Read Online A Dangerous Madness by Michelle Diener - Free Book Online

to state your business?” James could see the man’s shock; his head jerked and he took a step back.
    He didn’t answer, he turned and ran for the wall he’d come over.
    James ran after him.
    The man half-leapt up the wall, scrabbling for purchase, but slipped and fell and with a curse ran to the right along the back wall until he was up against the hedge that enclosed the herb garden.
    With nowhere else to go, he ran down the length of it, and James was left too far away as the intruder made for the opening into the herb garden and dived through it.
    Straight at Miss Hillier.
    As he sprinted across the smooth, springy lawn, James heard a cry of astonishment, a thump of bodies and when he burst through the arch, he saw the intruder rolling to his feet, and Miss Hillier doing the same, hampered by the skirts of her gown.
    “You.” The man hissed the word out, his eyes on Miss Hillier, and he lifted his arm.
    For the first time, with the moon shining down on them, James saw he carried a small pistol in his hand.
    He didn’t think, he moved, closing the distance between himself and Miss Hillier and scooping her up, swinging her around so that he stood between her and the gun. There was no other way to shield her. No other cover.
    He turned and took up as much space as he could.
    The gun wavered. The intruder stepped back, his eyes darting between them. He brought up his other hand to grip the pistol.
    At that moment, Miss Hillier gave a shout. “Lewis! Lewis. In the garden.”
    James started, and he saw their intruder did, too.
    The man muttered a curse and turned, ran for the back wall and scrabbled his way up.
    James started after him.
    “Miss Hillier?” A call from the open doors of the library. “Miss Hillier? Are you there?”
    James turned to her as he reached the wall.
    She gave him a wide-eyed look. “What are you doing?” Her whisper was fierce.
    “Going after him.” James could hear the man clambering down the other side of the wall and the sound spurred him up the rough grey stone.
    “Are you mad? He has a gun.” Her whisper wasn’t very soft this time.
    “Miss Hillier? Are you in the herb garden?” The butler’s footsteps came closer and James reached the top of the wall.
    He looked back at her one last time, saw her gaze fixed on him. She made a gesture with her hands, throwing them up in exasperation and incomprehension.
    “I’ll see you later.” He called it low enough that hopefully the butler didn’t hear.
    As he dropped over the other side, he heard Miss Hillier call out. “I’m here, Lewis. I’m all right, but there was a man in the garden.”

Chapter Eleven

    L ewis made a fuss, but she had accepted that would happen when she called out to him.
    A little fussing was far preferable to seeing the Duke of Wittaker shot dead in front of her. She’d watched the intruder’s grip tighten on his pistol, and had seen no alternative.
    A shiver racked her body, and she hunched her shoulders.
    Lewis had insisted on steadying her with his arm as he walked her back to the house, and she found to her surprise that the thin, wiry strength of him was most welcome. More solid and comforting than she would have expected.
    She could feel a tremble in her hands and gripped him a little tighter to make them stop.
    His face was only slightly lined, but as they come within the glow of light spilling from the library, it creased in dismay. “Your dress. Did you fall?”
    She stared down at the stains from her roll through her parsley patch.
    “He pushed me out of the way in his haste to climb back over the wall.” Phoebe held the skirt of her gown out for a critical look. “My parsley is no doubt completely crushed.”
    “We must call the magistrate’s office.” Lewis escorted her back into the room and closed and locked the doors behind him.
    “There would be no point, unfortunately. I didn’t see his face clearly, and aside from bowling me over, his only crime was trespassing.”
    Lewis