The Bargain (14 page)

Ariana Norton is running out of time. The shadows in her mind, which threaten her sanity and alienate Bradley's love, have returned. How many others will die if she can't piece together her shattered memories? Can she trust that Bradley's new found care is about saving their marriage rather than winning the trial of the century?

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Dear Friend,

I enjoyed writing The Bargain because I dreamt of Port Elizabeth, a burgeoning colony where all men and women had the opportunity to make their claim and determine their own fates. These stories will showcase a world of intrigue and romance, somewhere everyone can hopefully find a character to identify with as the colonists and Xhosa battle for their ideals and the love, which renews and gives life.
 

Stay in touch. Sign up at www.vanessariley.com for my newsletter. You'll be the first to know about upcoming releases, and maybe even win a sneak peek.
 

Thank so much for giving this book a read.

Vanessa Riley

Here are my notes:

The Naming of Port Elizabeth
 

Port Elizabeth was named after Sir Rufane Donkin's late wife, Elizabeth.
 
Donkin became acting Governor of the unnamed town (Port Elizabeth) after his arrival in 1820. He named the bay after his late wife Elizabeth who had died in India while he was in active service for England. Deeply mourning her death, Sir Rufane Donkin converted the top of a hill, which overlooked the bay into a memorial site for her. The stone structure built to resemble a pyramid bears an engraved message from Donkin, '
To the memory of one of the most perfect of human beings who has given her name to the Town below
'. In 2011, a sculpture by the popular Anton Momberg was placed at the site to memorialize the spirit of the bay by paying tribute to the women who helped build Port Elizabeth through the years.

Model for Xhosa Chief Zifihlephi

Chief Zifihlephi is loosely modeled after the Xhosa chief, Hintsa. In 1835, after having been assured of his personal safety during the treaty negotiations, Hintsa became a hostage of the colonists. When he attempted to escape at the Nqabarha River, he was pulled off his horse and shot through the back and the leg. A soldier named George Southey (brother of the Sir Richard Southey, the colonial administrator) came up behind Hintsa and shot him in the head. Shortly, after his death, Hintsa's ears were cut off. These actions shocked London's Parliament, which repudiated Governor D'Urban. Hintsa's murder angered the Xhosa for decades to come.

Cesarean Section

Cesarean section is an ancient procedure to remove a child from its mother's uterus, but it was typically performed on dead or dying women. There were rare reports of survival of the procedure in the 1500s, before the time period of our story. This procedure was mainly carried out by midwives with limited success.

Slavery in England

The emancipation of slaves in England preceded America by thirty years and freedom was won by legal court cases not bullets.

Somerset v Stewart (1772) is a famous case, which established the precedence for the rights of slaves in England. The English Court of King's Bench, led by Lord Mansfield, decided that slavery was unsupported by the common law of England and Wales. His ruling:

"The state of slavery is of such a nature that it is incapable of being introduced on any reasons, moral or political, but only by positive law, which preserves its force long after the reasons, occasions, and time itself from whence it was created, is erased from memory. It is so odious, that nothing can be suffered to support it, but positive law. Whatever inconveniences, therefore, may follow from the decision, I cannot say this case is allowed or approved by the law of England; and therefore the black must be discharged."
 

E. Neville William, The Eighteenth-Century Constitution: 1688-1815, pp: 387-388.

The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was an act of Parliament, which abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. A fund of $20 Million Pound Sterling was set up to compensate slave owners. Many of the highest society families were compensated for losing their slaves.

 
This act did exempt the territories in the possession of the East India Company, the Island of Ceylon, and the Island of Saint Helena. In 1843, the exceptions were eliminated.
 

Wowski

Wowski was a mocking name given to a young black or mulatto girl that Prince William, brother to Prince George (the future Regent of England) brought back with him in 1788 while on Naval tour with Admiral Nelson. She was kept out of sight of British society. A Gilroy cartoon, depicting the couple embracing lovingly in a hammock, ran in the society newspaper
The World
. The name Wowski is derived from the name of a black servant in the play
Inkle and Yarico
, in which Inkle falls in love with an Indian maiden who saves his life but then sells her into slavery for profit.

Noted Scriptural References (King James Version):
 

Trust

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
 
James 1:12

Saul on the Road to Damascus

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven.
 
Acts 9:3

Esther

Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.
Esther 7.

The Marriage Bed

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
 
Hebrews 13:4

The Regency
– The Regency is a period of history from 1811-1825 (sometimes expanded to 1795-1837) in England. It takes its name from the Prince Regent who ruled in his father's stead when the king suffered mental illness. The Regency is known for manners, architecture, and elegance. Jane Austen wrote her famous novel,
Pride and Prejudice
(1813), about characters living during the Regency.

England
is a country in Europe. London is the capital city of England.
 

    
Image of England from a copper engraved map created by William Darton in 1810.

Port Elizabeth
was a town founded in 1820 at the tip of South Africa. The British settlement was an attempt to strengthen England's hold on the Cape Colony and to be a buffer from the Xhosa.

Xhosa
- A proud warrior people driven to defend their land and cattle-herding way of life from settlers expanding the boundaries of the Cape Colony.

Image of South Africa from a copper engraved map created by John Dower in 1835.

Abigail
– A lady's maid.

Soiree
– An evening party.

Bacon-brained
– A term meaning foolish or stupid.

Black
– A description of a black person or an African.
 

Black Harriot
– A famous prostitute stolen from Africa, then brought to England by a Jamaican planter who died, leaving her without means. She turned to harlotry to earn a living. Many members of the House of Lords became her clients. She is described as tall, genteel, and alluring, with a degree of politeness.

Blackamoor
– A dark-skinned person.
 

Bombazine
– Fabric of twilled or corded cloth made of silk and wool or cotton and wool. Usually the material was dyed black and used to create mourning clothes.

Breeched
– The custom of a young boy no longer wearing pinafores and now donning breeches. This occurs about age six.

Breeches
– Short, close-fitting pants for men, which fastened just below the knees and were worn with stockings.
 

Caning
– A beating typically on the buttocks for naughty behavior.
 

Compromise
– To compromise a reputation is to ruin or cast aspersions on someone's character by catching them with the wrong people, being alone with someone who wasn't a relative at night, or being caught doing something wrong. During the Regency, gentlemen were often forced to marry women they had compromised.

Dray
– Wagon.

Footpads
– Thieves or muggers in the streets of London.

Greatcoat
– A big outdoor overcoat for men.

Mews
– A row of stables in London for keeping horses.

Pelisse
- An outdoor coat for women that is worn over a dress.
 

Quizzing Glass
– An optical device, similar to a monocle, typically worn on a chain. The wearer might use the quizzing glass to look down upon people.

Reticule
– A cloth purse made like a bag that had a drawstring closure.
 

Season
– One of the largest social periods for high society in London. During this time, a lady attended a variety of balls and soirees to meet potential mates.
 

Sideboard
– A low piece of furniture the height of a writing desk, which housed spirits.
 

Ton
– Pronounced
tone
, the
ton
was a high class in society during the Regency era.

Shy, nearsighted caregiver, Gaia Telfair always wondered why her father treated her a little differently than her siblings, but she never guessed she couldn't claim his love because of a family secret, her illicit birth. With everything she knows to be true evaporating before her spectacles, can the mulatto passing for white survive being exposed and shunned by the powerful duke who has taken an interest in her?

Ex-warrior, William St. Landon, the Duke of Cheshire, will do anything to protect his mute daughter from his late wife's scandals. With a blackmailer at large, hiding in a small village near the cliffs of Devonshire seems the best option, particularly since he can gain help from the talented Miss Telfair, who has the ability to help children learn to speak. If only he could do a better job at shielding his heart from the young lady, whose honest hazel eyes see through his jests as her tender lips challenge his desire to remain a single man.

Unmasked Heart
is the first Challenge of the Soul Regency novel.

Excerpt from Unmasked Heart: The Wrong Kiss

Seren adjusted the delicate gauzy silk flowers lining the edges of Gaia's cape. "Wait here until your Elliot arrives. Don't leave this room; I'll come back to find you."

Part of Gaia didn't want to release Seren's hand. Half-seeing things made the room frightening. Her pulse raced. "What if someone else arrives?"