Lord Bryant’s face lit up. Somehow his eyes found enough light in the dim street to reflect and shine back at her.

She opened the door, and Lord Bryant followed. She showed him to the drawing room and asked him to wait there.

On her way to the stairs, she ran into Mrs. Jenkins coming down. “I thought I heard you come in,” she said. “I’ve set up tea in the nursery. Mrs. Richardson is in a rare mood today—a real skip in her step—and she wanted to have tea with the children tonight.”

Mrs. Richardson had seemed much happier in the past few weeks. It seemed as though time was finally starting to heal her wounds. But Diana couldn’t have tea in the nursery, not tonight.

“I’ve actually brought a guest—”

The door behind her opened, and she turned to see Lord Bryant poking his head out. “Did I hear that tea was to be served in the nursery?”

Mrs. Jenkins grasped the railing of the stairs behind her. “Merciful heavens.” She let go of the railing and clasped both hands to her chest. “You’ve brought a man home.”

“Mrs. Jenkins, this is Lord Bryant. He will be having tea with us, so I’m afraid we will have to move the tea things into the drawing room.”

Lord Bryant opened the door wholly and stepped into the foyer. “Nonsense, Mrs. Jenkins. I won’t allow you to do that on my account. I’d love to take tea in the nursery. I don’t believe I have ever done that.”

“For good reason,” Diana said. “You do realize there are children in the nursery?”

“Do you think I will be frightened by a few children?”

“I don’t think you will be frightened, but I’m quite certain that it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Mrs. Jenkins nodded her head in agreement with Diana.

Lord Bryant cocked his head to one side and loosened his cravat. “If you wanted an appropriate guest, you should have invited someone else.” Diana pursed her lips. That was hardly fair. She wasn’t the one who’d invited him in the first place. Lord Bryant was already heading for the stairs. “The nursery is upstairs, I presume?”

Diana scrambled after him. The last thing she wanted was to have him opening doors at random upstairs. She had been experimenting with watercolors, and needless to say, he might recognize the leafy green eyes she had been trying to paint. At least a few attempts had been left on her bedside table. “I’ll show you. I suppose Tommy and Drue might enjoy having a man around for the evening.”

Diana skirted ahead of him and reached the top of the stairs before he did. Having tea in the nursery? With a man? And not just any man, but a baron? Charlotte was in for a shock.

“Tommy and Drue have had a hard time since their father passed away. They are very quiet. Emma is the baby, and she is quiet too. Not because of her father passing away, of course. She is simply a sweet baby.”