Read Online Dangerous Diana (Brambridge Novel 3) by Pearl Darling - Free Book Online Page B

grand plan when he had made up his mind to kiss her. He had hoped that he could give a curt goodbye and walk out. Like he had many times before.
    “We are not the same people we were three years ago, Hades,” Victoria said gently into Hades’ continued silence. “You and I both know that.”
    “Elsa…” Hades voice hitched. He didn’t quite know how to put it into words.
    “Elsa’s in America. I haven’t heard from her in years.” Victoria put a hand to her face. “She’s not dead, is she? I know how much she meant to you.”
    Hades looked up sharply.
    “Come on, Hades, don’t be a pea brain. Of course I knew. We were both hurting. I from the mistake I made with Colchester, and you from believing yourself in love with Elsa.”
    “I did love Elsa,” Hades protested.
    “Pah! Moon-calf love. She knew that, I knew that. Even your mother knew that.”
    “My mother!”
    Victoria pursed her lips. “So she’s not dead, then?” she said hurriedly.
    “I’ve no idea.”
    Victoria got to her feet. She started to pace up and down. Hades stayed quiet. He’d seen her like this before during the Monsieur Herr affair. He wasn’t going to like what was coming next.
    He was right.
    After a studied silence, a wide smile spread across Victoria’s face. Her feet danced across the carpet with glee. Opening the door to the front room, she shouted to her butler. “Carruthers, Carruthers! Bring some champagne.” She turned to Hades and laughed. “It’s someone else, isn’t it? Someone else has broken through your armor and got to you .”
    Hades leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
    Victoria stopped dancing for a few seconds, but couldn’t seem to help herself. She jigged lightly across the carpet. “You kissed me without so much as a by your leave. You were going to walk out the door again like so many times before, the controlled, emotionless earl. And then you realized you felt nothing, and it hit you like a barrowful of bricks!”
    “No, I’m still not with you.” Hades squirmed, his long legs uncomfortably tangled.
    “I have news for you, Hades. I felt nothing at all either!”
    Hades sat up, his pride piqued. Women enjoyed his intimate company surely—good god, they were constantly trying to entrap him.
    “Who is she?” Victoria planted herself in front of him. “Don’t let me make Ponzi bite your ankles.”
    Unwillingly Hades smiled. The last time Victoria had asked her dog to do that, the earl had ended up the owner of said dog who was even now making fast friends with Melissa.
    Melissa. Even just the small kiss on the cheek that she had tentatively given him had made him shiver.  By God when he kissed her it was as if the light in the study had blazed into life. His chest had expanded and he had wanted to fall into her rosy mouth.
    “Goodness. I would like to meet the woman that has made you lose some of your famed control. Earl Hades Harding, blushing in my front room!”
    That was enough. The woman had not made him lose his control. Let alone his sangfroid . And he was growing redder merely because he was hot.
    Hades stood. “I must go. My apologies for inconveniencing you.”
    Victoria stared at him, her eyebrows raised. “But what about my champagne?”
    “I do not drink to my own defeat, my lady.” Hades walked stiffly to the door. He waited for Carruthers to enter with the champagne and put a foot forward to cross the threshold into the hall.
    “Hades.”
    He stopped. Victoria’s voice was soft and serious. He turned, but did not look at her.
    “Hades, you were young when you fell in love with Elsa. She was three years older than you. You were like a convenient crutch for her. Someone that she could lean on until something better, older, more mature came along.”
    “If she had known I was going to become the earl she wouldn’t have left…”
    “No, she wouldn’t. And that would have shown you the type of person that she