Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom(113)

Justine’s heart ached for the little, unloved boy he’d been, abandoned by those who should have cherished him. She realized in that moment how truly lucky she was. Despite her unconventional and often chaotic life, she’d been loved. Without question and without regret. Griffin had been denied that gift and it had clearly left its mark on him, one that she was beginning to doubt could ever be erased.

No wonder he wanted to leave England, and with it all the heartbreak he’d known.

Griffin set his glass down with a click. “Not quite the fairy tale you were imagining, I suppose,” he said.

The thin scar on his face, touched by the light of the fire, stood pale against his tanned skin, like a silent symbol of all the ills he’d suffered over the years. She couldn’t help wondering what evil event had left that mark on him.

There was so much she wished to know about him, but she’d run out of energy to probe any further, at least for tonight. Nor would he tell her more, she suspected. She’d pried a good deal more out of him than she’d anticipated, and for now it was enough.

“Life never is,” she replied as she rose.

For once, he didn’t rise with her. His attention seemed once more on the leaping flames in the grate.

“I’ll bid you good night, sir,” Justine finally said.

When he didn’t answer, she slipped quietly from the room.





CHAPTER Eighteen



Griffin scowled at the London journal, then pushed aside his half-eaten breakfast. He was thoroughly dissatisfied with himself to the point where he’d almost lost his appetite, and he never lost his appetite. Too many months spent half starving on the streets of London had made sure of that.

Nor did he ever question himself. But in the last few weeks he’d found himself doing it, to the point where he was beginning to doubt the decisions he’d made about his future. It wasn’t a feeling he relished.

He knew who to blame for it, too—Justine, his sweet, managing little wife.

Even thinking about her in those terms still astonished him. Thinking about her astonished him, primarily due to the strength of his emotional reaction whenever she came near. Griffin had never wanted a wife, had never wanted the responsibility, had never wanted to be tied down. And some part of him still balked at marriage, resentful at the unexpected turn of events that had led to his leg-shackling.

But an even bigger part of him had accepted the situation with apparent good cheer. On a daily basis, he found himself having to resist the impulse to spend more and more time with her, trailing behind her like some damned puppy waiting for her notice. If anyone were to guess that state of affairs he’d be a laughingstock—Griffin Steele, one of the most feared men in London, led around like a ridiculous lapdog by his pretty wife.

She’d certainly led him around by the nose last night, prying secrets and reminiscences out of him that he’d never shared with anyone. But Justine possessed a rare talent for truly listening to a person, evincing a sympathetic interest in whatever a man had to say. And if Griffin didn’t miss his guess, she was genuinely fascinated by him, a state of affairs he found more pleasing than not. He’d been happy to indulge her up to a point, and could even appreciate her laughter when he’d revealed his absurd childhood dream of becoming a man of the cloth. Hell, she’d even made him see the humor in it, something that had eluded him before.

Whenever Griffin thought about his childhood, it made him squirm deep inside. He’d been a foolish, needy child, wishing for things he couldn’t have and too sensitive for his own good. His uncle had beaten much of that out of him, and London had done the rest. But for a few moments, through Justine’s eyes, he’d seen his past in a different light. That had everything to do with her and nothing to do with him. For a woman who thought she wanted nothing more than a dull, conventional life, she was remarkably accepting of the flaws and sins of others. No wonder he found it so easy to open up to her. She was the kindest person he’d ever met, with a generous and open spirit.