Riveted by the direction of his thoughts, Hadrian came to an abrupt halt in the shadowed corridor outside his bedchamber. Was he truly considering marriage to Natalie Fanshawe?

Sheer, utter madness.

A man of his rank did not wed a woman so far beneath himself, let alone a foreigner. His pulse should not be surging at the prospect. She was an outsider who knew nothing of the myriad rules of the ton, and likely wouldn’t obey them anyway. All the snoots and chinwags would make her the topic of nasty gossip. Though he could silence them with a freezing stare, he was loath to pitch Natalie into the lion’s den of the haute ton.

Of course, that was presuming she’d even consider becoming the Duchess of Clayton. He wasn’t so blindly arrogant as to think that one hot kiss would be enough to win a woman of her character. In fact, he had a strong suspicion that if he were to offer for her, she’d run screaming for the next ship back to America.

He’d never see her again.

His mind in a whirl, Hadrian braced his hands on the wall and stared fiercely down at the ivy-leaf pattern on the carpet. He’d embroiled himself in one hell of a sticky quagmire. And just when he’d believed that his future was as good as settled.

Only one clear thought emerged from the vortex. It would take time to allay Natalie’s deep-seated disdain of the nobility. Somehow, he had to keep her in his life until they had a chance to see if they truly suited one another.

That also meant keeping quiet about the change in his marital plans. She wouldn’t wish to be courted by a duke. So for now, he must keep it a closely guarded secret.

Chapter 15

“Oh, I wish it weren’t raining so hard,” Lady Ellen said on a sigh. “I was hoping to go for a walk in the woods.”

“Rain makes mud,” Leo replied. “I like mud, but Miss Fanshawe won’t let me play in it.”

Standing side by side, they had their noses pressed to the window of the nursery as they watched the slide of raindrops down the glass panes. Lady Ellen had wandered into the schoolroom a short while ago just as Natalie and Leo were finishing their luncheon. Now, both aunt and nephew commiserated over the dreary state of the weather.

Observing them from her seat at the governess’s desk, Natalie found it difficult to focus on the task of organizing the next day’s lessons for Leo. She lacked the concentration even to assign the boy his afternoon reading lesson. At least the gray skies served as a damper to her buoyant mood. After the passionate interlude with Hadrian the previous night, she’d had trouble keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground.

Twirling her quill pen, she swept the feather along her jawline. The absentminded action brought a reminder of his thrilling kisses. He had unbuttoned her nightdress, caressed her bare bosom, closed his mouth over one peak—and she had loved every scandalous moment of it. The provocative memory stirred a bone-deep longing to experience it all over again.