The Betrothal

By JT Therrien

After sharing a romantic meal, Benjamin has another anniversary surprise for Sarah: a unique interpretation of the tragic love story between feisty Giovanna Cenami and Pieter Baes, Jan van Eyck's young assistant at the time van Eyck painted the now-famous Arnolfini Betrothal Portrait.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JT Therrien
• Release date: Oct 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9780921473077

JT Therrien

Fine Form Press is a boutique publisher committed to working with a limited number of authors such as JT Therrien. We publish some of JT's novellas and novels in a variety of genres, including: commercial; YA; paranormal; romances; and, love stories. Along with JT's art-themed and cancer-themed fiction, Fine Form Press also publishes some of his inspirational, Catholic-themed, fiction.

Book preview

FINE FORM PRESS

The Betrothal

ISBN: 978-0-921473-07-7

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Copyright © 2013 JT Therrien

Cover Art © 2013 Fine Form Press

Smashwords Edition

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any existing means.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Couples original image copyright ©2015 by Wyatt Fisher

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Creative Commons License link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Original photo modified under license terms by Fine Form Press 2014.

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Blurb

When Benjamin takes Sarah out to celebrate their four-month dating anniversary, he wines and dines her at Calabash, London's best restaurant. After a wonderful meal, he has another surprise for her: his prepared lecture at the National Gallery, where he presents Sarah with a unique and entertaining interpretation of the love story between feisty Giovanna Cenami and Pieter Baes, Jan van Eyck's young assistant at the time van Eyck painted the famous Arnolfini Betrothal Portrait.

Table of Contents

The Betrothal

The Well

Summertime

About JT Therrien

The Betrothal

by JT Therrien

The handsome man sitting across the table from me disappeared when I closed my eyes in a swoon, my senses overwhelmed by a mouthful of silky custard. Mmm . . . . This had to be what Heaven tasted like.

So, how do you like our anniversary celebration so far? Benjamin reclaimed his spoon, carefully sliding the silverware out of my mouth.

I wanted to bite down, but I played nice, released the spoon, and slowly reopened my eyes. I swallowed, licked my lips to savor every drop before answering.

"Amazing! And I still can't believe we're eating at Calabash. You better pace yourself, Benjamin. There's a reason people celebrate yearly anniversaries instead of mensiversaries."

What's that?

Monthly celebrations, sweetie. I gloated, finding a use for an arcane piece of knowledge gleaned during my graduate studies.

Bah! he grinned. It's a risk I'm willing to take, Sarah. Especially if it means I get to see your beautiful new haircut in candlelight. He reached across the table to slide a brown tress off my shoulder.

Thanks. I'm surprised you noticed! I wasn't, really. Benjamin tended to notice the little things about me, which was one reason why I adored him.

He squinted, examining my hair more closely. Did you change the color?

Just a bit. I ran some henna through it. You like? I kept my tone light; At only thirty-two years of age, Benjamin had thinning hair, which made the current topic very touchy.

Hmm . . . . he smiled.

His thinning hair didn't bother me. We were a study in opposites, or, as my Lit-Crit professor would say: dialectical poles. Four years older than me, the love of my life carried a bit of extra weight but still maintained his excellent physical condition; he stood almost six feet tall to my five-nothing in heels; and no rug rats from previous relationships played with any skeletons in his closet. In my eyes, he was perfect. Single. Handsome. And all mine.

I reached across the table, navigating around the crystal goblets of ice water and honey-colored Chablis to give his arm an affectionate squeeze.

He shrugged muscular shoulders. And what do you think of the crème brûlée?

It reminds me of you, you big lug. Hard shell, soft and gooey in the middle. I laughed.

"Hey, I run five miles every day! I am not soft and gooey anywhere, especially not in the middle." Unaware of the saucier meaning of his words, he spooned more of the creamy dessert into my mouth as I tried hard not to say anything that would ruin my scholarly boyfriend's serious mood.

"Mmm . . . . This is so good!"

He beamed. I thought you might enjoy it. I can't believe there's anyone left on Earth who hasn't eaten this dessert.

I wiped my mouth on a swath of white linen napkin from which I could've made a whole dress. With all the wine, food, and sweet dessert, I found it too much work to make up a joke about losing my crème brûlée . . . innocence.

Don't you want any? I asked.

Yes, but my blood sugar's been high all day. I'm happy with the taste I had.

I pouted and he laughed.

When Benjamin grinned he looked like Anderson Cooper, especially with those blue eyes that pierced my