The Bargain

by Mary Jo Putney

  Jocelyn’s astonishment almost turned to uncontrollable giggles. With heroic willpower, she cooed, “David, darling, you do say the sweetest things! As if any woman wouldn’t be proud to be your wife.” Turning to her aunt, she said soulfully, “Such nobility of nature, such high principles, are beyond price. And the heart of a lion—he is a hero of Waterloo, you know.” She slipped her arm around his waist and laid her head against his shoulder. “I am the most fortunate of women.”

  Elvira stared in stupefaction. Whatever she had expected, it was not this picture of mutual adoration. And while she might not have heard of Major Lancaster, he was undeniably a gentleman. “You have been attached for some time?”

  “Oh, we have known each other this age,” David said blandly. “But the difference in our stations and the war conspired to keep us apart.” He gave Elvira a seraphic smile. “I hope you will wish us happy.”

  “It seems like a deuced hole-in-corner business to me,” Elvira snapped. “No announcement, no banns, no one from the family present. At the very least, you should have invited Willoughby and me. As head of the family, he should have given you away.”

  Jocelyn let her mouth droop tragically. “Please tell my uncle I meant no slight. There was simply no time to arrange a larger wedding. David was so ill. Indeed, had his life not been despaired of, I believe that his sense of honor would never have allowed him to marry me.”

  Unconvinced, Elvira said, “This is all very pretty, but how did you two meet?”

  Deciding the performance had gone on long enough, Jocelyn said firmly, “It was very thoughtful of you to pay your respects, Aunt Elvira, but I cannot allow you to tire my husband any longer.” She stepped away from David to pull the bell cord.

  Dudley arrived almost immediately. Jocelyn assumed that close inspection would reveal the shape of a keyhole imprinted on his ear. “Please show the countess downstairs. I am sorry not to accompany you, Aunt, but my husband and I were discussing matters of some importance.” She took David’s arm, batting her lashes outrageously.

  Routed, the countess turned and brushed by Dudley so quickly her plumes hit him in the face.

  Jocelyn waited until the footsteps had died away before collapsing into a chair and giving in to whoops of laughter. “I know now why you didn’t die of your wounds, Major,” she gasped. “You were obviously born to be hanged. I have never heard such a string of half-truths in my life. ‘We have known each other this age,’ indeed!”

  “It’s the advantage of legal training, my dear. Any lawyer worth his salt can choose words so effectively that he can convince a reasonable man that black is white. If you think back, you’ll see that I didn’t actually tell any lies.” David sat on the edge of the bed, a smile lurking. “If I was born to be hanged, you were born for Drury Lane. You entered into the spirit of things rather quickly.”

  “It was very bad of me,” Jocelyn said without regret. “But that Aunt Elvira should speak to me so in my own house!”

  “Do you always clash?”

  “She married my uncle when I was two. I’m told that when we first met, she scooped me up in her arms in an effort to prove her maternal instincts, whereupon I bit her on the nose. Our relationship has been deteriorating ever since.”

  He grinned. “Lady Cromarty was right. You’re a shameless baggage.”

  Jocelyn smiled back, unabashed. “While the desire to buy land was the strongest reason to retain my fortune, honesty compels me to admit that wanting to thwart Aunt Elvira came a close second.” A thought occurred to her. “If we get an annulment, can she contest my inheritance on the grounds that I was never really married?”

  David shrugged. “On a given day, anyone can sue anyone for anything. I don’t think she would win, but you will want to discuss the whole matter with your solicitor. Is your uncle the sort to challenge you in court? Even if the suit fails, fighting it would be expensive and painful.”

  “Willoughby will probably do whatever Elvira wishes. He’s a pleasant man, but thoroughly under the cat’ s paw.” Uneasily she confronted the possibility of a lawsuit. It was time to consult with John Crandall, her lawyer. At least a civil suit wouldn’t be as horrible as a divorce.

  Elvira’s visit had made her think of the future. “What will you do after you are free of our improbable marriage?”

  “I’m not sure. Return to the army, probably. The thought of garrison duty doesn’t excite me, but I’m not sure what else I’d be qualified to do.” He smiled without humor. “Of course, the army might not want me. There are bound to be troop reductions now that Bonaparte is gone for good.”

  She scowled. “It seems so unfair that the men who saved England will be discarded like . . . like old shoes now that they are not needed.”

  “Life is a good deal more comfortable if one doesn’t expect it to be fair.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and Dudley entered. “Dr. Kinlock is here to see Major Lancaster.”

  Moving with his usual impatience, Kinlock entered on the butler’s heels. His bushy eyebrows raised at the cozy scene in front of him. “I thought I’d better stop by early today, but it looks like my concern for your welfare was misplaced.”

  David rose at the surgeon’s entrance. “I may not be ready for riding or twenty-mile marches for another few weeks, but I feel well. Whole.”

  Kinlock grinned. “Your opinion doesn’t count, Major. I’m the doctor, so I’ll tell you whether or not you’re well.”

  Seeing that the surgeon wanted to perform an examination, Jocelyn rose. “I’ll see you later, Major Lancaster. Shall I ask my lawyer to call on us tomorrow?”

  He sighed. “The sooner the better, I suppose.”

  As she left, she realized that she’d spent much longer with David than she had intended. He was very easy company. A pity that she couldn’t adopt him as a brother, but that would make Sally Lancaster her sister, which would never do.

  David and Kinlock both admired the elegance of Jocelyn’s departing figure as she glided from the room. “She’s a braw bonnie lassie,” the surgeon said in one of his stronger Scottish accents before he began poking and prodding his patient.

  After a thorough examination that included listening to the heart through a rolled tube of heavy paper, Kinlock said, “You have the constitution of an ox, Major. The surgical incision is nearly closed with no sign of infection and you’ve come through the opium withdrawal without damage. I’ll admit that I was quite concerned yesterday.”

  “So was I,” David said wryly.

  “I won’t waste my breath on instructions for your convalescence since you will do as you please no matter what I say.” The surgeon scowled from under his bushy brows. “I trust that you have enough sense to eat well, rest often, and not push yourself beyond your strength?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve had some experience with wounds and recovery. I won’t do anything foolish.” He regarded the surgeon gravely. “I owe you more than I can ever repay. I hope you know how much I appreciate what you have done.”

  “Don’t thank me, thank your sister. When everyone else had given up on you, she didn’t. She’s a fearsome lass. Had me trembling in my boots.” Kinlock smiled, warmth in his eyes. “I did nothing special, except to examine you closely. Unfortunately, the doctors at the York Hospital had already decided you were hopeless.”

  “You undervalue your own skills.” David tied the sash of his robe, glad the examination was over. The fact that he was healing well didn’t mean that poking didn’t hurt. “I presume you won’t be calling again?”

  “I’ll remove the sutures next week, but apart from that, you have no need of me, Major.” Kinlock closed his medical bag with a snap. “I must be off to Bart’s. I have several surgeries to perform today.”

  David offered his hand. “It’s been a pleasure.”

  The surgeon’s grip was powerful. “The pleasure was mine. Among all the failures of a physician’s life, it is rewarding to have a splendid success now and then.” He gave a quick, b
oyish grin. “Besides, Lady Jocelyn has already paid the outrageous bill I sent her. It will keep my free surgery supplied with medicines for the next year. Good day to you.”

  After Kinlock left, David stretched out on the bed, careful of his still-sore back. So Lady Jocelyn had even paid the medical bill. The money itself might be insignificant to a woman of great wealth, but it was another sign of her good sportsmanship in the face of the jest fate had played on her. She was a lady in every sense of the word.

  He closed his eyes, feeling enormously weary. She was everything he had dreamed of in a woman, she was his wife—and he was helping to rid her of his unwelcome presence. He was a damned fool.

  But he had no choice, really. The Lady Jocelyn Kendal, only and wealthy daughter of an earl, was not for a half-pay officer without property or prospects.

  When Sally Lancaster entered her brother’s room in midafternoon, she was so delighted to see him up and well that she barely refrained from giving him a hug altogether too energetic for an invalid. She settled for grabbing his hands and holding them tightly. “You’re going to be all right now, aren’t you?”

  He chuckled. “As of this morning, I am far too healthy to interest Dr. Kinlock any longer. A few weeks of serious eating and I should be as good as new. And I owe it all to you, Sally. Everyone else had given up, me included. But you didn’t.”

  She smiled teasingly. “I helped you for my own benefit, David. Who else would tolerate me as well as you do?”

  “Plenty of men would be delighted to do so.” He gestured for her to take a seat. “Now that you have an independent income and don’t need to teach, what do you want to do? Have you ever considered marriage?”

  Surprised at the question, she said, “Surely the annuity will be canceled, since dear Lady Jocelyn didn’t get the dead husband she had bargained for.”

  “We discussed that earlier today. She does not intend to revoke the settlement. The marriage accomplished her goal, which was to retain her fortune. My continued existence is a complication, but not one that was covered in our agreement.”

  “Is marriage just a matter of contract law?” Sally asked indignantly. “That woman has ice in her veins.”

  David’s brows drew together at her vehemence. “Do you dislike Lady Jocelyn?”

  Remembering that her brother hadn’t seen the blasted woman’s true nature, Sally said stiffly, “We’ve had little opportunity to become acquainted.” She searched for something positive to say about her sister-in-law. “Lady Jocelyn has been most considerate about the use of her house and her servants. She also very kindly sent me a note this morning to inform me that you had recovered from the opium withdrawal, which was a great relief.”

  In spite of her resolution to be high-minded, Sally could not help adding, “But honestly, the thought of being related to her for the rest of my life makes the blood curdle in my veins.”

  David frowned, but before he could reply a cool voice sounded from the doorway. “You need have no fears on that score, Miss Lancaster.” Lady Jocelyn entered the room carrying a newspaper. “Your brother and I have already discussed seeking an annulment, so your blood may continue to flow uncurdled.”

  Sally flushed beet red, feeling horribly gauche. Unfortunately she’d always been better at attack than apology, so her wicked tongue spat out, “Splendid. If an annulment is possible, I presume David is in no danger from you.”

  “Sally!” he exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry, Major,” Lady Jocelyn said with a maddening display of tolerance. “It’s not the first time your sister has made such accusations. Her concern for you seems to have overstimulated her imagination.” She placed the newspaper on the table. “I thought you might enjoy catching up on the news. Excuse me for the interruption.”

  David said, “A moment, please, Lady Jocelyn.”

  Responding to the note of command in his voice, her ladyship turned her cool gaze back to her guests. “Yes, Major Lancaster?”

  Sally had to admire Lady Jocelyn’s bone-deep haughtiness. One could almost see invisible ranks of long-dead Kendals lined up behind her, all of them masters of pride and vastly pleased with their descendant.

  David, however, was not easily intimidated. “Why are you two at daggers drawn?”

  An uncomfortable silence fell, until Lady Jocelyn said, “Your sister has taken it into her head that I am a danger either to your continued existence, or possibly to her relationship with you. Apparently she enjoys seeing threats where none exist.”

  Sally’s precarious hold on her temper snapped. “ ‘Threats where none exist!’ David, I hadn’t meant you to know, but I had to force her to let you come here. Once she was in possession of her marriage lines, she was perfectly willing to let you die in that ghastly hospital, so you wouldn’t trouble her selfish existence.”

  David turned his dispassionate gaze to his wife. “Is that true?”

  Jocelyn gave a reluctant nod.

  Sally wasn’t finished yet. “When she gave me the first quarter’s allowance, I asked why it wasn’t thirty pieces of silver.” She glared at her sister-in-law. “Your dear wife told me that silver was for selling people, and since she was buying, she paid gold!”

  “Did you really say that?” David asked in astonishment.

  Jocelyn’s face flamed. “I’m afraid so.” Suddenly she looked more like a child caught in mischief than a proud lady with ice in her veins.

  To Sally’s shock, her brother burst into laughter. “Really,” he gasped as he attempted to collect himself, “I have never seen such foolish females.”

  Both pairs of watching eyes grew frosty. Sally asked in a dangerous tone, “Just what do you mean by that?”

  “You are two of the most capable, not to mention imperious, women I’ve ever met. Naturally you bring out each other’s worst natures.” He shook his head in mock bemusement. “Whoever claimed females were the weaker sex didn’t know you. All a poor male can do is agree quickly and hope to escape unscathed.”

  “Don’t believe a word of it,” Sally said acidly to her ladyship. “David is generally quite reasonable, for a man, but whenever he has an object in mind, one might as well wave the white flag immediately because he is going to do exactly what he wants, and the devil take the hindmost.”

  “I have seen signs of that.” Jocelyn’s mouth quirked up. “I believe that is the first time you and I have agreed on anything.”

  Sally felt an answering smile tug at her lips. “What an alarming thought.”

  David took his sister’s hand. “Sally, I gather that because of the circumstances of our wedding you’ve assumed that Lady Jocelyn is my enemy, but she’s not. If she had meant me ill, she could have allowed me to fall over the railing outside my bedroom last night, which would have made her a widow on the spot.”

  Sally gasped as she envisioned the lethal drop. “You would have been killed!”

  “My wits were wandering, and apparently I decided to follow them. Jocelyn pulled me clear and put me to bed safely.” He beckoned his wife forward, taking her hand as well. “During the worst of my illness, she tended me with her own hands even though we were almost strangers. She could not have behaved better had we been married twenty years.”

  Incredulous, Sally asked, “You really helped nurse my brother, Lady Jocelyn?”

  “Yes, though I’m surprised he remembers,” Jocelyn admitted. “He was out of his head for most of the time.”

  Sally’s mind snapped back to the morning of the wedding, when she had flatly refused all future help from Lady Jocelyn. Under the circumstances, it was hardly fair to blame the woman for not having thought of taking David into her home. Sally had been a thrice-damned fool. With effort, she forced herself to meet her sister-in-law’s gaze. “I owe you an abject apology. What I said was quite abominable.”

  The evil-tempered aristocrat of Sally’s imagination would have rubbed salt in the wound. Instead, Lady Jocelyn said ruefully, “Yes, but you had considerable provocation. I should not ha
ve spoken as I did.”

  Warily the two women regarded each other over the head of the man who still held both of their hands. Jocelyn broke the silence. “You have the most magnificent talent for causing me to lose my temper and say dreadful things. If my Aunt Laura had heard me, she would have sent me to bed without any supper for a month. Shall we pretend that the last week never happened and begin over again?” Smiling, she held out her hand. “Good afternoon. How nice it is that you could visit.”

  Sally had been right in her previous speculation: Lady Jocelyn Kendal was irresistible when she unleashed the full power of her smile.

  Smiling back, she took the proffered hand. “Good day, Lady Jocelyn. My name is Sally Lancaster. I believe you are married to my brother. So pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  As the two women clasped hands, Sally silently thanked her brother for giving them the chance to start over. Already she could see that it would be much nicer to have Lady Jocelyn as a friend than an enemy.

  Chapter 14

  The cessation of hostilities was celebrated with tea and cakes. Now that they had decided not to be adversaries, Sally recognized the warmth under Jocelyn’s cool manner. To her shame, she realized how much of her original bad opinion stemmed from her own prejudices. Being well-born didn’t necessarily make someone selfish and cruel, any more than poverty created nobility of spirit.

  After an hour Lady Jocelyn excused herself, claiming obligations out of the house. Sally stayed with her brother a while longer, but rose to leave when she saw that he was tiring. “Did Dr. Kinlock say when he would come again, David?” she asked as she picked up her reticule.

  “He’ll remove the stitches in a few days, but otherwise he won’t come again unless I have a relapse, which I have no intention of doing.”

  Crossing to the bed, David didn’t notice how her face fell. “Oh. How unfortunate. I . . . I never properly thanked him.”

  “You can be sure that I did.” Her brother lay down, wincing a little. “He’s an interesting man as well as a fine surgeon. I’ll be sorry not to see him again, but he’s not the sort to waste time on healthy people.”