The Savage Marquess

M. C. Beaton
is the author of the hugely successful Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, as well as a quartet of Edwardian murder mysteries featuring heroine Lady Rose Summer, several Regency romance series and a stand-alone murder mystery,
The Skeleton in the Closet
– all published by Constable & Robinson. She left a full-time career in journalism to turn to writing, and now divides her time between the Cotswolds and Paris. Visit www.mcbeatonbooks.co.uk for more, or follow M. C. Beaton on Twitter:
@mc_beaton
.

Titles by M. C. Beaton

The Poor Relation

Lady Fortescue Steps Out • Miss Tonks Turns to Crime • Mrs Budley Falls from Grace

Sir Philip’s Folly • Colonel Sandhurst to the Rescue • Back in Society

A House for the Season

The Miser of Mayfair
•
Plain Jane
•
The Wicked Godmother

Rake’s Progress
•
The Adventuress
•
Rainbird’s Revenge

The Six Sisters

Minerva
•
The Taming of Annabelle
•
Deirdre and Desire

Daphne
•
Diana the Huntress
•
Frederica in Fashion

Edwardian Murder Mysteries

Snobbery with Violence
•
Hasty Death
•
Sick of Shadows

Our Lady of Pain

The Travelling Matchmaker

Emily Goes to Exeter
•
Belinda Goes to Bath
•
Penelope Goes to Portsmouth

Beatrice Goes to Brighton
•
Deborah Goes to Dover
•
Yvonne Goes to York

Edwardian Candlelight

Polly • Molly • Ginny • Tilly • Susie • Kitty • Daisy • Sally • Maggie • Poppy • Pretty Polly • Lucy • My Lords, Ladies and Marjorie

Regency Candlelight

Annabelle • Henrietta • Penelope

Regency Royal

The Westerby Inheritance • The Marquis Takes a Bride • Lady Anne’s Deception • Lady Margery’s Intrigue • The Savage Marquess • My Dear Duchess • The Highland Countess • Lady Lucy’s Lover • The Ghost and Lady Alice • Love and Lady Lovelace • Duke’s Diamonds • The Viscount’s Revenge • The Paper Princess • The Desirable Duchess • The Sins of Lady Dacey • The Dreadful Debutante • The Chocolate Debutante • The Loves of Lord Granton • Milady in Love • The Scandalous Marriage

Regency Scandal

His Lordship’s Pleasure • Her Grace’s Passion • The Scandalous Lady Wright

Regency Flame

Those Endearing Young Charms
? The Flirt • Lessons in Love • Regency Gold • Miss Fiona’s Fancy • The French Affair • To Dream of Love • A Marriage of Inconvenience • A Governess of Distinction • The Glitter of Gold

Regency Season

The Original Miss Honeyford • The Education of Miss Paterson • At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple • Sweet Masquerade ?The Constant Companion • Quadrille • The Perfect Gentleman • Dancing on the Wind • Ms. Davenport’s Christmas

The Waverly Women

The First Rebellion • Silken Bonds • The Love Match

Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
•
Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
•
Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
•
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
•
Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam
•
Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came

Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate
•
Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance
•
Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon

Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor

Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye

Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison
•
Agatha Raisin: There Goes the Bride

Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body
•
Agatha Raisin: As the Pig Turns

Agatha Raisin: Hiss and Hers • Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble

Hamish Macbeth

Death of a Gossip
•
Death of a Cad
•
Death of an Outsider

Death of a Perfect Wife
•
Death of a Hussy
•
Death of a Snob

Death of a Prankster
•
Death of a Glutton
•
Death of a Travelling Man

Death of a Charming Man
•
Death of a Nag
•
Death of a Macho Man

Death of a Dentist
•
Death of a Scriptwriter
•
Death of an Addict

A Highland Christmas
•
Death of a Dustman
•
Death of a Celebrity

Death of a Village
•
Death of a Poison Pen
•
Death of a Bore

Death of a Dreamer
•
Death of a Maid
•
Death of a Gentle Lady

Death of a Witch
•
Death of a Valentine
•
Death of a Sweep

Death of a Kingfisher • Death of Yesterday

The Skeleton in the Closet

Also available

The Agatha Raisin Companion

M. C. Beaton

Constable & Robinson Ltd.

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London WC1B 4HP

www.constablerobinson.com

First electronic edition published 2011

by RosettaBooks LLC, New York

This edition published in the UK by Canvas,

an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd., 2013

Copyright © M. C. Beaton, 1988

The right of M. C. Beaton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in

Publication Data is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-47210-135-8 (ebook)

Cover copyright © Constable & Robinson

For Tilda Chesney Grenier, with love

“My dear, he’s back! Rockingham’s back!”

The Earl of Clifton sighed noisily and rustled his newspaper defensively. He had brought his wife to London to prepare for their daughter, Ismene’s coming-out. He had wrenched himself away from his beloved country home for the few months of the Season and felt he had done enough.

“Who is Rockingham?” he asked testily.

The Countess of Clifton sat down in a flurry of satin and lace. “You are indeed out of the world,” she said with that affected laugh of hers which never failed to grate on the earl’s nerves. “The Marquess of Rockingham. The Savage Marquess. The one they say has sold his soul to the devil. He disappeared for years after that scandal when his mistress tried to hang herself. Now he is back and announces he is looking for a wife.”

“Rich?” asked the earl, trying to show some interest.

“Vastly so. And devilishly handsome.”

“Then he should have little trouble in finding one.” The earl yawned and picked up his newspaper again.

“But that is the point! No lady of breeding could face the idea of such a monster. ’Tis said he beats his servants.”

“Stout fellow,” came the languid voice of her spouse from behind his newspaper barrier. “Some of ’em could do with a beating.”

“And he gambles and drinks to excess.”

“Then he won’t stay rich for long.”

“Ah, but that is why they say he has sold his soul to the devil, for he mostly wins.”

“Then if he is such a nasty character,” said the earl in an abstracted voice, “he probably cheats. Since he is obviously not a suitable prospect for Ismene, may we drop this tedious subject?”

Lady Clifton pouted. She had once been a great beauty and still adopted all the mannerisms of a youthful belle. “You take no interest in Ismene’s welfare,” she said. “You know Ismene is monstrous lonesome in London and craves company of her own age. You promised and promised to find her a companion and yet you do nothing about it.”

“I had hoped,” said Lord Clifton, putting down his newspaper with an air of defeat, “that our daughter might have managed to endear herself to some members of her own sex. It seems hard I should have to pay for a companion as well as paying the expenses of a Season.”

“But don’t you see! It is because Ismene is so very beautiful. All are jealous of her.”

At that moment Lady Ismene flounced into the room. She was indeed a dazzling beauty, from her pomaded brown curls to her little rosebud mouth and dainty figure.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I was trying to interest your father in Rockingham’s return.”

“La! No one talks of anything else. I confess I am bored with the Savage Marquess before I even set eyes on the man. I asked that cat, Miss Sommers, to go driving in the park with me and she said she was too busy. And yet I have just seen her driving in a vis-à-vis with that antidote, Miss Flanders.”

“Perhaps she had a previous arrangement,” said the countess. “We have also been discussing the idea of hiring a companion for you.”

“That would be fun,” said Ismene, pleating the fringe of her stole. “I mean, a companion would have to go everywhere with me, would she not?”

“Your father has promised to attend to the matter urgently. Whom are you going to employ, Clifton?”

The earl threw down his newspaper and marched to the door. “I am going to my study to think about it,” he snapped.

Once in his study, the earl sighed with relief and sent for brandy to soothe his nerves. This Marquess of Rockingham would never put up with such henpecking, he thought. But, he decided, the sooner he found someone to accompany Ismene, then the sooner he would be left in peace.

He went over to his desk, dipped a pen in the standish, and furrowed his brow as he turned over the names of various poor relations. If only he could think of someone staid and practical who would be a good influence on his spoilt daughter.

His thoughts turned longingly to his country home, Beechings. In his mind’s eye he could see the graceful porticoed entrance, the rose gardens, and the smooth lawns. On the edge of his estates lay the village of Sarral, a pretty, picturesque place with its old Norman church.

As a picture of the church floated across his inner eye, he sat upright. What had been the name of that curate? Westerville, that was it. He had read a most affecting sermon one Christmas when the vicar had been ill. Sterling fellow. And he had a daughter who must now be Ismene’s age!

He had heard Westerville was ill. Now, in return for the use of his daughter, he would send this Westerville the best physician and enough funds to ensure he could hire proper care while his daughter was in London. What was the girl’s name? Pretty thing. Lovely hair. Ah, Lucinda, that was it.

The Earl of Clifton began to write busily.

Lucinda Westerville sat in the shed in the garden of her family cottage, waiting for the water in the copper to boil. The vast copper basin held by its brick framework had been laboriously filled with pails and pails of water, carried from the pump. In a basket on the floor beside the copper lay a pile of sheets. Once the water was boiling, Lucinda would put them in the copper, boil them for an hour, and hope that some of their yellowish hue would be miraculously taken out. The women in the village used a mixture of chicken dung to whiten yellowing linen, but Lucinda could not bring herself to mix anything so evil-smelling into the wash.