His chuckle held a note of irony. “My rank is an immutable part of who I am. It’s not something I would change, even if I could. So if you wish to start a revolution here in England, that will make us enemies, and I would far rather count you as a friend.”

Friend. Could she truly be the duke’s friend when she felt assailed by this relentless tug of attraction to him? When she felt a pang of regret that they were from two utterly different worlds? For the sake of her sanity, Natalie reminded herself that their relationship was merely temporary. It would last only until she could secure Leo’s future and feel confident that he had at least one strong ally before she returned to the United States.

An ally who would help keep the boy on the right path.

“Then as a friend,” she said, “I have to question why you would indulge Leo with an extravagant gift—a pony that he doesn’t deserve for being naughty. It makes me wonder if you see yourself in him. And if you’re instinctively trying to compensate for things you were denied as a boy.”

Hadrian appeared startled by the observation. He swung his gaze toward Leo, who was kneeling on the ground outside the garden wall, using a stick to poke at something in the dirt.

“Don’t be absurd!” he growled before tempering his tone. “Well … at least I hadn’t intended it that way. Do you really think that could be true?”

“It’s a possibility. Did you have a pony?”

“My mother once bought me one, a fine chocolate-brown fellow just my size. His name was Mud.”

Her heart melting, she pictured him as a little boy. The gift must have meant a lot to him since he still remembered it so clearly. “Mud?”

“I was only six. The pony was my favorite gift, and Mama took me to the park in London so that a groom could teach me to ride him. But Godwin sold Mud. He said that ponies gobbled far too much grain and I could learn to ride on one of the stable hacks … but I suppose that proves your point.”

He cast an annoyed look at her, but she merely lifted her eyebrows, deciding it was best for a man of such lofty pride to draw his own conclusions.

“Well, blast,” he said with feeling. “The brat needs a pony no matter what convoluted motives you may ascribe to me.”

“What if Godwin sells that pony, too?”

“He won’t dare, by God. I’ll make certain of that. And pray recall that Audrey was like a sister to me. If Leo is her child, I ought to be allowed to behave like an uncle to him.”

Natalie stiffened. “If? You told me that you believe he is her son. Or are you saying that you still have reservations about Leo just as the earl does?”

Surprise flashed across Hadrian’s face. He pivoted on the stone bench and leaned toward her, his brow drawn in a frown. “Of course not. When I said if Leo is her child, it was nothing more than a manner of speaking, and poor wording on my part. I apologize.”