The Devil's Bargain

by Karen Harbaugh

  “You are mad. I did nothing of the sort. Your wife would have come here alone to save you if I had not agreed to accompany her. And I damned well never met this Teufel before, and so I tell you!”

  A soft laugh came from behind Eveline, and she turned to see Lucifer gazing at Wyvern and Clairmond with an odd, avid expression. “You know, you humans do have a talent for conflict. It is one of the most delightful things about you, and immensely entertaining.” He sat upon a bench and leaned his chin upon the end of his walking stick. “But we lack some equipment here … Oh, yes,” he said brightly. “Swords. I do like swords. So very refined and elegant, don’t you think, Lady Clairmond? And your husband can be quite the fire-eater; how diverting!” He nodded his head toward the two men.

  Richard felt something solid in the palm of his hand and raised it. It was a rapier. He glanced at Wyvern; the earl was also looking at a sword in his hand, and he was clearly bewildered. The earlier deadening chill had risen from Richard’s mind, but it had been exchanged for a red haze of anger at finding Eveline with Wyvern; clearly the man was in league with Teufel, and clearly he had brought Eveline to destroy her. He could not allow it! His heart twisted with agony at the thought of her brought to degradation in the coming years, and it fed the rage within him—rage at his father, at himself, at the powerlessness he felt before the poverty facing his tenants, and his hopelessness he felt before Teufel. He looked at Wyvern and found a focus for his rage.

  Richard lunged. Wyvern had only time enough to raise his rapier to deflect the viscount’s sword and jump back. He lunged again, and this time the earl parried, and parried again when the next thrust came at him.

  “Damn it, Clairmond, are you mad?” He moved aside, Richard’s sword just missing his chest by inches.

  A breathless chuckle came from Richard’s throat. “Perhaps. But at least I’ll keep Marianne from your filthy hands before I’m locked up.”

  “Think, you idiot! Would I have asked to marry your sister if I didn’t mean honestly by her?”

  Uncertainty flickered within Richard’s mind, and he faltered for a moment. Quickly, Wyvern pressed his advantage and tried to disarm him. He was not quick enough. Richard was used to battle where the earl was not, and the viscount’s fury-fed energy returned in full force at this attempt at diversion.

  Horror filled Eveline’s mind and heart as she watched the two men battle. “Stop! Stop this!” she cried. “There is no need to fight, for God’s sake!” The men paid her no heed, caught up in the thrust and parry, deflection and lunge. She looked about her for help, for she feared she’d cause an injury to one or the other if she intervened physically, but it seemed their group was wholly ignored. People passed the small clearing they were in, and it seemed they were oblivious of the duel going on before them. Eveline gazed at Lucifer’s beautiful, avid face. He was the cause of it all, she knew. He must stop them.

  She moved to him and touched his sleeve with a trembling hand. “Stop them, Lucifer. I beg of you, stop them.”

  He looked at her, eyebrows raised. “What? Do you not like the little play before us?”

  The oppressiveness of his presence overcame her again, and she almost sobbed with despair. Swallowing her tears, she lifted her chin firmly. “This is not a play, but real life. Either one of them could die. Is there no pity in you? Stop them, please!”

  Lucifer eyed her coldly. “I have no pity, haven’t you heard?”

  “A bargain then!” she cried desperately.

  He smiled. “Ah! A bargain!”

  Hope rose in her heart, and then, suddenly, she was wary. Lucifer’s face was interested now, turned away from the combatants before him. Her every instinct was on the alert, her mind sharp and calculating. She realized what had come over her and almost laughed hysterically. Each time she had gone into negotiations with her father’s solicitors, or with rival businesses, she had learned. Each time she faced an investment in a calculated risk, she had learned. It was not long before she had cultivated a frame of mind that clicked into place as soon as she stepped into a house of business.

  And here it was again, appearing at the very mention of the word “bargain.” This time, however, it was bargaining on a scale she had never approached before: for the soul of her husband and her own happiness. It frightened her, but she knew this was her only chance. Lucifer had no pity, he had said so himself; but he was open to bargains.

  “Yes, a bargain,” she said. Eveline sat down on the bench next to Lucifer and made herself relax. “But you must tell me the usual terms of your agreements first.” She forced her gaze away from the two fighting men, to Lucifer instead.

  “Oh, my, very much the merchant’s daughter, are you not?” Lucifer laughed. “Very well, then. I usually grant a favor—and very generous I am, too—in exchange for a few tasks and one’s soul. The favor and the tasks are negotiable.”

  “The terms are too vague,” Eveline returned, frowning. “I need guarantees.” She had to have time to find loopholes; there was always one, she remembered from the stories her nurse had told her when she was a little girl. Indeed, the tales were fresh in her mind, for she had heard them only a little more than a month ago. She hoped those stories were true.

  Irritation passed across Lucifer’s face. “I guarantee all my bargains. I always come through with my agreements.”

  “How do I know that? You have given me no paper you will sign; there is no proof I can hold in front of you if you renege.”

  Almost it seemed that Lucifer would snap at her, for anger flared in his black eyes. “Let us talk terms first, and I will give you your paper.”

  “Very well.” Eveline took in a breath and let it out slowly. “Can I assume your bargains would be according to human laws? That all contracts are binding on both sides, just as they would be, say, in England?” She wanted to look at her husband and Wyvern, but did not. All her concentration must be on her negotiations.

  “Of course. You humans are incapable of understanding more than what your own minds have put together.” Lucifer sneered. “Get on with it. Your husband tires.”

  Eveline ignored the insult and the threat. “Very good. This is what I want, then: I wish for you to relinquish my husband’s soul, contingent on the validity of his contract with you. I will do what tasks you put before me, and I must have my favors first before I do my tasks—if and only if this is how you phrased your contract with Clairmond.” She clenched her hands, and then flattened them on her lap. It would be worth it, she told herself. Never could she live with the thought that the Richard she knew would die and become the cold and remote creature that had faced her earlier. She focused her whole mind and heart on that thought.

  “Done!” Lucifer laughed triumphantly, and waved a hand. A paper appeared upon her lap, already signed with his name. He gave her a quill dipped in ink, she read the paper carefully, and then signed her name.

  The fire in Richard’s mind slowly faded, and fatigue overcame him. He looked at his opponent, at Wyvern’s angry face, and the rage within him flared low. He fought on, but he knew he could not last. Suddenly, the earl’s words came back to him, and the last of his fury died out.

  “Anthony!” Marianne’s voice screamed from behind him, and he saw Wyvern’s attention waver just as he thrust forward. The earl’s eyes widened, and he dropped his rapier and grasped his left shoulder with a gasp. He fell to his knees then sat, leaning against a bench.

  A hurtling form thrust Richard away and fell next to Wyvern. Marianne’s confused and agonized eyes met her brother’s and she shook her head. “Why?” she whispered.

  “I … I thought I was protecting you.” He shook his head. “I was wrong.” They heard running footsteps, and Sir John Grey appeared as well, looking anxious, obviously trying his best to keep to his role of Marianne’s escort. A sound behind Richard made him turn around, and he saw Eveline sitting next to Teufel with a paper in her hand. He strode toward her and tore the paper from her grasp.

  “What is th
is?”

  Eveline looked at him, smiling, with tears in her eyes. “You are now released from your agreement, my love. I have signed a contract, trading my soul for your own.”

  “No!” Grief shot through him, as sure and sharp as a sword thrust. “No! Not you. Oh, God, not you, Eveline!” He grasped her shoulders and shook her. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

  She smiled up at him. “Oh, yes, I do. Most certainly, I do. You will see, my dear one.”

  Teufel grinned and held out his hand to her. “Come, my lady. You are mine now.”

  Eveline looked at the outstretched hand, and then at Teufel. A small smile crossed her face. “My husband’s contract first. I must have it in my hand, and then I will come with you.”

  The smile on Teufel’s face grew strained. “Regardless of whether you come with me now or not, at some time, I will come for you.”

  “True. However, the condition of our contract was that my husband’s contract must be valid. How can I be sure of its validity if I do not see it for myself?”

  “Eveline, this will not work,” Richard said. “I made a verbal agreement with Teufel.”

  She smiled at him, then turned and raised her brows at Teufel. “A verbal contract? How is this?”

  “A verbal contract is still binding, oh merchant’s daughter!” Teufel laughed.

  “And the witnesses?”

  Richard looked at her, an odd expression on his face. “There were none,” he said.

  “No witnesses?” Eveline shook her head mockingly. “Then how do I know if this supposed contract existed at all?”

  “Your husband admits it.”

  She turned to Richard. “Then tell me the terms of the contract, please.”

  Richard did not know what she was trying to do; going over the agreement with Teufel was useless. Had he not done so over and over in his mind already?

  “Tell me, Richard!” There was an urgency to her voice. Hope flared within him. Perhaps, perhaps she knew something he did not.

  “I was to seduce and abandon you, and then I would receive enough wealth to redeem my estates and save my sister from poverty.”

  “What is this, Mr. Teufel?” Eveline’s voice was mocking now. “It seems this is different from what you agreed upon in my contract. Here you say I will get my wish first, and then I must do my task, but in your contract with Lord Clairmond, it is quite the opposite!”

  “He does not remember it accurately. It was as yours,” Teufel said, but his smile was uneasy.

  Richard opened his mouth to protest, but Eveline’s hand closed on his arm tightly.

  Eveline smiled in mock sympathy. “In which case, Mr. Teufel, both contracts are null and void.” She turned to Richard and took his hand, pressing it to her cheek. Her eyes were full of love and joy, and hope rose in his heart.

  “You are lying!” Fury burned in Teufel’s voice, and Richard took a step toward him, moving protectively in front of Eveline. But his wife moved out from behind him and shook her head mockingly.

  “Oh, no, Lucifer! It is you who are lying, and have lied. You are the father of lies, are you not? Never did you come through with your promises to Richard; there was no money that came to him before he seduced me. And what you say does not agree with what you wrote in your letter—which I read, I should mention.”

  “You cannot deny he prospered afterward!” Lucifer cried.

  “According to you, that was not in the contract. As for his prosperity, it was all through his own efforts, I assure you! Where were your favors when he dug ditches side by side with his tenants? What aid did you provide him when he spent his days poring over the estate records? I do not recall anything magically appearing in our midst that helped him drain swamps or irrigate cornfields.” Her gaze was severe. “None of it was in the contract.”

  Richard looked at Eveline and shook his head. “Eveline, this will not work. I agreed to the bargain, and I did indeed seduce you.”

  She let out an exasperated sigh and put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You silly man! You never seduced me. I loved you and came to you willingly. How is that a seduction? It was never against my will.”

  Reluctantly, he pushed her away from him. “But your inheritance! What of that?” He glanced at Lucifer, who watched them carefully.

  Eveline rolled her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake! I would have inherited the money regardless of whom I married! It was there before you ever made your bargain with Lucifer! And as for your benefiting from it, when did that occur? I seem to remember you rejected it as soon as I mentioned it.” She grasped the lapels of his coat and shook him a little. “Do you not see? It has all been a lie; Lucifer had manipulated all your perceptions to such a point that you believed all he said—even that poor Wyvern here was some vile seducer, when anyone could see that he is top over tails in love with Marianne.” She turned to Lucifer. “No matter which way the contract was, you have no case, and both our contracts are invalid. Indeed, you cannot even show me a signed one for Richard, nor have you even delivered on this nonexistent contract. The burden of proof is on you, Lucifer, as the contract holder. Where is your proof?”

  “You think you are so very clever, do you not, Lady Clairmond?” Lucifer sneered. “However—”

  “Enough, Lucifer!”

  They all turned, and there was Lescaux, looking impeccably neat and very grave indeed. He bent over Wyvern, examined his wound, and shook his head. “Such mischief you cause, my brother! Eh, bien! A clean wound, at least.” Light seemed to flow from his fingers as he passed his hand over the earl’s bloodied chest, and Wyvern breathed deeply.

  The earl opened his eyes. “Marianne?”

  “Anthony!” Marianne cried, kissing him fiercely.

  Lucifer turned angrily upon Lescaux. “You said you would not interfere! You said!—”

  “And so I have not! Did I move them here and there, as you certainly did? I did not!” The valet pressed his lips together, then smiled. “I will not argue with you, Lucifer! Admit it. You have lost.”

  “Clairmond did as I told him, if you’ll remember!”

  Lescaux shook his head. “No, he did not. Did I not say that love would overcome all? And so it did. Milord le Capitaine”—and here he grinned at Richard—“loved his lady, and though you fooled him into thinking he had done her harm, he could not abandon her, but married her instead. And did he ask anything for himself?”

  Richard looked back and forth between Lucifer and his valet, confused. What did his servant have to do with the devil? Eveline moved from his side and faced Lucifer.

  “No, he did not,” she said. “He bargained for the lives of his tenants and that of his sister. He did not ask anything for himself.” She held out her hand to Richard, and when he grasped it, she smiled lovingly at him. “I always knew you were a good man, my love. Even when you thought you had lost your soul, you did it out of care for those who depended on you. How could that ever be evil?”

  An upsurge of emotion made him swallow, and he shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said.

  “I know,” she said, “and I will never let you forget it.”

  Richard laughed shakily. “I am sure you will not.” He drew her to him and kissed her softly, then with more fervor. His heart felt light, as if a stone once lodged in it had been pulled away. There was no doubt he had made mistakes, but he had not made one when he married Eveline. She had saved him, saved him from the darkness of his soul, and he would love her forever.

  “Lucifer,” came Lescaux’s voice again, “admit it. I have won.”

  Richard looked up from Eveline, then gazed, astonished, at his valet. Lescaux had changed, though he was still neat and precise as ever. A brilliant light seemed to come from him, and his eyes twinkled when he glanced at his master.

  “Who are you?” Richard whispered.

  The valet chuckled. “Why, I am Lescaux, your guardian angel. Did you not say so yourself?” The valet’s coat and trousers faded into gleaming robes, and
a shimmering flicker shone at his shoulders. He turned to Lucifer. “Come now, my brother, answer me.”

  Lucifer stared at him, his hands balled into fists. “Very well, Ariel. You have won.”

  “And … ?” the angel prompted.

  “It will end at Waterloo. 1815. And you will get the rest of your reforms through.”

  “Thank you.” Ariel turned to the group and smiled at their amazed faces. “You may go now. Lucifer will bother you no longer.”

  Richard took Eveline’s hand and with one long backward look signaled his friends to leave. As one they moved from the Dark Walk; Wyvern, a stunned expression on his face, Marianne looking anxiously at him, and Sir John shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

  Ariel raised his hand to them in blessing and turned back to Lucifer.

  “You will never win, you know,” he said.

  Lucifer looked at him, sneering. “Persistence is a virtue, and I have an abundance of it.”

  Shaking his head, Ariel smiled. “You have more than that positive attribute, if you would but exercise it. That is all it takes, after all.”

  The Fallen One rolled his eyes. “Oh, please! I have heard the lectures before. You have won, and that is the end of it. I am sure you have your duties to perform—as have I.”

  “Very well, then.” Ariel stepped away, and his light faded slowly. “I look forward to our next encounter, dear brother.”

  Lucifer said nothing and watched the angel fade into the night. He lifted his eyes to the stars; then he, too, disappeared into the darkness.

  The Devil’s Bargain

  © 1995 Karen Harbaugh

  ISBN: 0451183185

  SIGNET

  Ed♥n