But he wouldn’t apologize for what he needed to do to keep her safe.
“As troubling as the circumstances are, I shall not let it overwhelm me,” she said carefully.
“Leave this to me.” He attempted to gentle his tone. “I’ll fix it. For both of you.”
“What if it can’t be solved easily? What if something happens to you there, on your own?”
Her voice took on a husky, almost breathless tone, and Ian became acutely aware of how close they were standing next to each other. In the dark. Where forbidden, hushed things happened.
The scent of her perfume made him think of violets that grew in the small garden of the house he and his mother had shared in Florence, and a sense of longing that was both distant and familiar assaulted him.
“It’s not wise for you to go,” he repeated. He wouldn’t insult her by stating it would be too dangerous. She’d once saved both their lives without even losing a hairpin.
“No, it isn’t wise. But we’re going to do it.” Diana lifted her chin. “Neither of us can let it go.”
The emeralds bobbed with her uneven breaths. Ian had to glance away quickly to bury his ambivalence about his own plans to lift them.
Something clattered outside the hallway, and footsteps sounded.
“A servant will find us if we don’t move quickly,” Diana whispered. “How do we get out of here?”
It was tempting to let someone catch them; that way, Ian could force her back upstairs. But she’d likely try the dumbwaiter again, and the thought sent a shudder through him. If he helped her out of the house, he could see her safely home before retracing Jared’s trail.
He huffed his discontent while he moved a stack of boxes aside and found the lever hidden among the shelves. It sprung a partition in the wall, and he reached inside and fumbled around for the book of matches and candle resting on the small inlet.
Diana’s mouth parted. “Where does it lead?”
“To the mews. It’s just a few feet from here.”
“Then I won’t need to take your hand.”
He paused. “No, it’s a short distance.”
“Lead on, Captain.”
The dim light of the candle wouldn’t reach far, so she kept close to him. Her silk skirts swished; her sweet scent engulfed the narrow space, and Ian congratulated himself on his ability to act as if what they were doing was as simple as an amble across the park.
Mercifully, they surfaced a few minutes later into the back of the stables. He held up a hand to caution Diana back in the shadows until he could determine the stalls were vacant.
They crept along to the door. When he peered out at the yard, Miss Hunter was waiting.
Ian swallowed a smart remark about her uncanny timing.
“No one else is about.” She waved them out. “I told Mrs. Turner I was taking Diana back to Hunter House until we know more about Mr. Holt’s condition.”
Ian looked intently at Diana. “Tell me you’re going to do exactly that.”
“Certainly.” She nodded. “I’ll return to Miss Hunter’s house. As soon as you and I find out what happened to Jared. Amy, may we take your coach?”
“Of course, it’s the fastest.” Miss Hunter’s father designed and manufactured the most exclusive carriages in Europe. “And it’s the closest one to the entrance.”
“No.”
Ian delivered the single word with all the intimidation he could muster, without losing the appearance of calm.
Diana’s eyes widened theatrically at his objection.
He desperately wanted to call her out for over-performing. From the moment she hopped into the dumbwaiter, he knew she wasn’t improvising.
