She couldn’t see. Her eyes were still not adjusted to the darkness, but Lord Bryant’s footsteps neared her. “Diana?” His voice was steady and not at all afraid. Fear was not what had prompted him to ask her to join him. Of course it wasn’t. Had he planned this with Mrs. Oliver? When would he have had the chance?

“I’m right here.” She reached her hand out in front of her only to find Lord Bryant’s hands outstretched and looking for her. Her fingers brushed his, and she hastily pulled them away. She couldn’t allow a repeat of the feeling she’d had in Lord Bryant’s drawing room. Not here. Not in the dark.

“Mrs. Oliver has locked us in.”

A low laugh filled the darkness. This was no win for Diana—it was only a win for Mrs. Oliver and, based on the delight in Lord Bryant’s laugh, a win for him as well. It might be time to let Mrs. Oliver in on what kind of man Lord Bryant really was: a notorious rake. And now Diana was trapped in her storage room with him. Diana had spent the first twenty-two years without having ever been alone with a man, and yet, since starting this scandal, she had found herself alone with Lord Bryant on multiple occasions. This time, however, they were alone in the dark, and there was no escape. At least not for five minutes.

Which of them would regret this the most remained to be seen.

“Have I told you how much I like Mrs. Oliver?” Lord Bryant asked. “She is excellent at her work.”

“I’m not certain she will have work after this fiasco.”

Lord Bryant’s laugh again echoed through the dark room. The small amount of light that spilled through the edges of the door made it possible to barely make out Lord Bryant’s silhouette.

“If she loses her position with you, I will be certain to hire her.”

“Please don’t tell her that. She is incorrigible enough as it is.”

Lord Bryant’s footsteps shuffled closer. “I won’t tell her.” His voice was a whisper, which somehow seemed fitting for the dark. His ears must have been on alert as well.

Diana gritted her teeth. “You won’t be able to if she no longer works here.”

“Are you certain it is locked?”

“Would you like to try for yourself?”

“I would.”

Diana scooted to the side, feeling adrift in the darkness. If she had grabbed his hand instead of shying away from it, she would at least know for certain where Lord Bryant was. She wasn’t adrift for long, though. There wasn’t quite enough room for Lord Bryant to pass her without the two of them touching. His hand went to her shoulder as he slid past. She was grounded for a moment, but a breath later, his hand was gone, and she could hear him pushing on the door.

“It looks as though, once again, you are correct. We are very much locked in. Now what are we to do with this gift Mrs. Oliver has so thoughtfully given us?”