A Gentleman's Vow (Saints and Sinners 2)

“I’m glad you finally saw someone.” She tilted her head to one side, trying to decide if they could still be friends if he kept secrets. If she did not have Giddy… “You look…”

“Even more like my father than I did before,” he finished rather glumly.

“You are nothing like him.”

“You never met him,” Gideon reminded her.

It was true that Jessica had never met Gideon’s father, but there was a painting at Quigley Hill of the late Mr. Whitfield. She didn’t like it. She’d discovered from listening very carefully over the years that Joseph Whitfield had been as mean-spirited and cold as he’d looked in his portrait.

Gideon was nothing like him. She’d never known him to raise his voice or hand to anyone in anger. “I was going to say more handsome, actually, but I’m sure I’m not the only woman to mention that recently.”

“Thank you.”

She turned away, blushing, uncomfortable with the knowledge that Gideon had an admirer. She had always liked the way he looked,

the way he laughed with her, too. She should have expected other women to learn to appreciate him also.

Jessica avoided looking at Gideon again in favor of draining off the excess water from her plants until her face cooled. “At least now you’ll stop squinting at everything and everyone,” she grumbled and then shook her head. She hadn’t meant to criticize him when she’d missed their conversations so much.

“I wasn’t aware I was doing so. My apologies,” Gideon murmured.

He started tapping away at the pipework. He bent down on one knee, looking up at the cistern and pipes that spread out from the wall. Jessica paused to watch him, holding back a sigh. He had another life apart from hers—one she might never really know.

“I think there is a crack in the join here,” he said. “See?”

Gideon made room for her. She went to him and crouched down so she could see where he pointed underneath the cistern. A tiny bubble of water lingered at the very beginning of the pipework.

“We should summon the blacksmith to have a look at his work,” he decided. “I’m sure this is fixable.”

“I hope so too,” she agreed.

She turned to Gideon, and her breath caught. He was one of her best friends. She couldn’t stay angry with him. She wasn’t capable of holding a grudge and she’d missed him. But as they remained kneeling very close together, his nearness felt strange—because of the woman he’d kissed that morning, and because he’d avoided kissing Jessica the day before. She thought she’d known him better than anyone.

She hurried to stand up again. “Thank you for your assistance. I’ll send word to the blacksmith and ask him to come at his earliest convenience.

Gideon climbed to his feet and then looked around as he removed his eyeglasses. He shoved them into his coat pocket, the same one he’d left behind with her the previous day. “In the meantime, I’ll help you clean up.”

“I can do it on my own.”

“It’s no trouble,” he promised. “I’ve no where else to be right now.”

She should not have felt relief at his words but she did. If he left, might he go to that other woman again? There was a lot of lifting and sorting to be done. Jessica was not ready to lose him. Not yet. “Thank you. I would appreciate your help very much.”

They worked in silence for a while, but Jessica felt the strangeness between them was still there. She could not get past the idea that her neighbor was courting and hadn’t said a word about it. Not even to her father it seemed, because Father would have teased Gideon about it already if he’d had the slightest inkling.

She stopped what she was doing and wet her lips. Curiosity curled within her about the stranger. Had she been a guest in Gideon’s house last night? How long would it be before he proposed? “How was your dinner?”

“Quite good. The roast was perfection, the dining table survived the candles being lit.”

Jessica laughed softly, unable to help herself. Giddy always managed to make her laugh, no matter her mood. “Did you banish Mr. Lewis to the stables?”

“Didn’t have to. The man refused to assist with anything to do with the dinner.”

She stopped what she was doing and glanced at Gideon in surprised. “That’s not like him. I’ve always found him to be very helpful and polite.”

Gideon set his hands on the table and rocked forward and back on his feet. “I know. He’s been in an odd mood for weeks now. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s become quite surly with me.”

She deposited her plant with the others and returned to his side. “Have you asked Mrs. Harrow what the trouble might be? Housekeeper’s usually know everyone’s business, whether you want it known or not.”