His apology appeared to smooth her bristles to a degree. Her tense expression relaxed somewhat. “What’s best for Leo is to leave this house where he isn’t wanted.”

“You’re absolutely right. He needs to be in a place where he’s welcome.” When Hadrian reached out to grasp her hand, he was relieved that she didn’t flinch from him. Warmth flowed up his arm and set his pulse to racing. He lightly stroked his thumb over the backs of her soft fingers, marveling that such daintiness could belong to such a strong, valiant woman. “Will you grant me a few minutes of your time to discuss this? Please.”

Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she regarded him searchingly. “All right, then. But don’t think I’m agreeing to anything else.”

It was a victory, albeit a grudgingly given one. He shifted his hand to the small of her back, guiding her into a dimly lit salon off the entrance hall. As the room was seldom used, the family preferring the more modern drawing room upstairs, the furnishings here were a collection of musty medieval pieces, with tapestries on the stone walls and a heraldic shield above the oversized hearth.

He left the door open a crack for propriety’s sake. The chill in the air made him consider lighting a fire, but Natalie was already looking skittish enough to bolt at any delay.

She stepped away from him, taking up a stance by a carved, thronelike chair. “Now, kindly explain why I shouldn’t go straight back to America and spare Leo the pain of knowing that his grandfather detests his very existence.”

She folded her arms in a defiant pose that drew Hadrian’s attention to her bosom. His mind served up the vivid memory of caressing the rose-petal skin of her breasts, feeling the tip pucker into a bud under the laving of his tongue, hearing her moan with pleasure. He banished the image at once. As delectable as she might be, now was not the time for distractions. His most pressing goal was to convince her to accompany him to London.

Fixing his attention on her face, he said, “Audrey asked you to bring Leo to England for a reason. She wanted her son to go to the best schools, to have all the advantages of her family’s status. And since she and I were like siblings, I’d like to think that she wanted him to know me, as well.”

Natalie arched an eyebrow. “Why should I believe anything you say? You still have doubts about Leo’s identity.”

“Doubts?” He shook his head emphatically. “No, I don’t. Not in the least. I’m confident the investigator will deliver the proof Godwin needs. Perhaps it seemed otherwise just now in the study, but only because I wanted an excuse to remove Leo from this house.”

Her gaze skeptical, she curled her fingers around the back of the chair. “It didn’t appear to me that the earl needed much of an excuse at all. He was looking for any reason to banish Leo.”