The Bachelor's Bargain

Eventually she managed to get back to sleep, but was awakened early by the baby testing his lung power. It amazed her that she could hear him when no one else could. Though, since his mother coped with his incessant demands on a daily basis, Merren felt Carol could be forgiven for pulling the bedclothes over her head and hoping someone else would attend to him. Merren got out of bed.

She was uncertain about what time she should go and see Jarad Montgomery, but as it was her habit to go and spend some time with Uncle Amos on a Saturday morning, she decided to leave her visit to Jarad Montgomery until the afternoon. He knew where she lived, she was in the phone book, and if he got tired of waiting she felt confident he would telephone and leave some short, and to the point message.

Realising that nerves were getting to her at the prospect of seeing Jarad again, and that she was getting uptight and just a little irked by him—though how she could when she owed him so much—not least her brother’s peace of mind and his family’s security—Merren took herself off to see her Uncle Amos.

‘Had a good week?’ she asked him as she replenished his cake tin.

‘Running into trouble with my latest brainwave,’ he acknowledged. ‘How about you?’

No way could she tell the dear man about the horror of Thursday, or her visit to see Jarad Montgomery yesterday. Uncle Amos would be up in arms that anyone had dared to assault her, and he would fret himself silly that he wasn’t able to help with the money.

‘Fine,’ she smiled. ‘Shall I make some coffee?’

‘Er—the kitchen’s in a bit of a state.’

She’d never known it any different. After coffee, and as her mother had before her, Merren returned to the kitchen and got busy with his backlog of used crockery. ‘Fancy coming to lunch with us tomorrow?’ she invited, knowing in advance that he wouldn’t.

‘After last time?’ he grinned, and Merren grinned back. Uncle Amos had been married once, before—as he’d told Merren—his wife had got fed up with him and had gone off. There had been no children from the marriage; his only dealings had been with Merren and her brother, who’d been vastly different from the screeching and over-excited Queenie and Kitty, who’d shattered his eardrums that Sunday lunchtime when, against his better judgement, he’d decided to take a look at his great-nieces and great-nephew. Baby Samuel’s lung power that day had been astronomical. ‘Are they any better behaved?’ he wanted to know.

‘The girls are—er—settling in their new school,’ Merren answered diplomatically.

She felt in much better spirits when she left than she had when she’d arrived. But anxiety started to nibble away at her as she drove back to her home. There was no putting it off. She was going to have to go and see Jarad Montgomery that afternoon.

With that visit in mind, and again finding her confidence in need of a boost, Merren changed into a smart cream linen skirt and jacket, checked what little make-up she wore was just right, also checked that she didn’t have a hair out of place, and, by using avoidance tactics, managed to get out of the house untouched by small, but inquisitive jammy fingers.

She parked near to where Jarad Montgomery lived, but owned to feeling on edge when walking to his house, she had to pass the spot where she had been set upon two days ago. Telling herself not to be silly, she was nevertheless glad to make it to Jarad Montgomery’s front door. She rang the bell, and waited.

Jarad Montgomery himself opened the door, though why her heart should pick up a beat when she saw him, she had no idea. Probably because he looked a shade surprised to see her there. Had he forgotten she was going to call today?

She thought she should remind him. ‘You said I should come and see you today,’ she began quietly, when all of a sudden she saw that two women, both carrying handbags, and clearly on their way out, were coming along the hall behind him. One of the women was touching sixty, the other was somewhere in her early thirties, Merren judged. Both were smartly and expensively dressed. ‘I’ve called at an inconvenient time,’ Merren began to apologise as the two ladies halted at his shoulder.

‘Not at all,’ Jarad was beginning smoothly, when he glanced from her to the two females who were positively beaming at him. He paused for the briefest of moments, then, glancing back to Merren, he was suddenly all smiles himself as he stated, ‘This is a delightful surprise,’ and, while she stared at him—delightful?—he was going on, ‘I hadn’t expected to see you before this evening.’

He’d thought she would call that evening to discuss the money she owed him? Well, she didn’t want to discuss it in front of these other people, that was for sure. Merren took a tiny step back, but before she could tell him that she would call later, that perhaps she should have telephoned first, he had taken a swift hold of her upper arm and was drawing her closer to his front door.

‘Don’t be shy.’ He was smiling. Shy? ‘My mother and sister are just leaving, but come and say hello to them before they go.’ And before Merren could do more than think his manners were truly outstanding, she found herself in the hall with him, the front door closed, as he made the introductions.

‘I’m so pleased to see you, Merren,’ his mother beamed; her manners, Merren swiftly realised, every bit as outstanding as her son’s.

‘Do you live in London?’ his sister, Veda Partridge, smilingly wanted to know.

‘Surrey.’

‘Do you and Jarad often get to meet?’ Mrs Montgomery enquired pleasantly.

‘Mother!’ Jarad inserted warningly. ‘We saw each other yesterday, and the day before that, but I wouldn’t have told you anything about Merren had I thought you’d give her the third degree.’ And while Merren went a pretty pink, because Jarad had obviously told his mother and sister that he’d loaned her some money, his mother suddenly seemed overjoyed by what he had just said.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ Mrs Montgomery apologised earnestly. ‘I’ve made you blush,’ she added, and, to Merren’s amazement, she kissed her cheek and said hurriedly, ‘We’re going before I embarrass you further.’

‘Bye, Merren,’ Veda smiled.

‘You must come down to Hillmount as soon as you can,’ his mother invited, and while Merren stood there—it didn’t seem to her to be very polite to suggest that the Montgomery family were a touch on the strange side—mother and daughter bade Jarad goodbye and went cheerfully from his home.

Jarad closed the door after them and guided Merren into the drawing room she had barely taken in last Thursday. It was high-ceilinged, elegant, with several extremely good oil paintings adorning the walls, and yet was a comfortable room with its well-padded sofas and scattering of chairs and low tables.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ he said, as he invited her to take a seat.

She opted for one of the easy chairs, and he did the same. ‘I know I’m in no position to mind, but I’d have preferred it had you not told your family about the money,’ Merren responded, to what she thought was his apology for discussing the matter with his mother and sister.

She was therefore a little shaken when he denied that he had done any such thing. ‘Anything to do with that money is just between you and me,’ he asserted evenly.

Merren stared at him. ‘You didn’t mention it in any way?’ Looking steadily at her, he shook his head. She owned she was puzzled. ‘Then—what was that “I wouldn’t have told you anything about Merren” about? You must have told them something about…’ Her voice trailed off. ‘Were you meaning you told them about me being mugged? Though that doesn’t…’

‘That doesn’t explain why my mother and sister would be ready to give you the third degree,’ he took over. ‘I’m afraid, Merren,’ he went on pleasantly, ‘that your timing today could have been better. Though I must say your blush was right on cue.’

‘Is everybody in your family eccentric?’ she enquired nicely, the fog getting thicker instead of clearing.

‘My father, bless his heart, keeps strictly out of it. I wish,’ he muttered, ‘that I were allowed to do the same.’

‘You mentioned explaining.’

‘I’m not doing a very good job, am I?’ He looked at her, smiled at her—it was rather a nice smile she thought—and she waited. ‘So here goes,’ Jarad continued, and went on, ‘For years now my mother—my sister holds the same view—has been of the opinion that I should marry and settle down.’

‘You’re not married?’ Merren queried, feeling oddly content that it should be so. Weird—that mugging Thursday had a lot to answer for.

‘Never felt the need,’ he replied. ‘To be frank, I very much enjoy my life just as it is.’

‘You don’t feel at all that you’re missing anything?’ He didn’t answer, but thinking about it, his home, his position on the board of Roxford Waring, and glancing at him—a good-looking, all virile male—there was no need for him to answer—he had it all. ‘That was a dumb question,’ she granted. ‘Your mother doesn’t know your views about…’

‘Oh, she knows. I’ve repeatedly told her. But that’s never stopped her from doing a trawl of her friends every now and then for likely daughters, nieces, friends of daughters, friends of nieces—it’s been hell!’

Shame. ‘There must have been one or two acceptable ones.’

‘Acceptable for what? If I’d given in and taken just one of them out, my mother would have been wondering what to give us for an engagement present!’

‘As bad as that?’

‘Believe it. Though,’ he conceded, ‘things did get a little better when Piers left university and came here to live with me.’

‘Your mother thought it better that you looked after him?’

‘That too, of course. But mainly she saw that if she was wasting her time with me, then Piers was just coming up to marriageable age. Piers is fifteen years younger than me. Love my mother though I do, I loved her more when she started to leave me alone and give Piers the treatment. Though in his case it was granddaughters of friends and great-nieces who were brought out for inspection.’

‘Is that why your brother took off abroad?’ Merren asked. It seemed logical. ‘To get away?’

‘No, nothing like that. Piers had a whale of a time. He thoroughly enjoyed not having to hunt, but finding his supper there, handed to him on a plate.’ Which wouldn’t suit you, Jarad Montgomery, Merren guessed. He’d want to hunt. He wouldn’t want conquests handed to him on a plate. Which was why, she saw, he’d been unable to find a flicker of interest for any of the women his mother had introduced. ‘Piers came out of it unscathed, and has gone abroad for a year because that’s what he always planned to do. Which, Merren Shepherd,’ Jarad said, ‘brings me round to letting you know why I’ve been confiding what is exclusively a family matter.’

Merren looked at him warily. He was serious now, unsmiling. Why, she wondered, when she felt certain he was a rather private man, with a great affection for his family, would he tell her, a person he barely knew, details about his family—as he just had?