The Bargain

by Vanessa Riley

  The water gleamed, reflecting distant stars. Hints of scarlet peaked within ribbons of ebony. The sky was beautiful. A new shiver, one of excitement, traveled up her arms.

  But beyond, a good forty feet, was a wall of ebony. Nothing could be seen beyond it. She reached out a hand and tried to measure it between her thumb and index finger, but how could she size infinity?

  "Miss Jewell?”

  The heavy voice sent a different vibration through her. She startled and clutched the rail.

  "Miss Jewell, do you remember my orders? Woman, what am I going to do with you?"

  Another emotion filled her, a mix of vexation and a desire to defend herself from being caught doing something naughty. She spun around.

  Lord Welling stood a few paces away, shaking his head at her. His white shirt was open, exposing a few tuffs of black hair. His simple dark breeches blended into the night, silhouetting his thick form. There was a power about him now that she hadn't seen in London. Maybe it was hidden under the fancy ties and jackets.

  Closing the distance between them, he folded his arms. "I thought I told you not to come out of your cabin. Did I not make it clear? Did I need to specify timeframes?"

  He stood too close. Even in the onyx night, the stars and the lantern light in his hand made his eyes wide, deep blue, and menacing.

  Willing her knees to still, she had to keep reminding herself that a servant didn't get whipped like an enslaved person, and, for all Lord Welling's bluster, he'd never tried to take a branch to her. She lifted her chin. "It's stuffy down there. I didn't think it'd hurt nothing. You're selfish for keeping it from me."

  Dimple popping, he pounded his skull. "Mouse, scurry back to your quarters before you’re caught by a very large rat."

  His eyes were clear, untainted by alcohol. Why did that worry her? Could she handle him, sharp, with all his mind working?

  Well, she'd try. She could stand up for her opinions just like Palmers or any other worker did. With a hand on her hip, she sharpened her tone. "Rats don't go after mice. If you'd ever spent time in fields, you'd know that."

  "Hungry rats will devour anything." His head went sidelong as his gaze raked over her. "Barefoot, you'd make an easy meal. A charming one, but an easy one."

  She refused to let her hand move to the belt of her robe. Something about letting him know his warnings trembled her bones didn't seem right. Instead, she pivoted back toward the ocean. "I'm not done getting air. I'll be a deck-side luncheon."

  Chuckling, he plodded closer. "Jewell, you're no coward. I’ll give you that."

  She hid a sigh of relief in a deep taste of salted air. "The breeze feels so good. And the night sky, I miss a night's sky."

  "Well, let's hope the red goes away before dawn. Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdsmen and to herds."

  She swiveled and looked at his face; clean-shaven, speaking of mystical things, with his hair full out lifting in the wind. He was handsome if you like the sort, but he was full of nonsense, speaking nonsense.

  A wave crashed against the hull, making her almost reach for him to steady herself. Forcing her hand to her side, she straightened her shoulders. Even if it got rocky, she'd stand her ground a little longer, just to prove her point.

  "I can tell by the cross look on your face that you are not partial to Shakespeare. Then try this one. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morn, sailor be warned."

  The wind picked up her mobcap and set it sailing. He lunged and caught it, tucking it in his waistband. "You've had enough wind, Jewell. Let me escort you back below." He lifted his palm to her.

  With braids dropping, curling to her neck, she stared at him, not wanting to move, not wanting to go back to the cabin. A small portion of her mind wanted him to speak more nonsense, to calm the edge in her spirit. "I haven't seen you drinking. We can smell rum from our room."

  "No, ma'am, not out here in the open ocean." He trudged to the thick wood rail and clasped it in his big hands. "No, God has control out here, and I need to be able to hear Him. Can't do that cast to the winds."

  Now he spewed a different set of nonsense. Precious didn't think the baron was religious. She squinted at him and looked out at the wall of blackness surrounding the ship. "I don't understand."

  "Oh, Jewell, I learned the hard way long ago about being too cocky, too full of my own power out here on the seas. That's wrong. God can strike at any moment, and you can lose everything if you're not paying attention."

  There was sadness, a grieving music, to his tone, and it made her sad, pulling at her heart. She shook her head to clear it, and just stood near him, breathing in and out, looking at waves.

  "You've had enough, my dear. I have to finish my rounds." He pivoted and took three long steps away. "Jewell, let me take you to your cabin."

  "Why do you call me ‘Jewell’?"

  He lowered his well-muscled arm. "It's what we British do. Addressing by a surname is a sign of respect for one's heritage."

  The boat rocked, the waves hitting below, shoving the boat like one of Jonas’s blocks. It made her reach backward and clutch the rail.

  He extended his arm again. “Time for play is done, Jewell. You need to go below. The next few hours of ocean are going to be bumpy.

  "I don't have a surname. Precious Jewell is my only name."

  His clear eyes sharpened, and he stepped even closer. His palm went to her chin, gently, lifting and angling it in the moonlight. "Jewell's not a family name? Then who is your father?"

  Stiffening, she stepped away from him. Now the railing pressed into her back, preventing escape. "I think I am ready to go below, but I can get there myself. Can I have my cap?"

  "Mouse, I thought you had courage. You're going to let me continually frighten you." His chuckles, his patronizing laughter, burnt her ears. "I suppose that what's to be expected from a mouse.”

  The ocean pushed her forward, flinging her into him. He caught her and held her close. She could feel his heart thudding through her muslin nightgown. She pressed on his chest, but he didn't let go.

  "Precious Jewell," huskiness set in his voice, "it's getting rough out here."

  Tucking a braid from her eye, he released her. His breathing seemed labored, like he struggled for air. "Come along, Miss Precious." He rubbed at his brow, then clasped her arm and dragged her a bit. “You are going back to your cabin now. Work harder at listening. One of my crew might have found you out here, dressed in just muslin.”

  She couldn't take him forcing her to move any more than she could hearing him laughing at her, always sounding as if his thoughts were faster than hers. Anger pumping in her veins, she spun free of his arm.

  But the ship shuttered.

  Her feet went one way, her body the other. In an instant, she was dangling over the rail.

  Don’t miss Episode II.

  For More Information about purchasing go to www.VanessaRiley.com.

  In Episode III:

  Precious Jewell has lived a life filled with disappointments, and it has caused her to wrestle with her beliefs. Port Elizabeth was meant to be a new beginning, not another chance to dance with death. With her eyes clouded in confusion, how can she protect young Jonas or even her new friend Mrs. Narvel? The guilt of kissing Eliza’s husband and marveling at the black warriors who’ve attacked the colonists is gnawing at her, making her doubt her strength. What God is doing? Well, Precious is determined to figure things out and do what's best, even if it means forgetting her attraction to Lord Welling. Yet, will the man let her?

  Gareth Conroy has exposed his young heir, a pregnant woman, and his late wife’s feisty maid to the dangers of Port Elizabeth. He must make things right, but what is that: admitting defeat and returning to London, staying and committing to a loveless marriage of convenience, or negotiating with Xhosa, a people set on the colonist's destruction?

  Whatever hi
s path, there is one thing he’s not ready to do. He's not letting the memory of Precious in his arms fade.

  Episode III is available now!

  Episode IV of The Bargain

  Length: 10 Chapters (25,000 words)

  Summary: Saving The Colony And A Soul

  Status: Coming November 2015.

  In Episode IV:

  Time is running out for Port Elizabeth. A missing chief and his daughter, tensions among frightened colonists, and the trembling of a difficult labor, threaten to break the fragile bonds of its survival.

  Precious Jewell will do what is right to protect those she cares for, even for the man she won't admit to needing.

  For Gareth Conroy, death doesn't matter anymore, and he purposes that his spilt blood will bring salvation for the colony, but will he realize too late that no single man of flesh and blood can bring redemption?

  Will the burgeoning hope of two stubborn, wounded souls fray or smolder in this exciting conclusion of The Bargain?

  Don't miss the exciting conclusion. Join my newsletter to stay informed.

  Author's Note

  Dear Friend,

  I enjoyed writing The Bargain because I dream of Port Elizabeth, a burgeoning colony where all men and women had the opportunity to make their claim and determine their own fates. These stories will showcase a world of intrigue and romance, somewhere everyone can hopefully find a character to identify with as the colonists and Xhosa battle for their ideas and the love which renews and gives life.

  Stay in touch. Sign up at www.vanessariley.com for my newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming releases, and maybe even win a sneak peek.

  Thank so much for giving this book a read.

  Vanessa Riley

  Here are my notes:

  Slavery in England

  The emancipation of slaves in England preceded America by thirty years and freedom was won by legal court cases not bullets.

  Somerset v Stewart (1772) is a famous case which established the precedence for the rights of slaves in England. The English Court of King's Bench, led by Lord Mansfield, decided that slavery was unsupported by the common law of England and Wales. His ruling:

  “The state of slavery is of such a nature that it is incapable of being introduced on any reasons, moral or political, but only by positive law, which preserves its force long after the reasons, occasions, and time itself from whence it was created, is erased from memory. It is so odious, that nothing can be suffered to support it, but positive law. Whatever inconveniences, therefore, may follow from the decision, I cannot say this case is allowed or approved by the law of England; and therefore the black must be discharged.”

  E. Neville William, The Eighteenth-Century Constitution: 1688-1815, pp: 387-388.

  The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was an act of Parliament which abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. A fund of $20 Million Pound Sterling was set up to compensate slave owners. Many of the highest society families were compensated for losing their slaves.

  This act did exempt the territories in the possession of the East India Company, the Island of Ceylon, and the Island of Saint Helena. In 1843, the exceptions were eliminated.

  Glossary

  The Regency – The Regency is a period of history from 1811-1825 (sometimes expanded to 1795-1837) in England. It takes its name from the Prince Regent who ruled in his father's stead when the king suffered mental illness. The Regency is known for manners, architecture, and elegance. Jane Austen wrote her famous novel, Pride and Prejudice (1813), about characters living during the Regency.

  England is a country in Europe. London is the capital city of England.

  Image of England from a copper engraved map created by William Darton in 1810.

  Port Elizabeth was a town founded in 1820 at the tip of South Africa. The British settlement was an attempt to strengthen England's hold on the Cape Colony and to be buffer from the Xhosa.

  Xhosa - A proud warrior people driven to defend their land and cattle-herding way of life from settlers expanding the boundaries of the Cape Colony.

  Image of South Africa from a copper engraved map created by John Dower in 1835.

  Abigail – A lady's maid.

  Soiree – An evening party.

  Bacon-brained – A term meaning foolish or stupid.

  Black – A description of a black person or an African.

  Black Harriot – A famous prostitute stolen from Africa, then brought to England by a Jamaican planter who died, leaving her without means. She turned to harlotry to earn a living. Many members of the House of Lords became her clients. She is described as tall, genteel, and alluring, with a degree of politeness.

  Blackamoor – A dark-skinned person.

  Bombazine – Fabric of twilled or corded cloth made of silk and wool or cotton and wool. Usually the material was dyed black and used to create mourning clothes.

  Breeched – The custom of a young boy no longer wearing pinafores and now donning breeches. This occurs about age six.

  Breeches – Short, close-fitting pants for men, which fastened just below the knees and were worn with stockings.

  Caning – A beating typically on the buttocks for naughty behavior.

  Compromise – To compromise a reputation is to ruin or cast aspersions on someone's character by catching them with the wrong people, being alone with someone who wasn't a relative at night, or being caught doing something wrong. During the Regency, gentlemen were often forced to marry women they had compromised.

  Dray – Wagon.

  Footpads – Thieves or muggers in the streets of London.

  Greatcoat – A big outdoor overcoat for men.

  Mews – A row of stables in London for keeping horses.

  Pelisse - An outdoor coat for women that is worn over a dress.

  Quizzing Glass – An optical device, similar to a monocle, typically worn on a chain. The wearer might use the quizzing glass to look down upon people.

  Reticule – A cloth purse made like a bag that had a drawstring closure.

  Season – One of the largest social periods for high society in London. During this time, a lady attended a variety of balls and soirees to meet potential mates.

  Sideboard – A low piece of furniture the height of a writing desk which housed spirits.

  Ton – Pronounced tone, the ton was a high class in society during the Regency era.

  Sneak Peak: Unmasked Heart

  Shy, nearsighted caregiver, Gaia Telfair always wondered why her father treated her a little differently than her siblings, but she never guessed she couldn't claim his love because of a family secret, her illicit birth. With everything she knows to be true evaporating before her spectacles, can the mulatto passing for white survive being exposed and shunned by the powerful duke who has taken an interest in her?

  Ex-warrior, William St. Landon, the Duke of Cheshire, will do anything to protect his mute daughter from his late wife's scandals. With a blackmailer at large, hiding in a small village near the cliffs of Devonshire seems the best option, particularly since he can gain help from the talented Miss Telfair, who has the ability to help children learn to speak. If only he could do a better job at shielding his heart from the young lady, whose honest hazel eyes see through his jests as her tender lips challenge his desire to remain a single man.

  Unmasked Heart is the first Challenge of the Soul Regency novel.

  Excerpt from Unmasked Heart: The Truth

  Her father sat near Sarah. Nodding his clean-shaven face, his long ash-blonde sideburns curling to his ears, he waved her forward. "Come in, Gaia."

  She hadn't expected him to be in here. He usually took refuge in his study on the far side of the house; that is, if he made it out of bed. This couldn't be good.

  Gaia swallowed and almost clasped the pianoforte tucked in the curved niche at the threshold. Maybe she could lean against it to regain her composure.

  Sarah smiled at her before lowering her gaze. She motioned for Gaia
to cross the paisley rug framing the sitting area close to the fireplace. "We need to speak with you."