Dangerous Diana (Brambridge Novel 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Henry’s nose and calling her a French spy to the man’s face had not helped relations. That was before they were married or course. He didn’t really know what had come over him at the time save that his mother had been bothering him to find someone to marry and she had been the nearest interesting opportunity.
    “Look, put bluntly Hades, you are the only man who can deal with this type of conundrum.”
    Hades winced. There it was, his name again. Granwich was really applying the thumbscrews.
    “Surely you can use one of your stratagems, like kick the monkey or swing from the tree whilst drinking coffee?”
    “There are no strategies called ‘swing from the tree whilst drinking coffee’.”
    “I was joking, Hades.”
    “Oh.” He wondered if Granwich would laugh if he said that he already had the Viper in custody.
    Granwich pulled his chair closer to the fire and looked straight into Hades’ eyes. “Quite simply we have nobody else. We have nobody as intelligent, and as formidable as you. We have no one left alive, who can stop this man. If the other countries find our spies in their courts, then we may find ourselves falling into yet another war. We are barely recovering from this one.”
    Hades leaned over and stroked the long silky fur on Arturo’s back. He lifted the small dog onto his lap and with firm fingers, caressed the dog under the ears. Arturo sighed in contentment. He was no Cerberus, the snarling three-headed dog that commonly accompanied his namesake, Hades, god of the Underworld.
    “I’ll do it.”
    He had already done it.
    Granwich breathed a sigh of obvious relief. “The only other information that I can give you is that he operates around the Hare and Hounds in Seven Dials and that before they died, several of our informants said that he has an assistant who fronts for him. The assistant has the strange ability of disappearing into thin air.”
    An assistant? Hades stared into the fire. He hadn’t seen anyone else at the St Giles Cross.
    “Well I’ll say goodbye, then.” Granwich gave him a level look and stood slowly from the chair.
    “What? Oh.” Hades got to his feet and followed Granwich to the door. “I don’t know where Carter has gone. Let me get the front door for you.”
    Closing the door behind Granwich, Hades stared down at Arturo, listening to the rhythmic thumping of the dog’s tail against the hall carpet. The Viper had help. Quietly he crossed the hall and opened the door to the below stairs. The low rumble of voices and a tinkling laugh floated up the short downward passage.
    Carlos’ voice boomed above the rest. “So you think this Johnnie visited Regina too?”
    Hades frowned. What on earth were they doing? He’d told them to guard her. With a catlike grace that would have surprised many of his peers, he crept down the stairs before slamming open the door at the bottom.
    Carter stood shaking his head by the oven, whilst Charles and Carlos, his two abominable cooks sat laughing around the table having tea and biscuits with her !
    “I told you to keep her hands tied,” he roared, unable to contain himself.
    Charles buried his head in his hands. “I told you I heard something. He always does this to us!”
    Slowly the Viper turned to face Hades, her hands shooting below the table. He swallowed, as her cloak gaped, and he glimpsed the gentle swell of her breasts against the dull material of her dress.
    “Oh dear,” she said quietly.
    Hades flicked a glance up to her face and stopped, caught. Her blue eyes stared out at him clear, focused and intent through a new pair of silver spectacles. Oh dear indeed . Hades shivered as a dart of desire coursed through his body.  He leaned against the door jamb for support and folded his arms tightly across his chest.
    “Where is your assistant?”
    The Viper, Diana, frowned. “Assistant? I don’t have an assistant.” She lifted a small hand out from under the table and in a fluid motion picked up her tea cup from the