“You are afraid. And here I believed you to be intrepid.”

Hadrian appeared perfectly serious, the image of ducal hauteur, though his gray eyes held a glint of humor in the sunlight. Aware of a treacherous weakening in her knees, she scolded herself for being affected by his teasing charm. It wouldn’t do to encourage any more familiarity between them.

Before she could respond, Leo piped up. “What’s in-trepid?”

“Bold,” Hadrian said. “Fearless. Since Miss Fanshawe finds bravery in short supply today, perhaps she should hold on to me for courage.”

As the duke offered his arm, Natalie was half tempted to stick out her tongue. But that would be undignified when they were surrounded by footmen and grooms, including Chumley, the sour old valet who even now was casting baleful glances her way as he supervised the unloading of the baggage.

“You can hold my arm, too, Miss Fanshawe,” Leo said gallantly. “’Specially if you’re afraid.”

She glanced down to see the boy crook his elbow in a pint-sized imitation of Hadrian. Nothing could have been better designed to squeeze her heart. Smiling, she reached down to accept the assistance he offered, then curled the fingers of her other hand around Hadrian’s arm.

“Why, thank you, kind sirs. Now, I can feel protected by two gentlemen.”

Leo looked delighted and proud. It was a poignant reminder that he needed a strong male influence in his life, a man he could emulate as a model of courtesy and proper behavior.

If only she could convince Hadrian to adopt the boy. He had been noncommittal when she’d brought up the topic, but she intended to persuade him to do so over the coming weeks. Leo deserved to be loved, rather than abandoned to the guardianship of a grandfather who resented him.

As the three of them mounted the marble steps to the portico, a peculiar notion swept over Natalie. She fancied they were a family, returning home after a long absence. A bone-deep longing clutched at her heart, but she banished the illusion at once. Such a scenario would require her to be an English duchess. How absurd!

It was dangerous, too. By allowing herself to fall prey to such fantasies, she would be more susceptible to Hadrian’s magnetism. He would never propose marriage to her, nor would she accept him if he did. She had a life of her own back in America, a plan to open a school, and she must not be distracted by dreams that could never be.

A white-wigged footman in forest-green livery held open the door. As they proceeded into the house, their footsteps echoed in the vastness of the entrance hall. The interior was even more awe-inspiring than the outside, and Natalie scarcely knew where to look first.

Untying her bonnet, she turned slowly around to view the tall marble columns with gilded capitals, the life-sized classical statues in niches, the domed ceiling that was painted with frolicking nymphs and cherubs. On either side of the room, a pair of matching staircases swept upward to meet at a marble balcony worthy of a soliloquy from Romeo to Juliet.