“I don’t think it would be silly in the least.” Lyman offered her a faint smile. “I only wish I’d thought of it first.”
The burst of joy upon Della’s face was more gratifying than he’d expected. Like the sun breaking through a patch of rain to dispel a chill.
“Shall we go and search for the best ones, then?”
“Now?” Lyman was knocked off his feet once more, struggling to keep up with her changeable impulses.
He couldn’t afford to spend the day gallivanting around London with her on a whim. He’d already lost the time he normally allotted to his writing this morning by rising late, and then there was tonight’s rendezvous to think of. He couldn’t seem to tear himself away from Della, despite his better judgment.
“Why not?” Her bright smile promised that it would be a great adventure, as all things in her life were, it seemed. “I need to determine which vantage points to include, and you could stand to have your sense of wonder renewed.”
“My sense of wonder.” Surprise tugged a laugh from Lyman’s chest. “Isn’t that normally reserved for children?”
“Why should it be?”
He had no answer for her, and Della took his silence for assent. Perhaps it was. “Where shall we start? We might try Fleet Street, looking toward St. Paul’s.”
Lyman took a moment to consider. “That’s not bad. You can see St. Martin Ludgate from there as well, and the architecture contrasts nicely.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll ask the footman to ready a carriage for us.”
“I’m coming too,” Annabelle immediately proclaimed.
“You arenot.”
“You can’t be alone in a closed carriage.” She wore a smug littlesmile as she spoke. “And Peter already took the phaeton.”
Della made a noise of supreme frustration. “Why can’t you find a hobby?”
“You should be grateful I’m helping you! Besides, I know all sorts of spots with lovely views, if you’d bothered to ask me.”
“Thank you, Miss Annabelle.” Lyman intervened before Della could vent her spleen any further. “We’d love to hear your ideas.”
Much as he would have relished the chance to get Della alone again, it wasn’t likely to happen. And they would do better not to cross anyone who knew as much about them as Annabelle did.
His encouragement took the girl by surprise, but she quickly recovered. “The Waterloo Bridge,” she said matter-of-factly. “Toward the Surrey side. You can see everything from there. It’s a lovely place to take anyone who’s new to town that you might want to impress.”
Lyman managed not to raise an eyebrow at this, though it cost him some effort. It was none of his business whom Miss Annabelle was impressing. Turning to her sister (who suffered no such compunction about making a dubious face), Lyman asked, “Shall we start with the bridge then?”
“Very well.” Della rang for a servant and relayed her instructions. After the ladies had gathered their things, their party was off.
***
True to Miss Annabelle’s word, the view from the Waterloo Bridge was a pretty sight. At this hour of the morning, the sun was high in the sky and cast silver reflections across the curve of the Thames below. Any direction they turned offered something interesting to look at. With the South Bank at their backs, the pristine white facade of Somerset House stood before them. To the east, church spiresbroke through the skyline between the array of town houses and theaters and parks. The familiar dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral was among them. To the west, a little further off, they could glimpse Westminster. At this distance, the people walking on the streets before it were featureless silhouettes. As anonymous as only London could make them.
Della had been right. He should have thought to put this in his book.
“You see?” Annabelle watched her sister expectantly.
“I suppose it is quite pretty,” Della admitted. “Thank you for the suggestion.”
Annabelle beamed at this praise.
Della turned to Lyman, her face full of the sense of wonder she’d promised him. “It really is something to see the whole town laid out at once. To think how many people built all this and keep the cogs turning each day.”
“One point nine million, at the last census,” Lyman offered helpfully.
Della laughed, the sound high and clear. “Of course you would know that.”
