Free Almost an Angel by Katherine Greyle Page A

your uncle—"
    "Have you lost your mind!" James's stentorian tones rang out above the mournful sound of the wind.
    Carolly spun around, flattening herself against the window as she tried to become invisible. She couldn't, of course—and even if she could, James wasn't the type to forget what he'd seen.
    "Get back inside this instant!" he bellowed at her from below.
    Carolly looked down to see James standing on the stone walkway, hands on his hips. He glared up at her. What a disaster! Not only had she failed to wake up Margaret, but she'd been caught, too. Carolly leaned forward, letting her frustration seep into her words. "Can't I do anything without you constantly interfering? Why don't you just go to bed like a normal person?"
    "Good God, woman, get back against that window. Do you want to die?"
    "I'm already dead!"
    "Then be so good as to lie down in a grave and stop confusing the rest of us!"
    Carolly was so startled by his unexpected humor that her bad mood evaporated. Or perhaps it had something to do with how handsome he looked. For the first time ever, she was seeing James in something less than formal attire. He'd pulled off his cravat, and his shirt front was slightly unbuttoned. Even his dark hair had been tossed by the wind until it curled in reckless disarray about his face. Add to that the loving touches of moonlight, and he looked something like a pirate from a romance novel.
    It softened her heart to look at him, and she couldn't help but smile.
    "Carolly, please."
    She heard anguish in his voice, and she bit her lip in consternation. "Please what?"
    "Get inside!"
    "Oh." She glanced back at the window. "I can't," she told him. "The window's locked and Mags won't wake up. I've got to slide back to my room."
    "You shall do no such thing! Do not move. I will open the window."
    "No! You can't just barge into Mags's room. She'll never forgive me. Ten-year-olds are very sensitive about their privacy."
    "Privacy? Do you mean to tell me you really crawled around to visit Margaret?" He took a deep breath. "Did you find the hallway impassable?”
    Carolly chuckled. "Of course not. But I did promise to walk along the ledge to her window. She won't wake up, though. I had no idea she was such a deep sleeper."
    "She is not. She sleeps across the hall."
    Carolly stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded. "Oh," she said softly, glancing back inside at the dark room. "That's probably why this room looks so neat."
    "It is also why the window's locked," he said dryly.
    Carolly nodded. "Makes sense."
    "I am glad something does. Now stay put. I shall be there directly."
    "Wouldn't you rather just catch me as I fell into your arms?" she called. The romantic image had definite appeal.
    "If you try, I shall let you plummet to your death."
    "Hmmm." She eased down until she sat on the edge, her legs dangling over the precipice as if she were preparing to jump. "An interesting thought. Would you, the most honorable, chivalrous person I know, actually let me fall?"
    "Without a doubt." And with that, he started toward the house.
    Carolly felt something wriggling in her dress. "Wait!"
    He stopped dead, then moved back to see her better. "Is there something wrong? I mean, other than the obvious."
    "Uh." She paused. "Catch."
    "What?"
    She didn't give him time to object. "Just don't drop it, okay?" She hauled the hapless frog out of her pocket and as gently as possible let it drop.
    "Croooak!"
    "What the—?” He nabbed it neatly out of the air.
    "Don't squeeze!"
    "Ugh! This is a toad!"
    Carolly leaned further out over the edge. "Really? I thought it was a frog. How can you tell the difference?"
    "This type of toad gives off a noxious smelling poison when frightened." He glared up at her. "Like when it is dropped two stories."
    "Oh." She watched in silence as he lowered the poor thing into a nearby bush; then she called: "He'll be all right there, won't he? I mean, I'd hate to have to tell Margaret that I'd killed her fr—her toad."
    James