The Bargain Bride

AUTHOR’S NOTEThe young bucks and beaux of the Regency period had not enough to do and so they spent most of their time in gambling, drinking and chasing after pretty ‘Cyprians’ who made the most of the situation. There were gambling houses all over London and all the St. James’s Clubs had card rooms where their members played for very high stakes. London was an obvious temptation to any young man when the War against the French was over and he returned to civilian life after suffering hardships in the Duke of Wellington’s Army leading up to the Battle of Waterloo. Many aristocrats gambled away not only their treasures that were not entailed in their ancestral houses and estates but also property, including streets and squares in London, which today would fetch astronomical figures. It was difficult not to feel sorry for them in that they were not only foolish and foolhardy but they had a huge pride that carried them successfully through every difficult situation even when they became bankrupt. The reverence shown in this book by the Chinese for their ancient relics continues to this day and a sacred carving handed down from father to son is worshipped by every member of his family and all of his household.