Miss Barton had only managed to make him uncomfortable and on edge.

He was halfway back to the ballroom when he suddenly reached for a wall to steady himself. He glanced around the corridor, but no one was nearby. Closing his eyes, he reached deep down inside himself to make certain his heart was calm.

It was.

For the first time in four years, he had thought about marriage, and it hadn’t turned him into a blubbering mess. He clenched his fingers together again, remembering the feel of Miss Barton’s hand beneath his own. What in the world was happening to him?

Chapter 10

Diana shook her hand to relieve the cramp between her fingers. This was the fourth letter she had written to her investors, and she still had to write six more. She needed the final guarantees of investments to include in her petition to Parliament.

“Mrs. Oliver, do you have the address for Mr. Galbraith in Rochester?”

“It is on your desk, miss, just to the left of your envelopes. It’s on the same list as all of your other investors.”

Of course it was. She rubbed her face and stood to stretch out her back. Running a railroad business wasn’t difficult so much as it was time-consuming, thought-consuming, and just life-consuming. No wonder Nate had wanted to be with Grace in Baimbury. If they had stayed in London, he wouldn’t have had much time to see her at all. He would be at the office late every night just as Diana was.

She turned to face Mrs. Oliver, shook her arms, and, throwing propriety out the window, kicked her legs up one at a time. Hardly anyone came to the office anymore. Even Lord Bryant hadn’t shown up in over a week, though he was in her thoughts every day. He might never come again since she had broken their agreement and arrived at his home on the one night he had decided to host a ball. No one was likely to walk in, and she dearly missed exercising her limbs. She kicked up higher. “Won’t you join me, Mrs. Oliver? Your legs must be as stiff as mine from sitting all day.”

Diana squatted down and stood back up with a jump. The bell chimed, announcing a visitor. Diana landed hard on her right foot and twisted just in time to see Lord Bryant enter the room. Her first instinct was to cover up what she had been doing, but it was Lord Bryant. She didn’t need to pretend to be a lady with Lord Bryant. At least he hadn’t arrived in time to see her kick her legs into the air high enough to show plenty of petticoat.

Lord Bryant removed his hat and placed it on the coatrack with a half smile. “What exactly did I interrupt?”

“Exercises,” Diana answered. “Sitting at a desk all day is an unfortunate endeavor for anyone. I was just asking Mrs. Oliver to join me.”

Mrs. Oliver stood up. “I would rather get my exercise on the street. If you don’t mind, Miss Barton, I will go for a short walk.”