But Mrs. Oliver was having none of it. “I’ve never known you to be timid. Yes, those women are dressed better than you, and yes, most must be far more accomplished than you. When would you have the time to work on your talents? Not to mention, all of them—excluding the mothers—are younger and fresher-faced than you. It isn’t your fault you have to spend all day in an office pouring over numbers while they remain at home.” Mrs. Oliver smiled as if she were giving Diana the highest of praise. “Even if your face is not quite symmetrical, he has chosen you. Don’t concern yourself with them and go speak to Lord Bryant.”

Not quite symmetrical? What in heaven’s name did Mrs. Oliver—?

Mrs. Oliver pushed her again, and this time, Diana was too distracted to stop herself from stumbling backwards into the open area of the bookstore. Off-balanced, she reached for anything that could stop her from tumbling to the ground in front of everyone. The only thing within reach was a floor globe that stood just outside the row of books where she had secreted herself. She caught the edge of it and righted herself, but the globe stand slipped from her grasp and tipped forward. Diana scrambled, her arms flailing forward once again to stop the whole thing from crashing to the floor, but she missed.

The stand crashed to the floor.

The globe leaped from the stand and rolled directly toward Lord Bryant and the sea of muslin and silk that crowded around him.

The store went silent. The only sound was the clanking of the horizon mount each time the metal hit the floor, sending the globe hurling off in a slightly different direction.

All eyes turned to Diana.

The only woman who didn’t stop what she was doing to stare was a petite young lady standing next to the shopkeeper. “I need more information on coprolites.” Her voice resonated through the shop. “Are you certain you don’t have a copy of Geology and Mineralogy by Buckland—” She stopped, finally noticing what was going on around her. The globe came to a standstill halfway between Diana and the crowd.

Diana’s eyes found the shopkeeper’s, who stood next to the woman looking for the geology book. “I’m so sorry,” she mouthed, and without looking in Lord Bryant’s direction to see if he was watching her—of course he would be—Diana tiptoed to the globe and bent down to pick it up. She lifted it just as a strong pair of arms reached for the other side.

“I can do this,” Diana said, not looking up. Only one man in London had hands that looked like they had been sculpted by Michelangelo. And where were his gloves?

“Can you?” His voice held an edge of humor. Perhaps she wasn’t in as much trouble as she thought.

“Of course I can. It isn’t difficult to carry a globe back to its stand.” As if on cue, one edge of the globe slipped from her hand, and Lord Bryant’s other hand shot out to stop a second fall.