Dangerous Diana (Brambridge Novel 3) by Pearl Darling Page B

you briefly at another point at my convenience. However, if I manage to sort out my problem, I may not need to call on you at all.”
    Melissa pushed her nose into the air, and tried to sail out of the house. Her efforts were hampered slightly by Freddie’s limping and slower gait and the rising need to move away as Freddie’s arm rubbed against hers.
    As the great door closed on them both, Melissa let out a large breath and inhaled again. She was outside for the first time in two weeks. And the feeling was bittersweet.
    “Never seen Arturo act like that before,” Freddie muttered. “I say, Miss Sumner. Can I take you anywhere? I don’t see your carriage nearby…”
    Melissa swung her head to gaze at Freddie. “Hmm, what?”
    “Your carriage?” His voice held a tinge of frustration.
    “Oh? Oh, no I walked. Such a lovely day.” Melissa eyed the sky. It looked unfortunately like rain. Freddie followed her gaze and raised his eyebrows. “I’ll walk back again,” she continued.
    Letting go of his arm, she stepped away in relief. Her need to shudder stopped immediately. Why was it that with Hades it was a different matter? And yet he didn’t have good intentions towards her either. For goodness sake , he was planning on using her as Viper bait!
    “I can’t let you leave unattended,” Freddie shouted after her.
    “I’m sure that there would be more chatter if you entered a closed carriage with me, without a maid!” Melissa called back. Resolutely she turned her back on the lord and started off at a fast clip in the direction of Bayswater.
    Freddie’s carriage followed her all the way to Mount Street, and with each rumble of its carriage wheel, her unease grew. If he followed her any further, then he would discover where she was living.
    As she passed Lady Colchester’s house, she looked up longingly at the front door. Thank God —the knocker hung loosely on the door. Victoria was in London. She’d stayed there before whilst pretending to be Lord Stanton’s fiancé. Darting up the steps, she waved backwards at Freddie’s carriage with an urgent hand and let the knocker fall twice with a loud thump. As the door opened wide, she breathed a sigh of relief.
     

CHAPTER 11
     
    The ticking of the clock in the stillness of the study unnerved Hades. In times gone by he had found it soothing. But now it was merely annoying. It heralded the exact amount of time since Melissa had left him.
    He couldn’t believe it. She had left him. Normally he held women in a thrall. And he had vowed not to be defeated by Melissa. Now he had not gained either a victory or a defeat, merely an impasse. His foot kicked idly at his desk. He hadn’t even had the chance to give her the books he’d made himself a fool over.
    Arturo lay stretched on the rug in front of the fire. Hades was worried. Arturo had been refusing biscuits for the last three days. Ever since Melissa left. Yet another male in the household that was missing the blasted female’s presence. Carter was walking around like a wet March Sunday. The footmen cast him surly glances and were slow to do his bidding, and even Charles and Carlos were most put out. His dinner was served erratically and sometimes there was no pudding at all.
    It was extremely vexing. He had, however, not lost his chance of losing her as a lure. He walked to the shelves of the study. Pulling out a slim volume, he opened it at a well-thumbed page, already marked with a small slip of paper.
    “When near, make it appear as if you are far away…” It was hard to imagine how to do that. “Offer the enemy a bait to lure him, feign disorder and strike him.” Now this was something he could use. Sun Tzu the Chinese scholar knew what he was writing about. His thirty-six stratagems had come in very useful for Hades in devising some of the British military campaigns. Perhaps he would come up trumps again for him with this little diversion.
    Hades glanced at the door to the study. The house was