Chapter 19

Thomas paused at the edge of Vincent Vance’s driveway just as dusk settled over Bachelor’s Village, the sky a bruised canvas of purples and grays. Inhaling the faint smell of autumn dampness, he reminded himself why he’d come: he needed counsel, any counsel, and there was no one in town more qualified—or more colorful—than Vincent. Vincent, the husband of Gwen, who held the unchallenged reputation as the most innocent wife in the entire village. Everyone whispered about Gwen’s purity—and, truth be told, Vincent himself joked that his bride was no angel, though she’d come pretty close. She only ever soaked in her honey-scented bathwater a handful of times, partly out of shyness, partly out of some old-world propriety. It was precisely that reputation for guileless sweetness that made Vincent a surprising advisor on matters of the heart. If anyone could help Thomas untangle the mess with Cassandra, it was him.

Finally, summoning both courage and desperation, Thomas rang the door