Winter was almost upon the Cornwall coast. Verity's stay in Trenwith took longer than everyone anticipated. She wrote to Ross asking for his help for the arrangements regarding the Poldark's inheritance. While the newlyweds Elizabeth and George went to London for their honeymoon, she had to stay with Aunt Agatha and Geoffrey Charles seeing that the Warleggan's servants didn't throw away all her family's belongings with the excuse of George's 'remodelation' of the house. Ross told Demelza that he was busy with the mine and that in any case he didn't want anything to do with the Trenwith House or any furniture in it, so this delayed Verity's arrival to Nampara.
This situation gave Ross an idea, he used his cousin visit as an excuse to take Demelza with him to Truro to help him buy new things for their house. Not that Verity would mind the lack of furniture or to drink the port from a mug, but Ross had convinced Demelza that it was no necessary to have such needs now, and that they should buy replacements for all the things they had to sell in the past now that they could afford it.
The trip turned out to be more pleasurable for Ross than for his wife. First she was a bit reluctant about the ride to town.
'Is not going to be the first time that we rode in her together' – Ross had said to her when he saw Demelza hesitated watching at Darkie – 'If you are uncomfortable with the proximity we can buy a horse for you in Truro'
'No Ross, there are other things more important than a new horse'- Demelza had told him.
Later, and while Ross was in a meeting with his banker Pascoe, Demelza went to see the dressmaker to buy cloth for a new dress for her and Prudie, and for vests for Ross and Jeremy.
In there she saw a woman with an over the top dress and too much powder on. Normally she wouldn´t had pay any attention, but that woman didn't stop staring at her.
'Mistress Poldark' – the woman finally said to her.
'Good morning mam, are we acquaintance? I don't remember having the pleasure...'
'Oh no, we only saw each other once, in the house of your new cousin, George Warleggan'
She then remembered her. Although she looked slightly different now, that was the woman that was with Francis the night Ross fought with Matthew Sanson.
'He is not my cousin'
'I hope his new wife takes care of him better than she took care of her first husband'
'I doubt that George Warleggan needs someone to take care of him'
The woman laughed in an exaggerated way.
'You may be right about that! And tell me Mistress Poldark, how is your husband Ross?'
'He is in good health, thank you'- She hesitant replied
'I am sure he is, although he always was the kind of man who needed a woman to take care of him'
Demelza was disgusted, that horrible woman and the tone in her voice leave no doubt for mistake what she was implying. She kept her composure the best she could.
'I wish you good day mam, I have to go'
'Good day, and please tell Captain Poldark that Margaret Vosper sends her regards'
The two woman courtesy each other. Demelza went to find Ross in the furniture store, she tried to put the encounter in the back of her mind.
After leaving Pascoe's Ross went to the jewellery and then he enjoyed spend the rest of the day with Demelza. During their married life one of his secret desires had been to indulge her, take her to the village and buy everything she wanted. It was the first time that he could actually do that. Demelza ended up stopping Ross from buying every single thing that she commented was nice or that she said she liked it. He laughed of her in a couple of occasions and they laughed together in another few. She found herself walking hand in hand with him in the streets of Truro and sometimes while Ross talked to the sellers, he surrounded her waist with his arm and she had to endure it, pretending like this was something entirely normal. But as soon as she was sure nobody was looking at them, she would covertly break away from his embrace. Not that she didn't find pleasure in this small signs of gallantries from Ross, but she still was not ready. Something was missing, she felt something was lost and she did not know what it was or where to find it.
When Ross went up stairs that night, Demelza was already covered in blankets.
'Are you asleep?'- He whispered to not awake Jeremy.
'No. Ross, could you poke the fire? It's freezing...'
He slowly approached the bed and sat next to her over the covers, his left hand went to rest in the bump that were her hips.
'Are you cold? I could warm you'
She was so buried under the blankets that all he could see was her red hair.
'No Ross, just see to the fire please'- She answered without looking at him.
She felt him get up from the bed and walk to the hearth to stir the fire. Then he went to lay in his side of the bed, blew off the candles and went to sleep. He didn't say anything else that night.
Verity's visit turned out to be very short. She only stayed one night and she spent most of her time in Nampara playing with her godson, who was more than pleased to see her. When he finally fell asleep, Demelza and her cousin sat in the parlour to take a cup of tea. To Verity's perspicacious eyes Demelza seemed a bit tired, she didn't say anything of course, but it looked to her as if she had aged years in this last few months.
Demelza wasn't so chattering as usual either. They've talked about Verity's life and her new political son and daughter, her house and her husband but she avoided to speak of herself. She also noticed the little frown she made every time that she mentioned Trenwith or Elizabeth's name.
The next morning Ross escorted her to take the carriage to Falmouth, and on the way she asked him:
'Dear cousin, I hope you don't mind me asking, is Demelza well?'
Ross didn't answer immediately. Instead he pulled his horse to a stop and looked at the sea that unfolded before him.
'Did she say anything?'- He asked in return to his cousin who had also stopped next to him.
'No. But maybe that was it. She was more quiet than usual'
'She is in good health, it's me who seems to upset her'
'Oh cousin, I don't think that is..'
'It is' – he interrupted her –'I'm certain'
'But why?'
He went silent for a little while again.
'I'm afraid that if I tell you, you may be upset as well'
Verity could never imagine what it was that had occurred between her cousins. She thought it would be some kind of domestic dispute, however, she could see that Demelza was not the only one hurt in this situation.
'Did you spoke to her?'- She innocently asked him
'How?'
'Sincerely?' – Verity smiled at Ross face of surprise – 'Dear Ross, I may not know what it is that happened between the two of you, but I'm sure that you can talk about it and solve it'
She then continued:
'A very wise person once told me that 'Love could conquer all', that person was your wife. Talk to her. I'm sure she will understand'
Ross didn't say more. He bid farewell to Verity and went back to the mine.
AT: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your comments, follows, favorites and for reading this story. I'd said this would be the last chapter, well, it turns out to be a very long chapter so we have two more to go!
