theatre and concerts and not be forever languishing over silly hats. A woman who knows what I’m talking about when I spout philosophy, and most of all, a woman who knew what my name was when provided with the flimsiest of clues.”
“Oh Cadmus,” she sighed, “You make it almost bearable to be second best.”
He turned swiftly, anger blazing in his eyes, “What the devil do you mean by that?”
“Oh, I know you are being kind-hearted, pretending you feel for me, when I know you do not, but please don’t. I would rather our marriage was based on truth and honesty, than on silly, romantic platitudes…”
“Pray don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped irritably, “Verity, I don’t ever want to hear the expression ‘second best’ from you again. There is no woman in the world who means as much to me as you do in this moment. I shall be proud to make you my wife tomorrow. The past is gone. We shall not ever refer to it again, except to say that I have been privileged to be loved by three very fine women, and even more privileged to marry the finest of them all.”
There were tears in her eyes as she leant forward to kiss him, “Cadmus, I can’t tell you how happy you have made me.”
“I trust I shall be allowed to make you much happier, my dearest girl.”
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Copyright 2013.
A Noble Pair of Brothers by Suzanne Downes.
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