Amanda Grange & Jacqueline Webb Read Online Free

for them.
    Although she would never admit as much to Darcy, she did sometimes think that Laurence would benefit from school, but she hated the thought of losing him. He was her youngest son and she wanted to keep him with her. Now, seeing him so happy and engaged at home, she felt her somewhat guilty conscience being appeased.
    â€œThere are all sorts of interesting things in the museum,” said William. “Did you know it was opened over fifty years ago and that it has lots of Egyptian artefacts in it?”
    â€œThe Rosetta Stone was found by a soldier,” said John proudly.
    â€œOnly a French soldier,” said Laurence scathingly.
    â€œSome of the French fought bravely. Colonel Fitzwilliam said so,” returned John. “I expect the Stone was found by one of the brave ones. The French invaded Egypt and they were working on the defences at Fort Julien when one of the soldiers saw the Stone sticking out of the ground,” he explained to his mama. “It was near a place called Rosetta, which is why they called it the Rosetta Stone.”
    â€œBut what is important,” said William, “is that it has some writing on it, and the writing says the same thing but in three different kinds of writing. One of them is in Greek writing, and one of them is ordinary Egyptian writing, and one of them is hiero… hiero… hieroglyphs, which are a kind of pictures. I can read and write Greek, so if I could make a copy of the Stone, I might be able to work out what the hieroglyphs mean.”
    â€œNo, you wouldn’t,” said Laurence. “No one can read the hieroglyphs yet, not even Cousin Edward.”
    â€œAnd if not even Edward can read them, what hope is there for anyone else?” asked Elizabeth.
    Edward laughed and moved some books so that she could sit down.
    â€œI appear to have taken over your drawing room,” he said.
    â€œNever mind, I do not have time to sit down anyway,” she said. “It is time we were all getting ready for our outing. Fitzwilliam has given orders for the carriages to be brought round and they will be at the door in half an hour.”
    â€œThen we had better be ready for them,” said Edward.
    There was a flurry of activity, but by the time thirty minutes had passed, everyone was ready; even Margaret, who had at last roused herself and who was holding her doll tightly in her hand.
    Edward delighted the children by suggesting that he should go in the carriage with them while Darcy should drive Elizabeth in his new phaeton. The suggestion delighted Darcy and Elizabeth almost as much as it delighted the children, for as much as they loved their offspring, they valued having time alone together.
    The morning was bright and sunny, with the first feeling of spring in the air, and Elizabeth could not have been happier as she took her place beside her husband. The two-seater carriage, which had an open top, was pulled by a pair of matched bays, and they cut quite a dash as they moved out into the road.
    Darcy drove with skill through the London traffic, past brewers’ carts, hackney carriages, and ponderous coaches, while Elizabeth revelled in the feel of the soft air on her cheeks. By the time they arrived at Montague House, which housed the museum, she had a healthy glow to her skin and her eyes were bright, prompting Darcy to seize her hand and kiss it as he helped her out of the phaeton.
    She had a sudden memory of the first time he had helped her out of a carriage, and she saw by his expression that he remembered it, too. She looked down at their joined hands and then looked at Darcy, whose eyes were full of his love for her. Thinking herself the luckiest woman in the world, she took his arm and looked up at the splendid museum.
    Ahead of them, the children were spilling out of the Darcy coach. They had all been given strict instructions by Elizabeth to be on their best behaviour, but she need not have worried: the large and imposing