“All’s I know is how he looked when he left.” The barmaid put the glass down on the table, removing the empty one. “Like his heart was broken.”

Griff glanced over at Della, not surprised to see her eyes moisten and her chin wobble. She was fierce, certainly, but she was also fiercely loyal and passionate, so anything she felt would immediately reveal itself on her face.

It was a good thing she didn’t play cards.

“Did he say where he was going?” She spoke in a low tone, as though it was the most important question she’d ever asked. Perhaps it was.

The man shook his head. “No, but if I had to guess . . .”

Another pause.

She shook her head at Griffith as though she knew he wanted to leap up and drag the man’s words from his throat.

“. . . I’d think he went somewhere to work with animals. He kept saying animals wouldn’t betray you, not like people.”

He heard Della’s sharp intake of breath, and wished he could do something to ameliorate her reaction.

“He must think Sarah abandoned him,” she said in a tremulous whisper. “And that is why she can’t find him. He left because he thinks she broke his heart.” She rose, shoving the chair behind her, the legs screeching along the rough wooden floor. “We need to find him, Griffith.”

He rose as well, something blooming in his chest at hearing her use his name so naturally. She hadn’t before, at least not that he could remember. And he knew he would have remembered it.

He wanted to hear her say his name again. Only in a more desperate way, when she was on the verge of her climax and she knew he could bring her there.

“Uh, yes. Find him. We will,” Griffith said, realizing she was waiting for a reply. Impatiently, he had to say.

Would she be as impatient when—? He really needed to find this Mr. Wattings. Or resign himself to his hand for the rest of eternity.

“The Naval Office is the next natural step,” Della said as they exited the pub. “I know you might not want to go there, because of your past interactions with them—”

“You mean getting arrested and accused of treason or whatever it was?” he replied in a lazy voice, as though it didn’t come within inches of irrevocably changing his life.

She had to admit, he had remarkable aplomb.

“We can go there. I’ll wave my title around and see if we can get some answers. Besides which, eventually I’m going to have to tell them I’m not coming back.” The last part he said as though he were dreading it all.