In the interim, Natalie had avoided venturing anywhere in the house where she might encounter the duke. Most of her time had been spent in the schoolroom, where she’d devoted herself to teaching Leo his lessons, taking her meals there, and befriending the two nursemaids, Flora and Tippy.

The duchess and Lizzy had come to the nursery the previous morning, and she’d enjoyed a nice long chat with them, too, while Lizzy’s son, Finny, played with Leo. She’d reluctantly turned down their invitation to join them for luncheon and also nixed their plan for her to attend a society event. Although she was intensely curious about Hadrian’s world, she knew that in order to survive the coming weeks, it was better to behave as a governess, not a guest.

Clinging to her hand, Leo hopped down from step to step on the curved staircase in the entrance hall. “Listen to my feet echo, Miss Fanshawe.”

“You sound like a big bear tramping through the woods.”

“I am a bear. Grr.”

“Beware, James,” she called out to the young footman on duty. “There’s a bear on the loose.”

A grin twitched as he opened the front door. “So I see, miss. Best to let the wild beast outside, then.”

With Leo still growling, they stepped out onto the portico. Her gaze immediately veered to Hadrian, who was standing beside an open carriage parked on the circular drive. He was inspecting the wheels while a groom held the pair of horses.

Her heart cavorted within the confines of her corset. The duke was the model of the dashing man-about-town in an iron-gray coat, fawn breeches, and glossy black boots. His hat was set at a jaunty angle on brown hair that looked as rich as caramel in the sunshine.

Her knees felt in danger of melting, for the mere sight of him brought back the memory of that dazzling intimacy. Perhaps she ought not to have come, after all. Perhaps she should have sent Flora to accompany the boy.

Abandoning his bear persona, Leo pulled his hand from her grasp and scampered down the marble steps. “Mr. Duke! Mr. Duke! Are you taking us for a ride in your carriage?”

Hadrian caught him by the waist and swung him up onto the seat. “Indeed, I am, brat. Now sit very quietly lest you startle the horses.”

Only then did Natalie take closer notice of the sleek phaeton with its ebony body and gilded wheels. Its lightweight construction suggested it was designed for racing, and the single seat stood alarmingly high off the ground.

She made haste to Hadrian’s side. “Is he safe up there alone?”

“He won’t be alone for long. May I?”

The question was mere pretense as Hadrian fastened his hands around her waist and brought her closer so that her bosom brushed the solid wall of his chest. She tilted her head back to look at him. The gleam in those smoky-gray eyes made her giddy, and she was startled by the beguiling thought that he meant to kiss her right there in front of any passersby.