Already, the hint of flustered awareness in her manner told him her senses were on their way to being restored. Being a virtuous woman, she would feel unsettled by her wild passions. It was best to give her time to adjust to her newly awakened sensuality.

“It’s my pleasure to make you happy.” He skimmed his mouth over hers and forced himself to add, “But I really must go now.”

Her fingers tightened, one hand on his shoulder and the other cupping his neck. With her hair mussed and her lips rosy, she was the image of a satisfied woman. A woman who desired more, much more. Despite his better judgment, he felt a wild surge of hope that she would invite him to stay.

Then her teeth sank into her lower lip. She glanced away before returning her resolute gaze to him. “Yes … yes, I suppose you must.”

Chapter 19

Late the following morning, Natalie sat alone in the plush confines of the ducal carriage on her way to meet her grandfather.

Her gloved fingers were tightly clasped in her lap. She gazed out at the passing scenery, the buildings of brick and stone, the throngs of people, the elegant vehicles competing with workmen’s drays and hansom cabs. She’d always believed Philadelphia and Washington to be bustling cities, but London was so much larger and more crowded. The air rang with the raucous cries of street sellers and the constant clatter of traffic.

At any other time, she’d have been fascinated by the vast variety of new sights in this foreign metropolis. But today she felt too tense and preoccupied. She had lain awake for half the night, pondering that remarkable encounter with Hadrian, only to awaken with a firm resolve in her mind.

A young maid named Hetty had delivered one of the new gowns from Lady Elizabeth, the hem already let down to suit Natalie’s height. From her, Natalie was able to learn that the duke had left the house directly after breakfast and wasn’t expected to return until mid-afternoon.

It had been an immense relief not to have to face him. With the coast clear, she could make the arrangements for her plan.

Directed by the maid through a maze of corridors, Natalie had gone to the duchess’s suite. There, she’d found Hadrian’s mother lounging in a pink peignoir, enjoying a cup of cocoa with her nose in a novel. Her Grace had been delighted to help and had declared her heart touched by Natalie’s eagerness to meet her grandfather without delay. She’d suggested Natalie pen a note to Sir Basil requesting permission to call on him at his earliest convenience, then dispatched a footman to deliver it. On the basis of her former acquaintance with Sir Basil, Her Grace had even hinted rather broadly of a desire to accompany Natalie.

That wish had had to be firmly quashed. The duchess must have no inkling as to the true purpose of the visit.

While awaiting Sir Basil’s reply, Natalie went to the nursery to check on Leo. He was playing tin soldiers with a solemn, brown-haired boy, who turned out to be Lizzy’s son, Finny. The Earl of Finley, Mrs. Tippet fondly identified him. Apparently, it was the custom for the eldest son of a peer to take one of his father’s lesser titles, just as Lord Godwin’s heir was a viscount, Lord Wymark. It served to underscore to Natalie how very different the lives of the nobility were from those of common folk.