Love Letters by the Sea Read online

  LOVE LETTERS BY THE SEA

  SIREN’S RETREAT #4

  ERICA RIDLEY

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  Also by Erica Ridley

  Love Letters by the Sea

  Acknowledgments

  Love Letters by the Sea

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Thank You

  More Free Books

  Nobody’s Princess

  Sneak Peek

  A Tryst by the Sea

  Sneak Peek

  Thank You For Reading

  About the Author

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2021 Erica Ridley

  Cover Design © Teresa Spreckelmeyer, The Midnight Muse

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  ALSO BY ERICA RIDLEY

  The Dukes of War:

  The Viscount’s Tempting Minx (FREE!)

  The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower

  The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress

  The Major’s Faux Fiancée

  The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

  The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway

  The Duke's Accidental Wife

  A Match, Unmasked

  * * *

  The Wild Wynchesters:

  The Governess Gambit (FREE!)

  The Duke Heist

  The Rake Mistake

  The Perks of Loving a Wallflower

  Nobody’s Princess

  * * *

  Rogues to Riches:

  Lord of Chance (FREE!)

  Lord of Pleasure

  Lord of Night

  Lord of Temptation

  Lord of Secrets

  Lord of Vice

  Lord of the Masquerade

  * * *

  The 12 Dukes of Christmas:

  Once Upon a Duke (FREE!)

  Kiss of a Duke

  Wish Upon a Duke

  Never Say Duke

  Dukes, Actually

  The Duke’s Bride

  The Duke’s Embrace

  The Duke’s Desire

  Dawn With a Duke

  One Night With a Duke

  Ten Days With a Duke

  Forever Your Duke

  * * *

  Gothic Love Stories:

  Too Wicked to Kiss (FREE!)

  Too Sinful to Deny

  Too Tempting to Resist

  Too Wanton to Wed

  Too Brazen to Bite

  * * *

  Magic & Mayhem:

  Kissed by Magic (FREE!)

  Must Love Magic

  Smitten by Magic

  * * *

  The Siren’s Retreat Quartet

  A Tryst by the Sea by Grace Burrowes

  An Affair by the Sea by Erica Ridley

  A Spinster by the Sea by Grace Burrowes

  Love Letters by the Sea by Erica Ridley

  * * *

  The Wicked Dukes Club:

  One Night for Seduction by Erica Ridley

  One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke

  One Night of Passion by Erica Ridley

  One Night of Scandal by Darcy Burke

  One Night to Remember by Erica Ridley

  One Night of Temptation by Darcy Burke

  LOVE LETTERS BY THE SEA

  SIREN’S RETREAT #4

  FREE BOOK

  LOVE Romance? Grab more FREE books!

  Sign up at http://ridley.vip for members-only exclusives, including advance notice of pre-orders, as well as contests, giveaways, freebies, and 99¢ deals!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to Grace Burrowes who jumped aboard the shared series idea without hesitation! Working with you has been a delight.

  As always, I could not have written this book without the invaluable support of my editor and beta crew, with special thanks to Erica Monroe. You are the best!

  I also want to thank my wonderful VIP readers, our Historical Romance Book Club on Facebook, and my fabulous early reader team. Your enthusiasm makes the romance happen.

  Thank you so much!

  LOVE LETTERS BY THE SEA

  (SIREN’S RETREAT #4)

  When not responding to advice column letters, entrepreneurial widow Mrs. Deborah Cartwright runs bright, beautiful Siren’s Retreat, legendary for helping her lovelorn guests find their perfect match. Deborah experienced love years before, and lightning does not strike twice. Although there might be a light flirtation with a certain anonymous letter-writer she’s definitely not falling for, there’s no time for romance. Not whilst a heartless blackguard is in town to wrest her beloved inn out from under her!

  Clever, career-minded Mr. Patrick Gretham is the trusted man-of-business for a powerful lord, who is eager to turn this perfectly situated property wasted on lovebirds into a gambling hell the likes of which no one leaves with their fortunes intact. Over Deborah’s dead body! The beautiful proprietress hates everything Patrick stands for and will fight him every step of the way. Except when they find themselves on opposite sides of a plume. Or falling into each other’s embrace…

  CHAPTER 1

  May 1818

  Brighton, England

  Mrs. Deborah Cartwright expanded her diaphragm, tipped her head back toward the chandelier, and let the notes fly.

  It had been years since she was a celebrated soprano in the London opera, and the Sharp Tea Room in Brighton in no way resembled the footlights of a theatre stage, but as to the feeling… Oh, the feeling! Singing was joy and freedom. It was bits of her soul, escaping from her lungs note by note, to merge with the souls of everyone else present and fill them with joy as well.

  The talented pianist to Deborah’s side, Mrs. Allegra Sharp, was no mere accompanist. Deborah was accompanying her. Not that Allegra needed any help to enchant her audience. Locals and tourists alike crowded into the tea room at all hours of every day in the hope of catching the famed Allegra Sharp at her pianoforte.

  When Allegra had heard Deborah sing, the pianist had begged to compose something original for Deborah that would showcase her soaring voice to its best advantage. They now had not one, but three songs in their repertoire, all of which engendered standing ovations from the delighted crowd...when Deborah could tear herself away from Siren’s Retreat to come and sing, that was.

  Being the sole proprietress of a large, busy inn with the best seaside views in all of Brighton was a lot of work—but it was also Deborah’s true calling. As joyful and free as she felt when she gave herself over to song, it could not compare to the honor and wonder of her inn. It had been worth giving up a career in the opera fifteen years ago, and it had been worth it every minute since.

  Siren’s Retreat had given Deborah her one true love: ten glorious years with Mr. Harland Cartwright. Every season since they first opened their doors, the inn had brought love into the lives of
its guests. Siren’s Retreat—and Deborah herself—had become legendary for uniting hearts and making perfect matches.

  That was what she should be thinking about: Bringing good fortune and true love to her paying guests. Not the handful of secret correspondence burning a hole in her reticule.

  She’d recognized the handwriting on one of the missives at first glance. The mysterious, anonymous letter-writer with whom Deborah had been corresponding at first intermittently and now almost daily, for several months in a row.

  In the empty space between letters, she couldn’t possibly miss him. No matter what it felt like at times. They didn’t even know each other’s names! Their connection wasn’t real at all. Just happenstance and a pile of post. Deborah knew that. And yet…

  She let the final note hang in the air for a few extra seconds, then dashed to her abandoned chair in the corner of the tea shop like a child running toward a pile of sweets.

  It was not candied peels Deborah hungered for, but rather the familiar script and easy charm of—

  A loud, metallic clatter sounded from the kitchen. Followed by the unmistakable sound of breaking porcelain. The customers around Deborah exchanged fond glances. Frequent patrons of Sharp’s Tea Room learnt to differentiate the unique signatures of every sort of accidental mishap.

  “I hope it wasn’t my tea,” murmured a woman in a feathered bonnet.

  “Oh, darling.” Her companion’s eyes crinkled. “That was everybody’s tea.”

  Despite the doubtless truth to this statement, the customers’ smiles only grew brighter. Sharp’s Tea Room was renowned for its chef’s unparalleled skill and his wife’s incredible talent at the pianoforte, but some might argue the real reason tourists haunted the tables was in hopes of being present when Mr. Sharp and Mrs. Sharp locked eyes. That was the real magic.

  John rushed out of the kitchen bearing a small tray in his hands, and wearing an apron covered in so many different substances that it was decorated with every color under the sun.

  He set a steaming teapot down at Deborah’s table and whispered, “There was a small issue with the pâte à choux. I may need five more minutes.”

  “It’s no problem,” she assured him. “Take your time.”

  Five minutes might give her a chance to read her letters before returning to the hustle and bustle of her inn.

  “Thank you for understanding.” John straightened and turned toward the pianoforte.

  For a moment, Deborah—and likely everyone else watching as well—thought the silver tray would tumble from his fingers.

  John had just glimpsed his wife again.

  She was rising from the bench, which normally would cause the room to erupt in protest as guests pleaded with her to play just one more song.

  But nothing could eclipse the way John and Allegra looked at each other. The tea room crackled with the strength of their connection. It was as if they were seeing each other for the first time. Love at first sight all over again. Two halves of the same soul.

  Romantic sighs sounded throughout the large salon, followed by several deeply impressed glances toward Deborah.

  This was her doing. Or rather, the legend of Siren’s Retreat in action.

  A few short months ago, this perfect-for-each-other couple had been two complete strangers, who, like so many others before them, had booked a seaside holiday and found love instead. Deborah could fill a book with such success stories. Not that words on a page could ever compare to seeing true love unfold before one’s own eyes.

  Words on a page. Her gaze lowered to her reticule, and she drew out the small stack of correspondence with shaking fingers. Ridiculous to have shaking fingers! They weren’t love letters. Her trembling was due to lack of tea cakes, not to the excitement of having a note from LostInLondon.

  No one believed in the lifechanging magic of finding your One True Love more than Deborah.

  This was because she’d already found hers. Married hers. Then buried hers. Harland’s funeral was the worst day of Deborah’s life, but the years before that had been nothing but pure bliss. She knew the power of love firsthand, which was why she and her inn sought to bring that magic to others.

  As for Deborah herself, those days were over. She had had her one life-changing experience. That was it. Lightning did not strike twice. The phenomenon was called “One True Love” for a reason. It was not “The First Of Multiple Potential Loves”. The challenge was because there was only one perfect person out there for everyone. The magic came in finding them.

  Now that her personal quest was over, she dedicated both Siren’s Retreat and every spare second to helping others find the same wonderful, giddy madness.

  None of which had anything to do with the letter in her hands. She didn’t have feelings for LostInLondon. Not only was love relegated to Deborah’s past. LostInLondon was just… words on a page. A stranger destined to remain a stranger. No one to start swooning over.

  Their introduction hadn’t begun with any particular fireworks, either. The local newspaper had a monthly column dedicated to extolling Brighton’s healthful virtues…and an address at the local church to write to, if one had additional questions that weren’t answered in the broadsheet.

  Normally, the parson’s wife handled the correspondence, but whilst she was lying-in for her third child, Deborah had briefly taken over the responsibility. It was simple. She needn’t sign her responses, all of which were posted care of the newspaper. Most of the questions were easily answerable in a sentence or two, between attending to Deborah’s normal duties at the inn.

  And then. And then.

  She broke the wax seal with a definitely-not-trembling finger and gently shook out the newest letter.

  A flush crept up her neck at the sight of LostInLondon’s familiar handwriting. This wasn’t a blush. It was the warmth of friendship. No—not even friendship. The warmth of altruism, nothing more. And maybe a little intrigue. Perfectly aboveboard.

  Ever since the address for inquiries first opened, the vast majority of letters came from those who clearly would never make the trip. LostInLondon was just another would-be guest who could not afford an actual holiday in beautiful, fashionable, expensive Brighton.

  If Deborah’s correspondence with him had gone beyond the usual—a short, efficient, facts-only paragraph in reply—and become, well, this… It was because LostInLondon was too kind and charming for her to respond with curt efficiency.

  The truth was, Deborah didn’t want to have done with their conversations. She wanted them to go on indefinitely.

  She supposed, in a way, she had started it. Well, he had started it, by inquiring about Siren’s Retreat, which was the most important part of Deborah’s world. Of course her answering letter should include the most effusive picture possible. With each dip of her pen, she tried to paint in words how wonderful the Brighton air was, and how magical the views from every angle.

  Over time, their letters changed until hers spoke as though LostInLondon accompanied her on her utterly normal days, which she tried to make sound as charming as possible—without giving away that she was Mrs. Deborah Cartwright, proprietress of Siren’s Retreat, rather than Salt&Sea, temporary volunteer columnist for the local newspaper.

  She wasn’t misleading him…exactly. She was both things at once. But he might find her advice and assertions a wee bit biased if she admitted she also made her living from the tourists who chose her inn above all others.

  So instead she talked about Brighton in general. The brisk, salty wind on one’s face, the tangy taste of the air, the feel of the breeze rippling through one’s hair before one makes a wild dash to recover one’s bonnet before it floats away. The coffee rooms and tea rooms and assembly rooms. The seaside promenades and the evening waltzes. The delicious food and the friendly faces. What was there not to love about Brighton?

  For his part, LostInLondon spoke of London in the briefest terms, if at all. A crowded, dirty city. Too much noise and chaos. Not enough hours in the day to
do all the work assigned to him, and no chance at all to escape on a much needed holiday.

  In every letter, LostInLondon thanked his darling Salt&Sea for making him feel as though he needn’t travel from his desk to take in the sights at her side. He spoke so longingly, so poignantly, so romantically. Every paragraph sounded as though he knew her. As though he missed her. Which was not possible, since they had never met and would never meet. Yet Deborah knew just how LostInLondon felt, because she felt the same way herself.

  Oh! She covered her mouth to hide a giggle at an amusing anecdote involving LostInLondon’s high-spirited nephews’ encounter with their neighbor’s new litter of puppies.

  She read the letter a second time, and then a third, imagining how he might react to each of her responses. But she would have to save letter-writing for later. It was time to return to her post at the inn. Deborah tried not to stay away from her station for more than an hour at a time. Guests might have need of her.

  Before she left Sharp’s Tea Room, however, she glanced at the other two letters in the pile.

  Rubbish, both of them. More offers to purchase Siren’s Retreat from her. Deborah crumpled them into a ball. As if she would ever sell!