She started to back out. “I’m terribly sorry…”

A movement behind him caught her eye as Hadrian strolled out of the same doorway. Her heart thumped so hard that it squeezed the air from her lungs. It was obvious she had caught him in the midst of dressing.

He wore only an unbuttoned waistcoat over a white shirt that was tucked into a pair of dark trousers. His throat was bare so that she could see a glimpse of broad chest. He was fastening a silver sleeve link at his wrist when his eyes met hers.

Surprise flashed in those dark gray depths, then a glimmer of heat that sparked an answering flare inside her. “Natalie? Did you need me?”

Yes, she needed him. She needed him to sweep her into his arms, carry her to the bed, and show her that exquisite pleasure again.

Fighting the rise of a blush, she babbled, “Actually, I’m looking for Leo and came in here by mistake. I had no idea … I thought there were only guest bedchambers on this floor.”

Chumley harrumphed. “The rascal isn’t here, so you’d best run along.”

“Yes. Yes, I’ll go now. At once.”

“Wait,” Hadrian commanded, stopping her retreat, before turning to the manservant. “Fetch my coat, will you?”

As the valet went grumbling into the dressing room, the duke came forward while buttoning his silver-striped waistcoat. “So the brat has disappeared from the nursery, has he? I could have sworn we’d cured him of that bad habit.”

The slight smile on his lips warmed her heart, as did his use of the word we. He made it sound as if they were a married couple discussing the antics of their son. She banished the errant thought and tried not to stare at the wedge of skin revealed by the open collar of his shirt.

“Apparently not, and now he’s been gone for perhaps half an hour.” She gave him a brief overview of the circumstances and where the nursemaids were searching. “You know Leo. He could be anywhere.”

“Hm. When we first met, he was homesick, so he tried to walk back to the ship at Southampton. Then at Oak Knoll, he was playing with his toy cavalry horse, which prompted him to visit the stables without permission. Did Tippy say what he was doing right before he vanished?”

“Playing with the mail coach your mother gave him—though I can’t imagine him leaving the house to look for a real one.” Frowning, she recalled the exact conversation. “There’s something else. The maids, I gathered, were also discussing a problem with the bell rope. They thought it might not have rung in the kitchen, so Flora went down to check.”

At that moment, Chumley appeared with a bluish-gray coat, helping the duke shrug into it. Natalie’s throat went dry, her fingers tightening around the base of the lamp. It felt unbearably intimate to watch him dress. The tailored garment hugged his broad shoulders, the deep color enhancing his eyes and transforming him into a dangerously attractive nobleman.