The Deception at Lyme: Or, the Peril of Persuasion (Mr. And Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) Read Online Free

Cobb’s surface to puddle in the stone’s many depressions. Lily-Anne giggled, delighted by the unanticipated fountain.
    Though not soaked, Elizabeth shivered. “Perhaps we should turn back.”
    “We are almost to the end,” Georgiana said. “And Sir Laurence said—why, look! I believe there is the gentleman himself.”
    A small stone staircase offered access to the lower wall at this end of the Cobb. Considerably narrower than the stairs Elizabeth and her family had used to mount the upper wall, these were hidden from view along most of the Cobb by the serpentine curve of the seawall and the buildings on the quay. Elizabeth might have entirely overlooked them had Sir Laurence’s ascent not drawn her attention.
    When he reached the top and glanced in their direction, the baronet appeared as surprised as they to be meeting thus. “Miss Darcy!” He came immediately to them. “I did not expect the pleasure of escorting you on the Cobb until later today.”
    “Nor I.”
    Now that she had a closer view of the baronet, Elizabeth’s earlier impression of his good looks was confirmed. He had dark hair and eyes, strong, well-formed features, and an agreeable demeanor that was aristocratic but not pompous. Though he stood a little shorter than Darcy, he was his equal in handsomeness. From her sister-in-law’s demure smile and manner, Elizabeth suspected the bloom on Georgiana’s cheeks had little to do with the wind.
    Sir Laurence greeted Darcy, who introduced Elizabeth and Lily-Anne. The baronet was all courtesy, expressing his happiness in meeting Elizabeth, and acknowledging the child with kind attention.
    “Sea.” Lily pointed, in case the baronet had not noticed the vast expanse of water.
    “I do see the sea,” he assured her with all seriousness—save a good-humored brightness in his eyes. He then turned to Georgiana. “And while this is not ideal weather, I think the sea exhibits a different sort of beauty—a wild magnificence—on days such as this. Did you walk down to the very end of the Cobb?”
    “Not yet.”
    “Then I beg you to allow me to accompany you.” He spoke to Georgiana, but his gaze extended the invitation to them all.
    “I should like that very much,” Georgiana said.
    They walked another twenty yards or so, past the steps up which Sir Laurence had come. Elizabeth looked again at the sky and the churning water. Though she agreed with the baronet’s opinion of the sea’s untamed splendor, at present she would rather appreciate that splendor from the shore—or better still, from the interior side of a window in a room with a fire warm enough to banish the damp chill that had crept into her bones. Yet she did not want to deny Georgiana the pleasure of Sir Laurence’s company.
    “I pray you will understand a mother’s anxiety and let us postpone taking Lily-Anne farther out to the point until fairer weather,” Elizabeth said. “However, do escort Miss Darcy. We will wait here.”
    Sir Laurence bowed. “We shall not be long.”
    As the pair walked away, Elizabeth noticed how closely Darcy observed them. “This is not Ramsgate,” she said, “and your sister is four years older than the last time she visited the sea. I believe it is safe to take your eyes off her for a moment.”
    “It was not the sea that posed danger in Ramsgate.”
    “No, it was one of her oldest acquaintances, someone she should have been able to trust. Would you deny her a new acquaintance now because of Mr. Wickham’s deceit? Surely the baronet is not a fortune hunter.”
    “No, Sir Laurence inherited considerable wealth along with his title, and the sense to protect it. That fellow last night who ogled her on the stairs, however, is another matter.”
    Elizabeth had thought the gentleman’s conduct unobjectionable. “He did not ogle. And what makes you suspect him of being a fortune hunter? He appeared perfectly respectable.”
    “One cannot be too wary.”
    “Sea.” Lily-Anne squirmed in Darcy’s