Some of those Vera loved -- quite a number (7)
I believe the answer is:
several
'a number' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'some of those vera loved quite' is the wordplay.
'some of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'SEVERAL' is hidden in the letters of 'those vera loved quite'.
(Other definitions for several that I've seen before include "Indefinite number more than two or three, but not many" , "Various, sundry" , "More than one or two" , "Reveals (anag.)" , "Divers" .)