The Earl's Bargain (Historical Regency Romance)

by Cheryl Bolen

  "My lack of success with your solicitor yesterday."

  She sank back into the settee. "Then you were unable to coerce him into giving you the information you desired?"

  "The man was impervious to my money."

  "How novel, my lord."

  "Come and sit beside me, Mrs. Phillips. I dislike shouting across the room."

  For reasons she would never understand, she obeyed the arrogant man and sat on the settee next to him. "I am here, my lord. Are you happy?"

  His eyes looked black today. And they sparkled with mirth. "My, but you are a saucy vixen."

  "Do I take that for a compliment?"

  He could not seem to repress his smile. He settled back and pinned her with a knowing stare. "How much did the late Mr. Phillips' things fetch?"

  A flash of anger swept over her face, and she stiffened. "How do you know so much about my affairs?"

  "Because I need all the leverage I can get."

  "And your vast amounts of money cannot buy that?"

  "I don't know. I'm prepared to settle a handsome sum on you for the information I failed to obtain from Mr. Twining."

  "The identity of my husband's benefactor?"

  He nodded, a morose expression on his handsome face.

  "That I cannot give you. I honestly do not know the man's identity."

  * * *

  He gave her a long look. Gone was her flippancy. And her anger. She was telling the truth.

  His face was grim, his voice low when he spoke. "You really don't know, do you?"

  She shook her head.

  "Did your husband never discuss the man?" God but he hated to call the despicable man her husband.

  "Only to tell me to stay abovestairs when a lone man came two or three times a year. A man -- I think he's a lord -- who my husband addressed with great reverence -- and great secrecy."

  That would fit, Harry thought. "Did you ever get a glimpse of the man?"

  "Actually I did, once, from a very great distance."

  Before she could say more, Ellie and Mr. Coke burst into the room. "You will never believe it!" Ellie squealed. "Even though the sun is shining, it has begun to rain!"

  Ellie and Edward were not so wet that they could not sit down and join in the conversation, which soon turned to Jeremy Bentham's impending visit for a speaking engagement in London.

  "I cannot believe that I will actually get to hear the great man in the flesh," Ellie exclaimed.

  Edward cast a bemused glance at his cousin while Harry made every effort to show the proper respect toward the ladies' pontificating idol. That deuced Edward had better not betray him. It was imperative that the widow believe he enthusiastically shared her political views.

  "When will we have the pleasure to hear Mr. Bentham's address?" Harry asked.

  "He comes next week."

  Hopefully he would be spared the boredom of hearing Bentham. Hopefully, by next week he would have the information he sought.

  Chapter 6

  Louisa was grateful for the opportunity to stay home this evening. She really must put pen to paper to turn out another essay. In the past her essays were the result of strong feelings she wanted to express about the rights of man -- and of women. Now, though, she sought to write merely for the money. She felt guilty writing for the wrong reasons, writing solely for the money.

  She had been sitting here for the past hour trying to decide upon a topic. With no vituperative feelings begging to come forward, her pen was stilled. She could write about the franchise, but she had already done that. Child labor, prison reform, and birth control were subjects that also had been addressed by her.

  She looked up at her sister, who sat across from her sewing on her new dress. Ellie's face lifted, and she caught Louisa's stare, taking it as permission to speak. "Are your writing one of your famous essays, Mr. Lewis?" A cocky expression lighted her youthful face, and she giggled.

  Louisa sighed. "If only my muse would return." She put down her pen. "What are you sewing?"

  Ellie's voice became animated. "A promenade dress for one of my wonderful walks with Mr. Coke."

  "Whatever do the two of you find to talk about during these walks?"

  A far-away look in her eyes, a satisfied countenance on her face, Ellie answered. "Mr. Coke and I have a great deal in common. First of all, he is as enamored of his cousin as I am of my elder sister. Then there is the fact that we were both tutored at home. We are both country bred. And he is just so very amusing.

  "There is more to him than that," Ellie went on. "He allows me to expound endlessly on the merits of Mr. Bentham and on the wisdom imparted in Mr. Lewis's essays, and I believe I'm converting him to our way of thinking -- which is rather a coup, given that he hails from a noble family."

  "You must not be impressed by the circumstances of his birth. Remember that his class has done nothing to earn respect."

  "He tells me Lord Wycliff built his fortune by his own cunning after his father squandered away their lands and possessions. Do you not find that commendable?"

  "I would find it far more commendable were Lord Wycliff to give his fortune to the poor," Louisa said.

  "As much as I want to agree with you, I find that notion most unrealistic."

  Louisa sighed. "You are, of course, right. I suppose the most I can hope for is that Lord Wycliff and others like him use their influence in Parliament to enact laws beneficial to the less fortunate."

  Ellie's gaze flitted to the pen and paper before her sister. "You cannot believe how difficult it is for me to withhold your authorship from Mr. Coke. I am so very proud of you, and so close to him that it is quite an accomplishment for me not to confide in him."

  Louisa's face clouded. "I beg that you never even consider revealing my identity to the gentleman – or to anyone. It's imperative that no one ever suspect I am a female – I mean, that Mr. Lewis is a female. If his gender were to become known, my work would never again have the opportunity to be widely distributed."

  "Don't fear, Louisa. I shall never reveal that you are Philip Lewis."

  "Labor unification!" Louisa shrieked, picking up her pen and beginning to write furiously.

  * * *

  Edward looked at the dog-eared volume reposing in his cousin's lap across the carriage from him. The sunlight reflected off the worn gilt on the edge of the pages. "Surely you're not going to tell Mrs. Phillips you read the book last night when you spent the whole of the evening at your club and didn't make it home until daylight!"

  A sly smile slid across Harry's tanned face. "I thumbed through it enough to expound to her on its merits."

  "You can't believe that ridiculous poppycock in those foolish treatises."

  "Oh course not, my good man, but if I hope to accomplish my goals, I must have the widow on my side, and the best way to gain her trust is to feign appreciation for her bloody do-gooding reforms."

  "But you even indicated to Lord Seymour that you sympathized with the reformers."

  "I did no such thing," Harry protested. "I merely introduced him to a beautiful young woman, who then expounded on her beliefs as I stood silently beside her." The thought of how lovely Mrs. Phillips had been the night of Lord Seymour's ball left Harry weak inside and anxious to see her today. The woman was indeed a feast for the eyes. For the remainder of the carriage ride to his former home he reflected pleasurably on her silky skin and golden hair and the perfect oval of her incredible face.

  And he grew impatient to see her.

  * * *

  The foursome seemed to have fallen into a pattern. Mr. Coke and Ellie would walk in the park that centered Grosvenor Square while Louisa and Lord Wycliff discussed the latest reading she had given him. As they had done on the previous day, Harry and Louisa sat next to each other on a settee in the library.

  Despite her distrust of peers, Louisa had bestowed her favor on Lord Wycliff, whose earnestness impressed her. He had even told her he would take his seat in Parliament. This was obviously her most importa
nt conquest to date, and she owed it to him to help him regain his property so that he could fulfill his duties.

  "When we were interrupted yesterday," he said, "you were saying that you once saw the man you believe was your husband's benefactor."

  She settled back on the settee, crossing her legs at the ankles. "Yes, I thought about it a great deal last night, and I've decided the mysterious man must be Godwin's benefactor, though the Lord only knows why a man like Godwin would merit a benefactor."

  "I have some idea," he said bitterly.

  She gave him a probing look, then continued. "I only caught a glimpse of him once, and Godwin would have. . ." she hesitated a moment. "He would have been extremely angry with me had he known I peeked from over the upstairs balustrade to see the man."

  Harry's eyes flashed. "What did the benefactor look like?"

  "He was quite old. Older even than Godwin. And he had silver hair. He was tall, yet stooped, and I think he must have been handsome as a younger man."

  "Could you identify him if you saw him again?" Lord Wycliff asked.

  She thought for a moment. "I believe I could."

  "Tell me," he said, "how long had your husband's valet been with him?"

  "I don't really know. For many years. He was here when I came."

  "Where is he now?"

  "He's here. He's training to be my butler, but I don't know how long I'll be able to afford to keep him."

  From nowhere Lord Wycliff's large hand curled around her forearm. "That husband of yours left you nothing?" Lord Wycliff asked, his voice tender and concerned.

  She gave a bitter laugh. "Nothing."

  "Death was too good for him."

  She agreed, but would not admit it aloud.

  He removed his hand. "Do you suppose his valet would know the identity of the benefactor?"

  "I can ask."

  His voice softened again. "I appreciate all you've done for me, especially since trusting a peer was repugnant to you but a few weeks ago."

  She tossed back her head and laughed. "Oh, it's still repugnant, but in your case, I am learning to trust you. You've made an impressive effort to amend your ways." She got to her feet. "I'll go talk to Williams now."

  * * *

  He watched as she walked from the room, her back straight and her step light. She was a joy to watch.

  While he waited for her to return, Harry cursed his own deceit. He had done many things that made him ashamed, but this deception stung deeper and with more regret.

  She was such a passionate little thing, bursting with ideas and schemes to aid the masses. She had enough on her plate without having to worry about surviving with no money. Damn Godwin Phillips. Harry did not know if he hated the man more for treating his lovely wife so shabbily or for yanking her from the schoolroom and veritably purchasing her. His hand fisted, and he shocked himself by uttering a curse.

  He got up and walked to the window and watched Ellie Sinclair and Edward walk about the small park. Edward seemed genuinely fond of the girl. God knows, she was pretty enough. She was a more youthful version of her sister. But she seemed so much younger and, frankly, stupid. He could not imagine Louisa Phillips ever having been so silly and carefree.

  Then, with a thud in the vicinity of his heart, he realized Louisa Phillips had long been a married woman by the time she was Ellie's age. And he once again cursed Godwin Phillips.

  He turned from the window, deliberately kicking his boot against the patterned carpet as he did so. The least Harry could do for the poor widow was to see her settled in a little home. Perhaps that would assuage his conscience.

  Damn, she trusts me, he thought with shame.

  When she returned to the room, he read disappointment on her face. "Any luck?"

  She shook her head, then returned to the settee. "Like me, he knew of the man's importance to Godwin, but Godwin was careful to shield the man's identity. Williams does know where the man came from, though."

  A smile on his face, Harry sat down. "And, pray, where might that be?" He was getting close.

  "Somewhere in Cornwall. And I was right about him being a lord. Williams confirmed it. Apparently the man was somewhat of a recluse."

  Harry's mind spun. He tried to remember a lord from Cornwall, but the only one he knew -- Lord Robartes -- was an honorable man who took his seat in the House of Lords and was far from being a recluse. There must be any number of lords residing in Cornwall. The problem was to find one. The right one.

  Say!" Harry said. "Have you a Debrett's?"

  She got up and went straight to the book. "How clever of you!" She began to thumb through its pages. "Though I daresay it will take hours to go through all these names and titles and determine which of them live in Cornwall."

  He took the tome from her. "We'll need paper and pen."

  "Of course. We shall have to draw up a list." She went to the desk drawer and removed several sheets of velum and set them on top the desk. Then she pushed a second armchair up to the desk. "Come to the desk, Lord Wycliff. We can both sit here."

  "Shall you record the names?" he asked. "I daresay no one, not even me, can read my handwriting.

  She nodded.

  He sat beside her and placed the opened book on the desk. "You're right. This will take a great deal of time."

  She sat and watched as he silently scanned page after page.

  "Is Tyndrum in Cornwall?" he asked.

  "No. It's in Scotland. Cornwall and Scotland retain many Celtic names." She moved to get up. "What's needed is a map. I'll make a list of the towns and villages of Cornwall. Will that be helpful?"

  "It will, indeed."

  She fetched the map and spread it over the top of the desk, then took pen and paper and began to list the names of Cornish towns. "I shall attempt to put them in alphabetical order," she said. "Bodmin. Boscastle. Cambourne. . . "

  Her list was drawn up in less than ten minutes. And still he had not found a single peer who lived in any of the cities. She scooted her chair closer to him and began to peruse the information within the book. "Why do you not take the even numbered pages, and I'll take the odd?"

  Without removing his gaze from the page, he nodded and moved the open book closer to her.

  They read for another half hour until they found a peer who hailed from Cornwall. "Lord Arundel!" Harry exclaimed.

  Louisa took her pen and wrote down his name and seat.

  Then they commenced reading again.

  By the time they had finished, they had discovered there were six lords residing in Cornwall.

  Next, Harry took the map and studied it to determine where each of the lords lived.

  "Why do you need the map now?" she asked.

  "Because we'll just have to go find the mysterious benefactor."

  "We?"

  "Yesterday," he said, "I told you I would help you financially if you could help me to regain this house. I am now ready to make a specific proposal to you, madam."

  She cocked a thin brow.

  "I am prepared to bestow on you a small home and an annual pension for as long as I live. I want you to travel to Cornwall with me and help me find the benefactor."

  "But I can't possibly do that," she protested.

  "You are afraid of the impropriety of traveling with a man?"

  "Of course not," she countered. "But there's Ellie to think of, and. . ." She withdrew her gaze from him and stared into her lap. "Could we bring Ellie?"

  "I see no reason why we couldn't."

  "When would you want to go?" she asked.

  "As soon as you can pack."

  "But Jeremy Bentham's visit is but days away."

  "Is that more important than a lifetime free of financial woes?"

  She hesitated.

  "Do you plan to take care of your sister indefinitely, or does she return to your father's home?"

  "She will never return there," Louisa snapped, anger in her voice.

  Why did she feel so strongly about keeping her siste
r with her? "Then, may I suggest you think of your sister's welfare. You certainly would not be able to make a home for her if you had no funds."

  God but he could barely make eye contact with her. Her eyes were so soulful. There was another emotion in the depths of those incredible eyes. Was it controlled anger? Why would she be angry with him? He was merely trying to help her.

  She lifted her chin defiantly.

  He got to his feet. "Think on it tonight. I'll be here with my travelling coach in the morning."

  Minutes later Ellie came flying through the door. She had gone out without her bonnet, and her face was flushed from the sun. "Mr. Coke has agreed to come see Mr. Bentham speak! Is that not wonderful news?"

  Louisa looked at Ellie sympathetically. How could she keep her poor sister away from Jeremy Bentham's talk? He was growing old, and this might be Ellie's only chance to ever see the great man.

  That night sleep eluded Louisa. She wanted the things Lord Wycliff offered, but could she really trust him? It was not, either, right to force Ellie on a trip that would not only take more than a week but would also prevent her from seeing Jeremy Bentham.

  She thought about leaving Ellie behind and going to Cornwall alone with Lord Wycliff, but she did not think being alone with the man for days on end would be a good thing, especially since he had a most unsettling effect on her. Not to mention that he was a man, and they were not trustworthy.

  It was almost dawn when she made her decision.

  Chapter 7

  By the time a bright sun streamed through her chamber window, Louisa was completely dressed in a traveling costume and sat at her desk writing a note to Ellie.

  My Pet,

  I'm am sorry to say I've been called out of town to attend to affairs dealing with Godwin's estate. I doubt if I'll be back in time to see Mr. Bentham deliver his speech. Mr. Coke will do me the goodness of escorting you to see Mr. Bentham, and you must have Cook accompany you as chaperon. It wouldn't do to tarnish your reputation. Mr. Coke, especially, would not care for that at all. All my love.