A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 131 - Hundred And Thirty One

Rowan smiled. It was a full, genuine smile. The massive, crushing weight that he had been carrying on his broad shoulders for days suddenly lifted. He felt lighter. He felt as though he could finally breathe pure air again.

He had spent sleepless nights pacing in his study, agonizing over how he was going to save his family from ruin. He had thought he was entirely alone in the dark. But he was not alone. His family was right here, and they were already fighting back.

"It seemed I was worried for nothing," Rowan said softly, looking around the room at the people he loved most in the world.

Ines stood up from the sofa. She placed her signed book carefully onto the tea table. She walked over to her brother and wrapped her arms warmly around his waist, hugging him tightly.

She replied, looking up at him with fierce, sisterly devotion.

"Of course," Ines said softly. "Why would you be worried when your family is by your side? Did you truly think we would let that horrible woman and her dreadful brother steal our estate?"

Carcel stepped forward, placing a heavy, supportive hand on Rowan’s shoulder. He nodded firmly.

"Indeed," Carcel agreed, his deep voice carrying the absolute loyalty of a brother. "There is literally no reason to be worried, Rowan. You do not have to carry the Hamilton burden entirely on your own."

Rowan looked at Carcel, then down at Ines, and finally over at Aunt Margery. His heart swelled with profound gratitude. He had been a fool to try and hide the truth from them.

He took a deep breath, shifting his mind from relief back to the urgent battle plan.

Rowan replied, his voice turning serious and focused.

"We do not have much time," He reminded them. "The Hamilton ball is in seven days. Lord Hawksley expects me to sign the final marriage contract in my study on the very night of the ball, just before the engagement is formally announced to society."

He looked around the circle of his family.

"We have one week," Rowan stated clearly. "We have exactly one week to look for something, anything, against the Farringtons. We must find out exactly what happened three years ago. We must find the scandal they are hiding so we can use the good faith clause to break the contract legally. This should be before the engagement is announced publicly to save Lady Celine from more scandals."

Aunt Margery nodded her head firmly. She set her teacup aside completely, her eyes shining with the thrill of a proper society mission.

She replied, her voice filled with determination. "We will all try our best. I shall write letters to all my oldest friends. I will find out which servants were dismissed from the Farrington household three years ago. Servants always know the truth." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Carcel spoke, standing tall beside his brother-in-law.

"Yes," Carcel said. "Vance is already digging in the city. I will ride back to London tomorrow morning to assist him. We will check the parish records, the magistrate files, and the travel logs to France. We will find the missing piece. We will protect the Hamilton estate."

Ines pulled back from hugging Rowan. She smiled, her hazel eyes flashing with a wicked, competitive fire. She loved a good battle of wits, especially when it involved defeating arrogant women like Lady Farrington.

Ines added with a brilliant smile, "Count me in. I shall write to the Duchess of Hastings. She knows absolutely everything that happens during the debutante seasons. If Lady Celine was involved in a scandal three years ago, the Duchess will have heard a whisper of it."

The Hamilton family stood united. They were a formidable force of wealth, power, and fierce loyalty. The dark cloud of Lord Hawksley’s blackmail had entirely vanished, replaced by a bright, burning determination to win.

Then, the room went quiet for a moment.

Aunt Margery, Ines, and Carcel slowly turned their heads.

They all looked across the rug, directly at Delaney.

Delaney was still sitting in the velvet armchair near the tall window. She had watched the entire scene unfold with a mixture of awe and a deep, painful longing. She had watched a true family rally around their leader. She had seen the love, the absolute trust, and the unbreakable bond they shared.

It was beautiful. But it also made her feel incredibly small, and entirely out of place.

She was Miss Kingsley. She was a hired matchmaker. She was a woman carrying the heavy, dark shame of a ruined name. She was an employee sitting in a room full of Dukes and Duchesses who were preparing to fight a war for their ancestral estate.

When they all turned to look at her, waiting for her input, Delaney froze.

She noticed that they wanted to involve her. Their eyes were expectant, welcoming, and completely open.

Panic flared in Delaney’s chest. The imposter syndrome was suddenly too much to bear. She did not belong in this circle of power and nobility.

She quickly shook her head. Her hands fluttered nervously in her lap, twisting the dark fabric of her plain dress.

"No, no," Delaney stammered, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to physically retreat deeper into the armchair. "I can’t possibly... it’s not my place."

She looked at Rowan, silently pleading with him to understand. She was trying to protect them from her own ruined reputation.

"It’s a family matter," Delaney continued, her words tumbling over each other in a nervous, incoherent rush. "This is about the Hamilton estate. I am just... I am just an employee, and I..."

"Nonsense."

Aunt Margery’s loud, commanding voice cut her incoherent words off entirely.

Delaney snapped her mouth shut, startled by the sharp interruption.

Aunt Margery did not look angry. She looked incredibly stern, but her eyes were filled with a deep, maternal warmth that made Delaney’s breath catch in her throat.

Aunt Margery pushed herself up from her comfortable chair. She stood tall, pointing her silver spoon directly at the matchmaker.

"Nonsense," Aunt Margery repeated firmly, leaving absolutely no room for debate. "You have been in the middle of this mess since the very beginning, Miss Kingsley. You helped Rowan with the railway deal. You sold the lie to Lady Farrington flawlessly. You stood on the croquet lawn and made my stubborn nephew actually play a game."

Aunt Margery offered a soft, highly affectionate smile.

"You may not be family by blood," Aunt Margery declared, her voice ringing with absolute truth and acceptance. "But you are already one of us."

Delaney stared at the older woman. Her vision suddenly blurred as a hot rush of tears flooded her hazel eyes. For the first time since her parents died, someone was telling her she belonged. Someone was claiming her.

Ines stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She reached out and held out her hand toward Delaney.

Ines added, her dark eyes shining with sisterly warmth. "Yes. Aunt Margery is entirely correct. You are the smartest woman in this room, Delaney. We need your sharp mind to help us figure out this puzzle."

Ines smiled her brightest, most welcoming smile.

"Now," Ines commanded gently. "Come here."

Delaney looked at Ines’s outstretched hand. Then, she looked past Ines, directly at Rowan.

Rowan was standing by the tea table. He was looking at her with a profound, quiet devotion. He did not say a word, but his eyes echoed everything his sister and his aunt had just said. You are one of us, his eyes said. You belong here, with us.

A single tear escaped Delaney’s eye and rolled slowly down her cheek. She did not bother to wipe it away.

Delaney smiled. It was a watery, incredibly beautiful smile of pure relief and profound happiness. The heavy, lonely walls she had built around her heart for years finally crumbled into dust.

She placed her hand in Ines’s hand.

Delaney stood up from the armchair and went closer. She walked to the center of the rug, stepping directly into the warm, protective circle of the Hamilton family.

They gathered tightly around the low wooden tea table, pulling their chairs closer together as they leaned in, voices dropping to eager, conspiratorial whispers, as they began to plan the very first step of their investigation to save the Golden Duke.