“He can be a stubborn old bird. It’s still a bruise to his pride that Audrey defied him and left England. But he’ll come around eventually. Let him conduct his little investigation. If we take Leo to London for a few months, it will give Godwin time to adjust to the notion of having a grandson.”

“Months! I was intending to depart for America within a week or two.”

Gazing at the vibrant beauty of her face, Hadrian felt the grip of alarm. She couldn’t leave England. Not when he had just found her. Now he understood why he’d taken such a detached, logical approach to marriage; he had never met any woman quite like Natalie. In the gray dullness of the rainy day, she had expressive features and an adorable sparkle that lit up the room. Her candid manner and sharp wit made her utterly unlike the artificial beauties of the ton.

But the strength of his attachment to her was entirely too new. It would take time to determine if they belonged in each other’s lives forever. And time was the one thing he didn’t have—unless he could coax her to go to London.

He paced back and forth to contain his restless need for her. “You’ve been here for barely a week. It’s far too soon to give up on your vow.”

“If Leo isn’t wanted here, then there’s no point in delaying.”

“But he is wanted. By me.” It was true, Hadrian realized with a pang. He liked the brat, though he’d seldom before heeded young children, aside from his nephew. “I’m more than happy to provide Audrey’s son with a home. But he needs you here with him, too, at least for a while. Is there a pressing reason why you must go back at once?”

“Yes. I wish to open a school in Philadelphia for the autumn session. There are so many things that need to be done, finding a building to rent, hiring teachers, purchasing supplies, advertising for students.”

The keen glow in her eyes struck Hadrian. This was a wrinkle he hadn’t expected, her determination to educate children. She had firm plans for her future that didn’t involve him. “Some of those tasks could be accomplished from afar. An estate agent could locate a suitable place on your behalf. With your father having been a prominent man, surely you have connections.”

“Perhaps.” She glanced away, her gaze thoughtful, before she returned her wary attention to him. “But going to London won’t solve the issue of Lord Godwin’s coldness. He’s made no attempt whatsoever to forge a bond with his grandson. Not once in the past week has he asked to see Leo. Instead, I was to keep him hidden in the nursery like a dirty little secret. If the earl stubbornly refuses to believe Leo is Audrey’s son, then we’d be better off returning to America where I can raise him myself.”

“I’m sure you’d be an excellent mother to him,” Hadrian said in all sincerity. “However, allow me to point out that Godwin may not be quite the ogre he seems. He merely has a strict view that young children should tend to their lessons out of sight of adults. As a boy, I myself had few dealings with him until adolescence, when he began to take me riding over the estate for training in land management, dealing with tenants, methods of animal husbandry, and the like.”