A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 158 - Hundred And Fifty Eight

It was a bold move. Canceling the biggest ball of the season at the very last minute would cause a massive wave of gossip throughout polite society. But Ines did not care about gossip. She only cared about protecting her family.

"It shall be done immediately, Your Grace," Mr. Simmons replied with a deep bow.

Mr. Simmons left the room, his footsteps echoing rapidly down the hall as he went to mobilize the household staff.

Meanwhile, in the Blue Suite, Delaney had followed Aunt Margery’s orders.

Sarah had drawn a steaming hot bath in the copper tub. Delaney slipped into the water, letting the heat soak into her freezing, bruised skin. She washed the thick, brown mud from her hair and scrubbed the dried blood from her hands. She scrubbed until her skin was pink and raw. She wanted to wash away the terrible memories of the crash, but the image of Rowan bleeding in the dirt refused to leave her mind.

After her bath, Sarah helped her dress in a soft, simple evening gown of pale green wool. It was warm and comfortable. Delaney brushed her damp, dark hair and left it falling loosely down her back.

She did not wait for the maid to tidy the room. She immediately left the Blue Suite. She was making her way to Rowan’s room.

The long hallways of the manor were quiet and shadowed. The usual bustle of servants preparing for the ball had completely vanished. The house felt somber, holding its breath while the master slept.

Delaney walked softly, her soft slippers making absolutely no sound on the thick, woven carpets. Her heart pounded in her chest. She needed to see him. She needed to see his chest rising and falling with her own eyes to truly believe he was alive.

She reached the end of the hall. The door of the master bedchamber was cracked open just a few inches to let the heat from the fireplace circulate.

Delaney raised her hand to push the door open fully. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

But just as her fingers brushed the warm wood, she heard the soft, quiet voices of Aunt Margery and Ines talking inside the room.

Delaney stopped. She stood by the door, completely frozen, listening to everything. She did not mean to eavesdrop, but she could not bring herself to interrupt their private family moment.

Inside the room, Aunt Margery was sitting in a comfortable armchair near the foot of the bed, watching Rowan sleep. Ines was sitting on the edge of the mattress, gently holding her brother’s large, quiet hand.

"For Rowan to risk his life like this," Aunt Margery said softly. Her voice carried clearly through the crack in the door. It was filled with a deep, profound awe. "To throw himself in front of falling wood and broken glass without a single second of hesitation... he really loves Delaney."

Outside the door, Delaney felt her heart pounding. To hear it spoken aloud by his own family made it incredibly real.

Ines nodded her head. She gently smoothed the white linen sheet over Rowan’s chest.

"He loves her completely," Ines agreed, a soft smile touching her lips. "I have never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at her. He looks at her as if she holds the sun in her hands."

Aunt Margery sighed, adjusting her shawl. "It is a blessing. Truly, it is."

The older woman leaned forward slightly.

"I must admit, Ines," Aunt Margery confessed, her voice dropping into a reflective, quiet tone. "I was so happy when he finally stopped looking for the woman he met three years ago."

Outside in the hallway, Delaney frowned slightly. Her hand hovered in the air.

The woman he met three years ago?

Delaney had no idea what Aunt Margery was talking about. She only knew Rowan was in love with a woman he couldn’t find but she didn’t know the duration. She held her breath and leaned just a fraction closer to the gap in the door.

She and Ines were talking freely, believing Rowan was the only other person in the room, and he was fast asleep.

"I remember that," Ines replied softly, her eyes distant as she recalled the past. "He drove himself entirely mad over it. He hired investigators. He walked the streets of the city in for weeks. All for a fleeting moment."

"It was a clear night," Aunt Margery recalled, shaking her head at the foolishness of young men. "He said she was trying to get away from someone. She walked over to him and kissed him, pretending to be his intended."

Delaney’s entire body went completely rigid.

Her breath stopped entirely in her throat. Her eyes went wide with absolute shock.

"He played along with her," Ines continued, recounting the story her brother had told her years ago. "He offered to help her but she was humming a lullaby, removing her shoes. Before he could even ask her name, she jumped off the balcony and ran away. He only saw the button of her dress that fell. But he swore to me that he felt something profound the moment he touched her hand."

Aunt Margery chuckled softly. "He searched every corner of London for that mysterious girl. I thought he would never give up that ghost. But then, I sent Delaney to him. Delaney walked into his life, and he finally forgot the girl from the balcony."

In the hallway, Delaney stood perfectly still. The world around her seemed to completely stop spinning.

The memories rushed back with blinding, overwhelming clarity.

Three years ago. She had been Twenty Four years old. There was a masquerade ball her uncle dragged her to. He had finally sold her to Lord Hawksley, and Hawksley had come to the ball to see his prize. She had saved enough money from the underground shooting ring to escape that night before her uncle’s wife walked into her room and gave her a ball gown and a pair of gloves, urging her to make haste.

Her uncle dragged her into the carriage and they arrived at the ball. He gave her to Hawksley, smiling widely as Hawksley nodded his head in approval. After a while, She saw her uncle and Hawksley mingling with other nobles and she made a run for it.

She remembered a masked gentleman speaking up for her when Hawksley touched her inappropriately. She remembered walking to the gentleman and kissing him. He had helped her by playing along. He had taken off his warm coat and draped it over her shoulders.

She remembered everything that night. From his kind gestures to his concerned voice and her disappearance to start a new life.

Delaney held her hand to her mouth.

Her heart hammered against her ribs with a force that made her dizzy. The kind stranger that night. The man who stayed with her throughout that crazy night.

It was Rowan.

He had not forgotten her. He had searched for her for three years. He had driven himself mad looking for the woman who jumped out of a balcony, completely unaware that she had walked right through the front doors of his own home to set him up with another woman.

"The woman he had love for three years..." Delaney whispered into the quiet, shadowed hallway.

She stared through the crack in the heavy oak door, looking at the sleeping Duke with his bandaged head.

"Was me?" she said softly.