“Why would marrying you be a win for Mr. Broadcreek?”

Oh dear. She shouldn’t have said that.

“What a thing to say to your own sister,” Lord Bryant jumped in. Whether he could see her discomfort or he simply wanted to get one more dig in, Diana had no idea. “It would be a win for any man to gain her hand in marriage. She is like a tiger lily in a sea of daisies.”

“And yet, if I were to ask you to marry her, after spending so much time nearly alone with her in this office, something tells me you wouldn’t jump at the chance.”

“Me?” Lord Bryant asked. “Well, of course, I wouldn’t.”

Mrs. Oliver gasped despite her pen scratching away. Diana pushed down the pain that came from Lord Bryant’s immediate answer. She had always known he wouldn’t consider marrying her, but would it have hurt to act the smallest bit tempted? Other than Nate, she had spent more time with him than any other man. Couldn’t he have seemed to at least consider the prospect?

Nate smiled, as if he had won. “This is the man you have been inviting into our office day in and day out? He has no honor.”

Diana straightened. Lord Bryant wasn’t a chivalrous man by nature, but that didn’t make it his fault, exactly. “I take offense to that,” she said.

“I don’t,” Lord Bryant said softly to her side. Diana filed that away as something to discuss another time, but for now, she needed to speak with Nate. The last thing she needed was for her brother to discover she had bought Richardson Rail without telling him. If he was going to find out anyway, she would rather he found out from her. “Well, you should, Lord Bryant. You have never acted dishonorably toward me.”

Lord Bryant raised his deuced eyebrow at that. His eyes went to Diana’s lips, and a devilish grin spread on his face. “I’m quite certain I have.”

Nate followed Lord Bryant’s eyes, and understanding flared on his face. Before Diana had the chance to rein him in, his elbow cocked back, and his fist slammed into Lord Bryant’s Roman godlike face.

“Nate!” Diana glared at her brother, pushed him aside, and rushed to Lord Bryant. Had Lord Bryant not been so intent on wiggling his eyebrows at her, he might have dodged Nate’s blow. But as it was, he was given no time to prepare, and the full force of Nate’s unwieldy punch dropped Lord Bryant flat onto the floor. She knelt to examine him, her heart pounding. A fist like her brother’s could kill a man, and killing a baron was at the top of the list of irresponsible things her brother should not do while visiting London.

“Lord Bryant.” Her hands went to his face to inspect the damage. His eyes were open and blinking, his nose swelling up rapidly.

“That felt even better than the first time,” Nate said behind her.