Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom(160)

When Griffin cursed in frustration, Dominic snapped at him. “Sit down and try to contain your temper while I get to the bottom of this. Presumably, Justine left the city.”


Dominic threw a questioning glance at Chloe, who nodded. “Good. Then I’m sure it will take time for Marzano’s man to get back to London in order to alert his master, assuming he was even able to follow Justine in the first place.”

Griffin wanted to throttle him, but Dominic was right. His mother had to give up the information before they could do anything to help Justine. Clenching his teeth, he subsided into his chair.

Dominic leaned over and took Chloe’s hands in a sustaining grip, his stern features warmed by a smile so tender that Griffin’s mouth almost dropped open. His mother clutched at Dominic’s fingers as she gazed into his face, her soft eyes shining with so much emotion that Griffin had to resist the impulse to look away. What had Chloe and Dominic once meant to each other?

“My dear, I’m a bit confused by the order of events,” Dominic said. “When did you speak to the duke about all of this—before or after Sophia’s death?”

“After. Before he was able to return to England, Sophia took a bad fall. That brought on an early labor.” Chloe shook her head. “She never recovered her strength from the ordeal. A month after the baby was born, she succumbed to a fever and died.”

Griffin couldn’t fail to notice the tight line of his mother’s determined jaw as she struggled to contain her emotions. “Naturally, the child remained with me. I wrote to the duke in Vienna and he returned as quickly as he could. He was grief-stricken, of course, as were we all. Sophia was an innocent young woman who deserved better from life.”

The old sorrow rustled in Griffin’s chest, but with a crystalline intensity born of the presence of the woman who’d suffered the same kind of pain and humiliation by bringing him into the world. His mother had obviously devoted her life to providing a safe harbor for those who’d experienced a similar fate.

And struggle against it though he might, he couldn’t help resenting that she’d never sought to tow him into that safe harbor, too.

When Chloe pulled away a hand to wipe tears from her eyes, Dominic extracted a handkerchief from inside his coat and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said, dabbing at her eyes. Within moments, she had regained her composure.

“What happened when the duke returned to London?” Dominic asked.

“He was distraught, of course, and quite unable to take responsibility for a baby. He was also frightened at the prospect of how his mother would react to the news of a child born of a legitimate union      , although one fraught with legal complications, to be sure. You must understand that he hadn’t yet informed his mother of Sophia’s pregnancy, and he certainly had no desire to say anything after her death.”

“He sounds like an idiot,” Griffin said. “Why the hell didn’t he just stand up to her?”

“Not everyone has your strength of character, Griffin,” his mother replied. “Marco has an extremely gentle, even shy nature. He’s quite a fine scholar, but apparently rather a failure as a duke.”

“From what I know,” Dominic interjected, “his mother is the power behind the throne. She’s worked tirelessly to restore her family’s rightful place in San Agosto after the fall of Bonaparte. It was only a few months ago that the court moved back to Italy.”

Chloe nodded. “That’s correct. The duke left London almost immediately then to return to San Agosto, after making permanent arrangements for his son to remain with me.”