The Bargain. Mary Jo Putney

providence was taking a hand.”

      “I’d like to think so.” With a slightly crooked smile, she bade him farewell.

      Wondering if David looked as shaken as Lady Jocelyn, Richard pulled himself onto his crutches and made his way to his friend’s room. “I gather all is well?” he asked as he entered.

      David’s eyes opened. Though he was gray with exhaustion, there was a smile on his face. “Very much so. Will you stand witness for me?”

      “Of course.” Richard settled in the chair beside the bed. “Do you need me to do anything else for the wedding?”

      “Could you take the ring from my little finger and keep it for the ceremony?” He pushed his right hand over the dingy sheets. “I think it’s small enough to fit her.”

      Richard removed the ring. It came off David’s bony finger easily.

      “My efficient bride will arrange everything,” the major said with a spark of amusement. “Thank you for bringing us together.”

      “The marriage of convenience is a time-honored tradition, though I’ve never heard of one quite like this,” Richard said. “But everyone benefits.”

      “There are other men here whose families could use the money more than Sally, but I am selfish enough to be glad she will be provided for. A woman without family is only a step away from potential disaster. An accident or illness could push her into abject poverty. Now that won’t happen.” David exhaled roughly. “Time for more laudanum. Over there, on the table …”

      Richard poured a dose of the medicine, then held the spoon so David could swallow. “Your sister is not entirely without family.”

      “She’d starve to death before she would ask help of one of our brothers. Can’t say that I blame her. I’d do the same.” David’s eyes drifted shut. “Now she’ll never … have to ask help of anyone.”

      Thinking his friend asleep, Richard hoisted himself onto his crutches, but before he could leave, David murmured, “I would have helped her even without the annuity. I rather like the idea of being married to Lady Jocelyn, even if it’s only for a few days.” His voice faded to a bare whisper. “Something to look forward to …”

      Richard left the room with satisfaction, grateful that Lady Jocelyn was bringing some pleasure into David’s last days. The only person likely to object to the arrangement was Sally Lancaster, who guarded her brother like a mother cat with a kitten. At least the income would give her something to think about after he died.

      Chapter 3

      After leaving Captain Dalton, Jocelyn entered the enclosed stairwell, then plopped down on a step between floors, heedless of her expensive gown. Burying her face in her hands, she struggled to collect herself, her mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings. She was intensely relieved that her problem was solved—assuming Major Lancaster didn’t die in the night—yet she half wished she’d never set foot in the York Hospital. Though neither man had shown disgust at her impulsive suggestion, she felt like a carrion crow feasting on the almost dead.

      Well, she and the major had made a bargain, and it was too late to withdraw now. There was comfort in the knowledge that he’d seemed pleased to accept her proposition. Yet when she thought of the major’s courage, his amused green eyes, she could have wept for the waste. How many other men and boys had died as a result of Napoleon’s ambition, or been crippled like Richard Dalton and Rhys Morgan?

      It didn’t bear thinking of, so Jocelyn stood and carefully donned her gracious-lady facade. By the time she reached Rhys Morgan’s ward, she appeared composed again, though misery still knotted in her midriff.

      Hearing an anguished, Welsh-accented voice, she paused in the door of the ward, just out of sight of the Morgans. “Who would ever want a cripple like me?” Rhys said harshly, “I can’t fight, can’t go down in the mines, would only be half a man working on the farm. I wish the damned cannon had blown my head off rather than my leg!”

      Hugh’s softer voice started making soothing noises, too low for Jocelyn to hear the words. She squared her shoulders before entering the ward. Here was something she could do for a man who would be around long enough to benefit.

      When she approached the bed, both brothers turned to face her. Rhys’s face was tense, while Hugh’s showed the guilt and misery of a whole man in the presence of one who was maimed.

      As Hugh stood, Jocelyn said to Rhys, “Corporal Morgan, I have a favor to ask.”

      “Of course, my lady,” he said woodenly.

      “I know it would be very dull after all you’ve done and seen, but would you consider coming to work for me? My aunt will be leaving soon to set up a separate household, and she’ll be taking several of the servants, including one of the two men who work in the stables. As a cavalry man, surely you are experienced with horses. Would you be interested in the position?”

      The corporal’s face reflected shock, and dawning hope. “I should like to be a groom.” His gaze went to his missing leg. “But I … I don’t know if I can manage the work to your ladyship’s standards.”

      Deliberately she looked to the flat place on the bed where there should have been a strong, healthy limb. “I see no reason to doubt your competence, Corporal.” Wanting to lighten the mood, she said mischievously, “Please say yes, if only for your brother’s sake. He is positively menaced by housemaids trying to capture his attention. Having another handsome young man in the household will make his life easier.”

      Hugh blurted out, “My lady!” his face turning scarlet.

      At the sight of his brother’s embarrassment, Rhys leaned back on the pillows and laughed with the air of a man rediscovering humor. “I shall be most honored to work for you, Lady Jocelyn.”

      “Excellent.” Another thought struck her. “Why not ask the doctors if you can be moved to my house for recuperation? It’s a much more pleasant place than this, and your brother will be glad to have you near.”

      “Oh, my lady!” Hugh exclaimed, his face lighting up.

      “I … I should like that very much, Lady Jocelyn.” Rhys blinked a suspicious brightness from his eyes at the prospect of leaving the hospital.

      “Then we shall expect you as soon as you are released.” As she withdrew so that Hugh could have a private farewell with his brother, she thought of David Lancaster, who was so frail that any attempt to move him would probably cause his death. Rhys Morgan was robust by comparison. With a comfortable place to live and a good job waiting, he would adjust to his loss fairly soon. And she would get a fine groom in the process.

      A few minutes later the footman joined her, and they left the building. Jocelyn inhaled the warm summer air with relief. Even with the smells of the city, it was blessedly fresh after the hospital.

      Behind her, Hugh said hesitantly, “Lady Jocelyn?”

      She glanced back at him. “Yes, Morgan?”

      “My lady, I will never forget what you have just done,” he said gravely. “If there is ever anything I can do to repay you, anything at all …”

      “It was easily done, and I’m sure your brother will be a worthy addition to the house,” she said, shrugging off his gratitude.

      “It may have been easy, but few would have done it. ’Tis said in the servants’ hall that there isn’t a lady in London with a warmer heart than yours.”

      She inclined her head briefly in acknowledgment, then turned to scan the street. “Do you see where my carriage is waiting?”

      Carriages were easier than compliments.

      Before returning to Upper Brook Street, Jocelyn paid a visit to her lawyer and man of business, John Crandall. In the years since her father’s death, the lawyer had become accustomed to dealing directly with