Diana took a deep breath. It was doing neither of them good to speak so harshly to one another, and she was the one in the wrong. “I’m sorry, Lord Bryant. This was a breach of trust. I should never have come here. Mr. Broadcreek is an infuriating, busnacking ratbag.”

Lord Bryant blinked. “What did you say?”

“Shall I repeat it? Mr. Broadcreek is a vazey, stinking ratbag.” The man had kept her from hours upon hours of work. He had forced her to get help from Lord Bryant, and now he had interrupted Lord Bryant’s evening with Lady Emily.

The muscle in Lord Bryant’s cheek relaxed. He placed his fingers on his forehead, his thumb on his cheek, and massaged the skin above his eyes. “Miss Barton, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

Diana wrinkled her nose. “I hope you will bear with me a little longer. A few months are all I need.”

“I cannot believe that your brother left you alone to wreak havoc on London. Didn’t he know what kind of trouble you would get yourself into?”

“Believe it or not, up until six months ago, I hadn’t gotten myself into any trouble at all.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

It was true. Her life in Baimbury had been calm and restful. She and her mother enjoyed quiet evenings at home and never had any cause to upset peers of the realm. But they hadn’t been much help to Nate either. He had borne the burden of saving the family on his own for far too long. Now he needed his time of rest with Grace in Baimbury. Diana simply needed to keep Lord Bryant happy so he would continue to help her.

“How is Lady Emily?”

His shoulders sagged. “Quiet as always.”

His eyes flitted to the doorway, concern written all over his face. What type of woman had Lord Bryant so worried? “I’ve heard that most men like their women to be quiet. I suppose that is one more strike against me, as if being a businesswoman weren’t bad enough.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Miss Barton. I’m certain that when you decide you want to marry, you will be able to browbeat some young, unsuspecting gentleman into matrimony quite easily.”

Diana smiled up at him. “Do you really think so? A gentleman, even?”

Something changed in Lord Bryant. His face softened. “I’m certain of it. Not all men want quiet women.”

Lord Bryant did though, didn’t he? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so worried about his relationship with Lady Emily. The way he was looking at Diana now made her wonder. She swallowed and stepped toward the door. Lord Bryant looked at every woman that way. She wouldn’t fall for his roguish charm.

“I think our five minutes are finished if that is all you wanted to speak to me about.”

To her disappointment, Lord Bryant nodded and held his hand toward the door. It looked as though he wouldn’t be carrying out his threats of kissing her after all. And why should he? No one was here to see it.