The Law of Angels Read Online Free PDF Page A

round his neck slid through her fingers as he uttered a snarl and hit her on the side of the head with the flat of his hand. She turned with the blow and ducked under his outstretched arm.
    There was a shout from the direction of the orchard. It was accompanied by a roaring sound like a continuing rumble of thunder. Another stranger appeared pursued by a swarm of bees. Evidently noticing the smoke billowing through the door of the barn where his companion must have set fire to the hay store, he veered towards it and threw himself inside. The bees, stalled in their rage by the clouds of smoke, changed direction and vanished in a whirring cloud towards the woods.
    Momentarily forgetting Hildegard, the knight gave a bellow of laughter. “You sot-witted bastard! Why the hell did you touch the bloody hives?”
    The man cautiously reappeared in the doorway, coughing and smacking at himself, but instead of replying he merely raised one hand and pointed silently towards the cliff with his mouth dropping open.
    From the lip of the ridge the first of the sheep was starting to cascade down the side of the hill towards the grange. The whole flock began to follow. It looked like cream spilling over the rim of a jug. Ever faster and more furious, the sheep kept on coming and within moments the entire yard was engulfed by a sea of rams and ewes and their terrified yearlings.
    Hildegard skidded for shelter behind the barn and watched as the yard filled. Soon the stampeding animals were packed tight. They were the long-legged black-faced sheep of the high moors. No harmless pets, they were used to defending themselves against predators and stood waist-high, the rams wielding huge curled horns that could batter a man to the ground.
    There were three intruders, she noticed now, and they were caught helplessly in the tide of sheep. The one that had been standing in the relative safety of the barn door had been forced out by the smoke and now he was knocked to the ground, disappearing under the sharp hooves of the seething mass until his companions forced a way through the flock to his aid. It was only with an effort that they were able to haul him to safety by pulling him up by both arms. They dragged him to his feet and set about struggling free of the flock of sheep.
    The noise was deafening. It set the intruders’ horses into a panic. Bucking and snorting, they fled, and in moments had vanished among the trees.
    With a curse the knight in black ordered his men to get off after them. All three struggled as best they could towards the boundary fence, but the entire flock swept on, taking the men with it, running on down the side of the beck into the woods with Dunstan’s collie dogs yipping at their heels and Dunstan himself striding along with grim purpose in their wake.
    *   *   *
    The stable loft was well alight by now. Still chained, Duchess and Bermonda were dimly visible through a haze of smoke when Hildegard entered. She had no option but to run under the burning roof timbers that supported the hayloft to reach them. Wisps of flame fell like feathers over her shoulders. The hounds were rigid with fear. As soon as she slipped their chains Duchess gripped Hildegard’s hem in her jaws and bounded for the open door with little Bermonda scurrying after them.
    Hildegard ran her hands over their coats as soon as they were safe outside. There was a smell of burning dog hair. As she straightened the grain store erupted and brought the whole roof down in a great roar of flame.
    Agnetha appeared round a corner of the house. She looked aghast at the blazing barn. Her hair was awry and she had a cut on her forehead. With a cry she ran to Hildegard and gripped her by the arms. “Thank Mary in heaven you’re safe!”
    “Who were they?” Hildegard demanded.
    Cecilia and Marianne emerged from the house. They looked equally dishevelled. Smoke came from inside the kitchen behind them and the roof beams were smouldering.
    “Have you seen what