A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 150 - Hundred And Fifty

Ines stopped pacing. She turned to face her aunt. Her dark eyebrows drew together in a deep, worried frown. A new, highly dangerous thought had just entered her mind.

"If they attempted to elope," Ines spoke, her voice dropping back to a cautious, hushed whisper. She looked around to ensure none of the servants were close enough to hear. "Do you think their decisions was based solely on love or because they indulged in sexual relations?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and incredibly dangerous. In the strict, unyielding world of London society, a woman’s virginity was her absolute most prized possession. It was her honor, her currency, and her entire future.

If Lady Celine had given herself to the stable boy before they tried to run away, she was entirely ruined.

Ines instantly shook her head, closing her eyes in deep regret. She raised a hand to her forehead, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Forgive me," Ines spoke quickly, feeling a sharp pang of guilt for even entertaining the thought. "I should not have said that. I guess I was thinking aloud. I am merely trying to find a legal reason for Rowan to escape this dreadful contract."

Aunt Margery did not scold her niece for the thought, because the exact same question had briefly crossed her own mind. It was the logical, strategic question. But it was also an incredibly cruel one.

Aunt Margery let go of the chair. She stood up straight, pulling her purple shawl tightly around her shoulders as if the room had suddenly grown cold.

"A woman’s purity is not something we can just casually discuss and guess about, Ines," Aunt Margery spoke. Her voice was incredibly serious, carrying the heavy weight of her years of navigating the treacherous waters of polite society.

She stepped closer to Ines, looking deeply into her niece’s hazel eyes.

"It is a matter of life and death for a young lady. You should know that." Aunt Margery continued softly. "If we reveal this... if we go to the House of Lords and accuse Lady Celine of being a ruined woman simply based on a rumor of an elopement, and we are wrong? Our family reputation is at stake. We will be branded as cruel, desperate liars trying to escape a legal bond."

Ines nodded slowly. She knew the rules. Proof was everything.

"But," Aunt Margery said, her voice turning completely grim, "let us say we are right. Let us say we find proof that she loved the boy completely and gave herself to him, and we present it to the courts to void the contract."

Aunt Margery looked away, her eyes filled with a deep, maternal sorrow.

"If we are right, Rowan is free from the contract," Aunt Margery stated. "He keeps the estate. He keeps his money. He keeps his freedom."

She paused, letting the heavy cost of that freedom settle between them.

"But Celine’s reputation is gone," Aunt Margery finished, turning her gaze back to Ines. "Forever. Sure, her family will be affected. Lord Farrington will face a minor scandal, perhaps some social shunning for a season. But he is an Earl. Society forgives men."

Aunt Margery shook her head slowly.

"All the major blame will be put on her," Aunt Margery said, her voice filled with a fierce, quiet anger at the unfairness of their world. "The Ton will call her a wanton girl. They will say she seduced a servant. They will not care that her father murdered the boy. They will only care that she is soiled goods. She will be cast out of polite society. No decent man will ever look at her again. She will be damned and her family will take her back to where they brought her from to save face."

Ines felt a cold chill run straight down her spine.

Her aunt was absolutely correct. The rules of their society were rigid and completely unforgiving toward women. If they used Celine’s tragic past to save Rowan, they would be throwing an already broken, traumatized girl directly to the wolves. They would be destroying the very girl who had bravely been on their side to avoid the marriage.

Ines looked down at the folded letter in her hand. The cream-colored parchment suddenly felt incredibly heavy, like a lead weight pulling her down.

"What do we do?" Ines replied. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Her voice sounded entirely helpless. For the first time in a very long time, Ines had absolutely no idea how to solve the puzzle. She loved her brother fiercely. She wanted Rowan to be happy. She wanted him to marry the woman he truly loved just like she did.

But Ines could not build her brother’s happiness on the absolute destruction of an innocent girl. She was a mother now. The thought of deliberately ruining another woman’s child made her feel sick to her stomach.

Aunt Margery let out a long, weary sigh. She reached out and gently took the folded letter from Ines’s trembling hand. She tucked the dangerous parchment safely into the deep pocket of her purple silk dress.

"We do nothing," Aunt Margery said firmly. "Not yet."

Ines looked up, her eyes filled with worry. "But the ball is in a few days. The contract..."

"We will wait for Rowan to be back," Aunt Margery interrupted, her voice regaining a small measure of its usual commanding strength. "He and Miss Kingsley are out there looking for the missing handmaiden. If they find Flora, they may find another way. Perhaps Flora has proof of Lord Farrington’s financial crimes, rather than Celine’s personal tragedies."

Aunt Margery reached out and gently smoothed a stray curl away from Ines’s pale forehead. She offered her niece a small, comforting smile, though it did not quite reach her worried eyes.

"We must trust Rowan," Aunt Margery said softly. "He is a good, honorable man. He would never agree to destroy Lady Celine to save himself. When he returns, we will show him this letter."

Ines nodded slowly. The heavy knot of panic in her chest loosened just a fraction, but the fear still remained.

"There has to be another way," Aunt Margery added, turning her head to look back out at the bustling, brightly decorated ballroom. "There must be another way."