A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 105 - Hundred And Five

The heavy silence in the study was broken only by the steady, rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. The crisp white letter from the solicitor, bearing the terrible truth of Lord Hawksley’s trap, felt like a heavy stone between them.

"Del," Rowan said softly.

He took a step toward her. His voice was a raw, desperate plea. He reached out his hand, wanting to bridge the sudden, freezing distance that had opened up between them.

Delaney stepped back, clutching the crumpled parchment in her hand. Her hazel eyes were wide, swimming with a mixture of profound hurt and a rapidly growing, suffocating guilt.

"I thought we were partners?" Delaney replied. Her voice trembled, breaking on the last syllable.

She looked down at the letter, then back up at his handsome, deeply worried face. The betrayal stung worse than a physical slap. He had held her while she cried about her own fears, yet he had locked away a secret that threatened to destroy his entire life.

"Am I that unreliable that you would keep this from me?" she asked, her tone rising with rising panic. "Even when it is my fault?"

"Delaney, no, it is not your fault," Rowan said quickly, shaking his head.

"It is!" Delaney insisted, the tears she had been fighting finally spilling over her lower lashes. The logic was clear in her mind, a terrible, straight line of cause and effect. "If I didn’t persuade you to go to that ball, if I didn’t push you to meet Celine Farrington... none of this would be happening."

She took another step back, her bare heel hitting the edge of the heavy Persian rug. Her chest heaved under the thin cotton of her chemise.

"If I didn’t help you with the railway contract," she continued, her voice thick with self-blame. "If I had just kept my mouth shut about the Basingstoke marshes during the meeting at the consortium... Lord Hawksley would not have had the leverage to trap you. I handed him the rope, Rowan. All these wouldn’t have happened if it were not for me."

The crushing weight of what she had done to him—to the man who had bought her boots, who had protected her from scandal, who had kissed her with such desperate passion just moments ago—was entirely too much to bear. She felt like a disease that had infected his perfect, orderly life.

She opened her fingers. She dropped the letter. The paper fluttered through the air, landing softly on the floorboards between them like a white flag of surrender.

She could not look at him anymore. She could not look at the ruin she had caused.

She turned on her heel. The dark silk of her unfastened robe swished around her legs. She tucked her chin to her chest and walked quickly toward the heavy oak doors of the study. She needed to leave. She needed to disappear into her room before she caused him any more pain.

Rowan did not let her reach the door.

He moved with a speed that defied his large size. In three long, frantic strides, he crossed the room. He caught up to her just as her hand reached out for the brass doorknob.

He did not grab her arm. He did not ask her to stop.

Rowan wrapped both of his strong arms entirely around her waist and hugged her from behind.

He pulled her backward, lifting her slightly off the ground, until her back was pressed flush against the solid, warm wall of his broad chest.

He locked his arms around her middle, holding her so tightly that she could not take another step away from him.

"No," Rowan said, his voice urgent and rough near her ear.

Delaney gasped, her hands flying down to grip his thick wrists. She tried to pull his arms away, but it was like trying to pry bands of iron apart. He was an immovable force, and he was absolutely refusing to let her go.

"No... it’s not what you think," Rowan murmured, tightening his hold. "I didn’t tell you because I knew you would blame yourself."

He dropped his head, burying his face in the soft curve where her neck met her shoulder. He inhaled a deep, shaking breath, filling his lungs with the sweet, soothing scent of her jasmine soap.

"I know how your mind works, Del," he continued, his words rushing out in a desperate confession. "I knew you would take the burden upon yourself. I knew you would try to run away to spare me. That is exactly why I hid the letter. I could not bear to see that look of guilt in your eyes."

He hugged her tightly, pressing her body against his as if he could absorb her fears directly into his own skin.

"I’m sorry," Rowan whispered fiercely. "I’m sorry for keeping it from you. Please, do not run from me."

He nuzzled his head deeper into her neck. The slight scratch of his evening stubble rubbed against her sensitive skin. Her loose, dark curls tumbled over his face, the soft strands tickling his nose and his cheek. He did not care. He simply wanted to be as close to her as humanly possible.

Delaney stopped struggling. Her hands, which had been fighting his wrists, slowly relaxed. The sheer, overwhelming warmth of his body wrapping around hers was melting the icy panic in her veins. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, closing her eyes as a fresh wave of tears slid down her cheeks.

"We are trapped," Delaney whispered into the quiet room.

"We are not," Rowan replied immediately, his voice muffled by her hair and her skin.

He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the side of her neck, offering comfort.

"Investigations are already underway," he said, turning his head slightly so she could hear him clearly. "I did not just accept defeat, Delaney. I sent my brother-in-law, Carcel, to the city. He is digging into Lord Hawksley’s past. He is looking for the hidden scandal. The contract says if there is a deception, the marriage can be annulled and the penalty voided."

Delaney opened her eyes. She stared at the dark wooden panels of the door. A tiny flicker of hope sparked in her chest.

"We just need to find the truth," Rowan said, his arms remaining securely locked around her waist. "You can come with me. I would need your presence. I need your sharp mind, Delaney. I need the woman who can read a room and spot a lie from a mile away. We will fight this together."