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Her cheeks pinked at his admission. “As do I,” she said softly. “It feels like a true respite.”

They might have lingered longer, but the butler reappeared, looking oddly unsettled. Gilbert inclined his head, allowing the man to speak.

“Your Grace,” he said, voice low with carefully masked alarm, “forgive the interruption, but His Lordship has arrived.”

Gilbert’s brows drew together.

“Which lordship?” he asked, his tone sharpening slightly.

“Lord Leopold,” came the reply. “He is in the front parlor.”

Diana’s heart gave a small lurch at the name. She recalled the fleeting references to Gilbert’s younger brother, and the tension in his face whenever Leopold was mentioned. Gilbert, for his part, allowed only a momentary flicker of surprise before his expression became calm and composed, his posture straightening.

“Very well,” he said quietly, “I will see him at once.”

He rose and Diana followed suit. She placed one hand on Gilbert’s arm before they stepped from the room.

“Whatever he requires,” she murmured, “we shall face it.”

Gilbert paused, smiling at her in silent gratitude, his gaze lingering on her with a gentleness that belied the concerns churning beneath. He led her from the dining room, the closeness they had discovered that evening carrying them forward, even though Leopold’s sudden arrival hung in the air like a looming thundercloud.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gilbert stepped away from the table, leaving behind half-finished plates and the gentle glow of Diana’s presence. He had marveled at how peaceful it felt to dine with her alone, exchanging easy laughter instead of enduring hovering servants and polite small talk with guests. But that pleasant calm vanished the instant Timmons announced his brother’s unheralded arrival.

He paused in the doorway, glancing back at Diana, who was smoothing the skirt of her gown with anxious fingers. “Would you like me to join you?” she asked in a low voice.

Gilbert hesitated. A part of him ached to keep her near, but another part insisted it was best to first face Leopold alone.

“It may be best that I attend my brother on my own,” he said at last, adopting the careful tone he wore around unwelcome business matters. “I shall summon you once I… ascertain why he has come at this hour without warning.”

He caught the brief look of disappointment in her eyes before she lowered her head.

“Of course,” she murmured. “I shall remain close.”

He offered a short nod of thanks, then walked to where Leopold was waiting for him. The candlelit house felt charged with sudden apprehension. His thoughts ran rampant as he strode down the corridor. Why must Leopold appear now?

Hollings, the steward, was waiting for him in the foyer.

“Your Grace, Lord Leopold did mention he was in need of lodgings, his previous accommodations having been surrendered following his departure,” Hollings explained.

Gilbert scoffed. Though Diana had been the largest complication that Leopold had left in his wake, she was not the only one. Leopold had left a mess of unpaid bills and accounts that had taken weeks for Gilbert to sort out, including the rented rooms Leopold had insisted on keeping.

“See that a fire is lit in his chamber and have some refreshment sent for him,” Gilbert instructed Hollings with a sigh, then stepped into the parlor.

Leopold stood by the mantel, lamplight outlining his lean form as he removed his coat and gloves. The exhaustion etched into his face clashed with the half-roguish curve of his mouth; a sardonic tilt that had vexed Gilbert for as long as he couldremember. Still, the lines around his eyes looked deeper now, suggesting a weightier issue than the usual mischief.

“Gilbert,” Leopold greeted in a half-drawling tone, letting his gloves drop onto a side table. “I apologize for the late hour. I might have penned a note, but—well, I had little time.”

“You might have tried,” Gilbert replied, forcing his voice into something resembling calm. “Why did you come?”

Gilbert found his impatience rising, even more annoyed to have his evening disrupted by Leopold now that he was face to face with him. He was barely interested in finding out what trouble Leopold currently needed rescuing from.

“Straight to the point, I see,” Leopold let out a short, humorless laugh. “You never were much for pleasantries.”

“I can be hospitable when the occasion warrants. But your unannounced arrival in the middle of my dinner—” Gilbert’s jaw tightened as an echo of old frustrations drummed at his temples.

“Brother,” Leopold said, his voice subdued, “I heard the talk spreading about you—nasty rumors, all swirling since your sudden marriage. I wanted to see for myself if you were all right.” He gave a short laugh that held little humor. “When have I ever troubled myself with your wellbeing? But here I am.”