Free Dangerous Diana (Brambridge Novel 3) by Pearl Darling Page A

the undertakers, and halfway out of the front door.
    “You are not going anywhere, my lovely dangerous Diana. You will not leave this house until I say so!”
    “My name is not Diana,” Melissa protested as Hades pulled her into the study and pushed her into the leather chair. “But I am more like Persephone at the moment,” she muttered under her breath.
    “Just stay quiet and seated in that seat. Carter, Carter !”
    The butler opened the study door a crack and peered in. Hades pointed at the library chair. “Bring me the cooks. I want to see them in my study now. And yourself of course.”
    Carter nodded and silently closed the door.
    Hades took a deep breath and glanced at Melissa before staring at the ceiling. Focus on the kitchen boy. Not her eyes. “Now then. Tell me about why you are so sure that it wasn’t poisoning.”
    Melissa sighed. “I’ve already told you. No plants will produce the same symptoms as the ones that poor boy experienced. I heard it all from upstairs and came down as soon as I could, but I was too late. Carter sent me back up again so that he could call a doctor.” She stopped and sniffed. “There was nothing I could do to help him.”
    Silently Hades handed her his handkerchief. Carter entered the study, followed closely by the cooks. Chefs , Hades amended silently in his head. One of them was supposedly French and was responsible for the rise in biscuit consumption in the household. They were both more intent on staring at Melissa than they were in meeting his gaze.
    “Ahem,” he coughed. They jumped and looked for somewhere to sit. Hades did not offer them a chair.
    “Carlos, Charles.”
    “Yes, sir!” they chorused. Carter rolled his eyes and Hades could see Melissa smothering a weak smile.
    “What was the kitchen boy doing before he died?”
    “Nothing different, sir. He had just finished rolling out the pastry for tonight’s pudding and stacked the ovens with wood.”
    “We were laughing at him because he managed to get a splinter in his mouth which he had to pull out with tweezers,” Charles continued.
    Hades glanced quickly at Melissa. She shook her head.
    “Is there anything else?”
    “Nothing else. Err… we all ate a piece of the cake that Miss Sumner rejected. It was that new footman’s idea to make it. We were very disappointed that she didn’t eat it.”
    Melissa winced. “I’m terribly—”
    “New footman? I didn’t authorize a new footman.” Hades frowned; usually he knew all the comings and goings of the house.
    “I didn’t want to bother you, sir. Isaac, the under-footman is off sick. He sent the new man to replace him. He seemed to know what he was doing.” Carter grimaced.
    “Perhaps we ought to interview him.” Why hadn’t Carter brought the man in with the chefs?
    Carter rolled his lips and chewed at his tongue.
    “That would be a problem, sir,” Carlos said smugly. “He hasn’t been seen for the last day.”
    “Hmm, strange chap. Always walking around on his tiptoes. It was as if his heels couldn’t touch the floor.” Charles stopped and stared at Melissa’s gasp. “He was great help in re-hanging the hall chandelier after cleaning though. I’ve never seen anyone hang upside down before with such…”
    “Yes, yes, thank you both. Carter, please could you bring us the rest of this wonderful cake that Melissa rejected. I would be very pleased to try it.” Hades glanced at Melissa who stared back unblinking.
    It was the cooks’ turn to shuffle their feet. “I’m afraid we ate it all, my lord. We do have some biscuits though.”
    A determined woof from under the green chair settled the matter. “Biscuits it is then please,” Hades said tiredly. He clicked his fingers and was rewarded by a warm Arturo lick. Even Arturo knew that his master’s chair had moved.
    He waved away the cooks and turned to the fire. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that the kitchen boy had died, and the under-footman was gone. It happened all the