Melinda Hammond

THE BARGAIN

Melinda Hammond

Chapter One

Sir Richard Caseby walked into the library of Aldringham House just as his host was feeding the fire with several sheets of writing paper.

‘Well, Jason, is that an irate husband demanding satisfaction, or an angry papa that you have consigned to the flames?’

After watching the last of the sheets curl and blacken, the Earl of Aldringham turned to greet his friend.

‘Neither,’ he said, in his habitual drawl. ‘It was - ah - an old friend, wishing to remind me of the pleasant nights we had shared.’ He laughed at his friend’s look of disgust. ‘Quite so, my dear Richard. One can almost smell the gutter. A few of my paramours appear to have no sense of decency.’

Sir Richard moved towards the fire, glad of the warmth after the chill spring air in the London street.

‘I doubt if your acquaintance with the lady has done much to improve her.’

The earl laughed softly as he took up the decanter from a side-table.

‘Doubtless you are correct, my friend, but since she so warmly received my overtures, can you blame me for taking my pleasure there?’

Sir Richard smiled at his friend’s unconcern, but shook his head as he accepted a glass.

‘Jason, you are indeed a sad rake! But you will meet your match one day, you know.’ He sipped his brandy. ‘By the bye, is your
affaire
with Lady Ralchester ended? There is talk of young Gillington being the new favourite.’

‘I grew tired of her tantrums.’ A gleam of amusement shone in his cold blue eyes. ‘She is increasing, you know. Her husband will own the child, of course. No doubt he does not even suspect.’

Sir Richard set down his glass with a decided snap.

‘Is it yours?’

The earl shrugged. ‘Possibly. I’ve no idea.’

‘Have you no sense of propriety, or regard for anyone save yourself? Jason, you would be wise to quit this -this rake-hell life before you find that even your title won’t prevent you receiving the cut direct from the ton!’

The earl frowned. ‘Don’t make the mistake of meddling in my affairs, Dick. I will brook no interference - as many have discovered, to their cost!’ He added in his quiet drawl, ‘I have a great regard for you, my friend. I should be loath to put a bullet through you.’

‘Spare me your play-acting!’ Sir Richard grinned. ‘Oh damn you, Jason! ‘Tis impossible for me to hate you, but I can understand why so many do. I know you can be generous - we have been friends for so long that I have seen many instances of your kindness towards me and my family - yet you treat the rest of the world as if you hated it.’

‘Perhaps I do.’

‘Oh come now! You suffered a disappointment in your youth, what man has not?’

The sneering look on the earl’s face became even more pronounced.

‘I was humiliated, Richard. I laid everything at the feet of that harlot and she cast me aside in favour of a richer prize!’

‘Pshaw, Jason, that was more than a dozen years ago.’

The earl refilled their glasses. He held his own up to the light, staring at the amber liquid.

‘Should that make a difference?’

‘Of course. We have all of us suffered set-backs. You judge the world by one woman—’

‘Oh no, my friend - have you forgotten that not even my own mother could remain faithful? I have met many women since then but not one that didn’t want me for my title or my fortune - and usually both. Aye, and we are surrounded by such toadies and sycophants that I could count on one hand those I consider true friends.’

Sir Richard shook his head at him. ‘My poor friend, that you should go through the world seeing only its darker side.’

‘Better that than as you do, sir. To look for the good in every man and be constantly disappointed.’

‘No, no, Jason. Not
constantly.'
he grinned. ‘But, to be serious. Can you not see that to cause such havoc in Town is likely to do you little good?’

Lord Aldringham smiled faintly and raised his glass to his friend.

‘Fear not, Dick. I am too old to change my mode of life now. You know as well as I that the Descotts have always been a wild crowd, caring for no one, and I hold my Italian mother to blame for the vile temper I have inherited! But you will be pleased to hear that I have decided to quit Town for a while, until the Ralchester affair has blown over.’

‘Do you go to Russetts, or abroad, mayhap?’

‘To Russetts. I’ve a new chaise there that I have not yet tried. I had it shipped over from Italy. It’s light and fast - with the right horse between the shafts I’d wager there’s nothing in England to beat it. I shall be bringing it to Town for the winter, but I hope you will find time to visit me before then.’

‘No doubt I shall. When do you set off?’

‘Tomorrow morning. But first I stop at Bath, to pay my respects to my grandmother.’

‘Ah, the Dowager Duchess of Steepledean.’ Sir Richard grinned. ‘Since her circle of friends are for the most part in their dotage, I feel I can rest easy for a while!’

Chapter Two

“Well, my dear, what d’ye think of Bath?’

Sir Joseph Fryer helped his lady to alight from the dusty travelling carriage and into the house he had hired in Rivers Street. Lady Fryer gave a tremulous smile.

‘Truly a splendid place, Sir Joseph, and such a handsome house. I am sure I shall enjoy myself, once I have recovered a little. You know how I detest travelling.’

“Then come into this little sitting-room, my dear, where our housekeeper has had a fire made up. Now, sit yourself down on the sofa and … there, is that not better? Trust me, my dear, a few trips to the Pump Room will soon have you right again!’

‘If the waters taste as horrible as rumour says, then they must surely do you good, Aunt,’ said an amused voice behind them.

Sir Joseph looked up at the speaker and shook his head.

‘No, no, Melissa. I will not allow you to dissuade your aunt from trying the hot springs. Doctor Leddle was most enthusiastic about them.’

‘Melissa is teasing us, my dear.’ Lady Fryer smiled, and held her hand out to her niece. ‘Come and warm yourself by the fire, my child. You must be chilled to the bone.’

‘Indeed, Aunt, with a warm brick for my feet, and a thick travelling rug, I was very comfortable in the coach and I am not at all tired, I assure you.’ The young lady’s glowing cheeks and sparkling eyes showed the truth of her words and Lady Fryer gazed with some envy at this picture of youthful energy. The young lady stepped forward and took a seat opposite her aunt, throwing back her hood to reveal an abundance of dark hair falling in dusky curls to her shoulders.

‘And what do you say of Bath, miss,’ her uncle quizzed her. ‘Do you think you will like it?’

‘I like it already, sir. Very much. The beautiful buildings we passed as we arrived, the little parks, and of course the abbey. There will be so much to do here.’

‘And here is our housekeeper Mrs Howes waiting to take us on a tour of the house.’

Sir Joseph jumped up, but Melissa, glancing at Lady Fryer’s drawn countenance, said quickly, ‘My dear uncle, with our luggage still unpacked we cannot see the house at its best. Would it not be preferable to instruct the servants to this task first? Perhaps Mrs Howes could arrange for the tea-tray to be brought in while this is done, and Aunt Fryer could rest a little longer.’

Lady Fryer cast her niece a grateful look. ‘Yes, yes, by all means let us take tea first.’

Sir Joseph happily acquiesced.

‘Perhaps, Melissa, you would have a word with the servants, and then mayhap talk to Mrs Howes about dinner ...?’

With a smile, the young lady went off to take charge of the arrangements, as she had been wont to do for the past five years.

* * * *

Melissa Langham had come to live under Sir Joseph’s roof at the age of seventeen, when her father had died suddenly, leaving her an orphan. Lady Fryer, with no daughter of her own to brighten her life, had welcomed her into the household and treated her as her own child. Melissa was fond of her aunt, for she was shrewd enough to realize that at the bottom of her rather shallow heart, Lady Fryer was sincerely attached to her. A timid little woman of uncertain age, Lady Fryer had borne her spouse three sons, two of whom were at school and bidding fair to excel in their studies and follow their elder brother to university. It was plain to anyone who knew the family that the children possessed an amount of brainpower that was apparent in neither of the parents. Sir Joseph, although he ruled his timid wife satisfactorily, was not a man to be depended upon in an emergency, since at the first signs of stress he would take himself off, trusting to the good sense of his niece to set matters right.

In this he was fortunate, for Melissa proved a competent companion for his lady, and he proclaimed to his friends that he was very proud of his pretty little niece. Melissa wondered at times if they would have been quite so fond of her had she been a plain girl, but one glance in the mirror showed that she need not be ashamed of her appearance. Her glossy curls might not be the fashionable blonde every young lady craved, but her features were regular, and her soft brown eyes looked out upon the world with a clear, unflinching gaze. The gentle lines of her face and upward lift of her mouth proclaimed a kindly, cheerful disposition, but there was a firmness around her little chin, and a look of decision in her face that gave her something more than prettiness, and drew a second look from passers-by.

It was generally held that Miss Langham’s single state was attributable to her lack of fortune but in Sir Joseph’s opinion it was also due to the stubborn streak she had inherited from her father. Sir Joseph had often expressed to his wife his view that although Melissa’s situation prevented many acceptable suitors from pursuing their interest with her, if the girl could be persuaded to be just a little more agreeable to the gentlemen he introduced to her, she could still achieve a creditable match. ‘For I tell you, my dear, it does no good to laugh at a man,’ he had said to his wife on one such occasion. ‘And what does the girl do when I remonstrate with her? She tells me that she cannot love a man who has no sense of humour, nor one who bores her!’

‘But my love, Melissa has a very lively wit, and you have said yourself often and often that she is a clever little puss,’ Lady Fryer pointed out.

‘Ha! If she had any cleverness at all, she would be putting herself out to please!’ retorted Sir Joseph. ‘If she doesn’t make an effort, I very much fear that she will end her days an old maid.’

Lady Fryer shook her head and sighed over her niece’s plight, and when her husband, having vented his exasperation, took himself off to his study, she returned to her embroidery, serene in the knowledge that she was not yet to lose her youthful companion.

* * * *

By the family’s second morning in Bath, Lady Fryer had recovered sufficiently from her journey to make her first trip to the Pump Room. Lady Fryer bought a small beaker of the famous waters, sipping it cautiously.

‘Ugh! This is quite dreadful. Oh Melissa, is this not the most delightful place? I have seen quite a dozen acquaintances already. We must come here every morning.’

‘But, Aunt, can you bear to take the waters every morning?’

Lady Fryer took another sip from the beaker and grimaced.

‘That must be endured, I fear,’ she said bravely. ‘Look, my love - there is Mrs Hallatrow! Come, I must introduce you …’

Lady Fryer was in the very best of spirits as they made their way back through the town later that morning.

‘I am quite amazed at the restorative powers of the waters. Perhaps you should try them, too, child.’

Melissa laughingly declined.

‘My dear ma’am, I am happy to be a mere spectator. My whole pleasure in this visit comes from the improvement I hope to see in
your
health, although I suspect it is the society in the Pump Room that has had as much to do with your improved health this morning as any hot springs!’

They were nearing the end of their second week in Bath when Melissa first noticed the dark gentleman in the Pump Room. Lady Fryer was discussing the benefits of coltsfoot jelly with an elderly acquaintance and Melissa was idly glancing about the room when she realized she was being studied by an elegant stranger. His height and bearing caught her attention, and unlike most of the gentlemen present, he wore his own black hair unpowdered and caught back in a black ribbon, while the snow-white lace at his neck and wrists contrasted sharply with the midnight-blue of his frock-coat.

Melissa put up her chin and, as she returned his stare, he lowered his quizzing glass and made her a graceful bow, but not before she had seen the gleam of appreciation in his eyes. Flushing, she turned away, and assumed a keen interest in her aunt’s detailed description of her most recent illness.

The following morning they saw the gentleman again, this time escorting an elderly widow into the Pump Room just as they were leaving. The old lady leaned heavily upon his arm and their slow entrance gave Melissa time to appreciate the gentleman’s tall, athletic figure in the exquisitely cut frock-coat of dark cloth worn over an embroidered waistcoat and knee-breeches of palest biscuit. The very simplicity of his dress attracted the attention and possibly some disapproval from the elaborately garbed gentlemen in the Pump Room, but the gentleman appeared unaware of the hard stares he received, his attention given to the elderly lady on his arm. In contrast to his plain attire, her open robe of heavy black satin was heavily flounced and the colour of deep mourning was relieved only by several ropes of pearls that hung across the lady’s breast. As Lady Fryer led her niece towards the door, the gentleman looked up and, with a smile, inclined his head towards Miss Langham. Nonplussed, she quickly looked away.