Natalie subdued a delicious shiver. Aware they were in a public park where anyone might see them, she twisted out of his arms and turned to face him. “I’m sure you’ve had ample experience with ladies.”

“Jealous?”

“Indifferent.”

His chuckle conveyed disbelief as he tossed his hat in the phaeton and then sauntered toward Leo, who had wandered away to stare at a saddled brown pony tethered beneath a nearby oak tree. A wiry man in dark, neat garb was standing with the animal. At the duke’s approach, the man bobbed his head in a servile manner and then trotted over to hold the team of grays.

Struck by surprise, Natalie recognized him as one of Hadrian’s grooms. She hastened toward the duke in time to hear Leo utter a loud “Yippee! A pony! You remembered, Mr. Duke!” The boy flung his arms around him, his head barely reaching the man’s waist.

Looking slightly embarrassed, Hadrian ruffled Leo’s hair. “Enough of that, it’s time to learn how to ride.”

Natalie watched from the edge of the clearing as he lifted the boy into the saddle, then showed him how to fit his small feet into the stirrups and to properly grasp the reins. Taking hold of the bridle, Hadrian led the pony on a slow walk around in a wide circle, while Leo hung on, looking torn between fear and glee. As he obeyed Hadrian’s instructions to sit up straight and to use gentle but firm control of the animal, it wasn’t long before he began to relax.

“Miss Fanshawe! I have a pony!”

“And a very handsome one, I see.”

His delight was infectious, and she smiled, deciding not to let her issues with Hadrian mar her enjoyment of the day. Though she had been leery of him buying the pony, not wanting to Leo to be spoiled, she ruefully acknowledged that her concern had been misplaced. Her father had often said the English aristocracy was horse-mad, and if this was to be Leo’s world, then he deserved the chance to learn the proper techniques.

After a time, Hadrian allowed the boy to ride unassisted as he walked alongside, keeping a close eye and correcting him when necessary. They spent half an hour riding sedately in the clearing before Hadrian suggested it was time to give the pony a rest and that Leo might like to feed the ducks.

The boy agreed with alacrity, and after leaving the pony with the groom, Hadrian went to the phaeton, reaching into a hidden nook to produce a small sack of bread crumbs. During the short walk to the lake, the boy queried Natalie and Hadrian about possible names for his new pet.

It struck her that the pony fit the description of the one that Lord Godwin had cruelly sold when Hadrian was a little boy. “Mr. Duke once had a chocolate-brown pony named Mud.”

“Mud! I like mud! May I call him that, Mr. Duke?”

“Certainly.”

The boy went to the water’s edge and began tossing bread crumbs willy-nilly. He was soon surrounded by quacking ducks and having the time of his life feeding them and giggling at their greedy antics.