Read Online Sharon Sobel by Lady Larkspur Declines (v5.0) (epub) - Free Book Online

lady’s smile broadened. “Mr. Queensman, if I may be a bit impertinent, have you ever been in love yourself?”
    He had nothing to lose by telling her the truth, or at least most of it. For he could hardly reveal that her recalcitrant daughter was the only lady he had ever met who managed to ignite certain unbidden sparks in the solid timber of his sensibility.
    “I have had little time in my life to engage in such sport, my lady. I have studied hard and have used my knowledge more energetically than most physicians. As you may know, I operate a small hospital for the poor in Brighton. It requires a good deal of me, and I have yet to meet a woman anxious for such a rival.”
    Lady Leicester patted his hand with motherly comfort. “I am sure there is such a lady, Mr. Queensman. She will not be the sort of spoiled young chit you are likely to find in fashionable circles, but a woman of developed character. Perhaps someone who has been ill herself, and will think on your patients with compassion.”
    “I will not give up hope, then.”
    “But what do you propose to do?”
    Ben felt at a loss to defend himself, for unlike Raeborn, he imagined no set path to finding a wife. And, no matter her kindness, he did not intend to explain such things to Lady Leicester.
    When he did not answer, she added helpfully, “With my daughter, sir. If it is only love that can cure her, how may we hasten its arrival?”
    “Ah, yes,” Ben said gratefully. “Love may very well do the trick, but it is not the only solution I propose. Lady Larkspur must be distracted from her extreme distress and would do well with a change of scenery. Remaining here in bed, receiving only family members and doing little to alleviate boredom cannot be beneficial to her health. I prescribe a change of scenery.”
    He left the bedside to approach the shrouded window and drew the heavy velvet aside. It was a glorious day, the sort that would tempt him to leave his hospital and walk upon the beach if he were in Brighton. The window clasp moved easily between his fingers, making him suspect it had been used often, and recently. He opened the pane, welcoming in the sweet air of the garden below.
    “Should we bring her outside? I thought it myself, sir! For I have ever been an advocate of a daily walk and out-door endeavor. Ibelieve my daughters have been healthier for it … until Lark took ill.”
    Ben turned and smiled encouragingly. “I thought it myself, my lady, for it is unusual to see a family of five natural beauties. And so we shall return Lady Larkspur to her sisters’ excellent company. But I think a turn in the park insufficient to produce the sort of cure we desire in this case. I should like to remove your daughter from London and bring her to the seaside.”
    Lady Leicester frowned. “We once summered in Margate, when the girls were very little. It is no longer fashionable, but I suppose we might rent a cottage near the beach.”
    “It sounds perfectly delightful, but I rather thought she might do better in a sanatorium.”
    “Goodness! That seems very severe! Are they not reserved for the very ill or the very old?”
    “Indeed they are, my lady. But are we not talking about your daughter’s life? She will be in excellent company.”
    “And are there such things in Margate?”
    Ben took a deep breath. “There are not. But I am thinking of a very fine destination farther south, where the king’s own physician has established a respite. Mr. Knighton attracts only the finest patients.”
    “In Dover? Or Eastbourne, perhaps?”
    “Not quite. In Brighton, in the very shadow of the king’s new Pavilion,” Ben explained. “And there is yet another advantage, of course. It is very close to my own home, so I will be available to look in on Lady Larkspur from time to time.”
    From beneath the cover on the bed, the lady Larkspur aroused herself sufficiently from her stupor to cry out a hearty protest.
    “It is the worst of all possible