A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 91 - Ninety One

Delaney’s head snapped up. Her hazel eyes went wide with sheer panic.

"No... no!" Delaney waved her hand frantically in the air, desperate to dismiss the dangerous idea. "Please, do not think that. His Grace has been perfectly polite. He said absolutely nothing wrong. He is the perfect gentleman."

She took a step back, her shoulder blades pressing against the cold, rough stone of the flower urn.

"I’m just not feeling good, that’s all," Delaney lied, her voice trembling slightly. "I did not sleep well. The wind kept me awake. My head is aching terribly."

Ines stared at her in silence for three long seconds.

Ines had grown up in a house of men. She had grown up with Carcel and Rowan. She knew exactly what it looked like when a woman was lying through her teeth to protect a man’s reputation.

Furthermore, she knew Rowan. She knew his flaws better than anyone. He was incredibly stubborn, he was entirely blind to his own emotional needs, and he had a terrible, destructive habit of pushing people away the moment he started to care about them, all in the name of ’duty.’

"Is that so?" Ines replied. Her voice dripped with heavy, undisguised sarcasm.

She didn’t wait for Delaney to stutter out another pathetic excuse.

Ines reached out with lightning speed and grabbed Delaney’s wrist. Her grip, honed from years of pulling toddlers away from fireplaces, was surprisingly strong.

"Your Grace!" Delaney gasped in absolute shock.

"Come with me," Ines ordered.

She turned on her heel and began to march back across the lawn, dragging the bewildered matchmaker right behind her.

Delaney stumbled, her boots slipping on the slick grass as she tried to keep up with the Duchess’s rapid, aggressive pace. She tried to pull her hand back gently, not wanting to offend nobility, but Ines’s grip was like an iron vice.

"Please, Your Grace, I do not wish to play!" Delaney protested, her face burning with mortification as they drew the attention of the footmen. "I am not feeling well! I should go inside!"

Ines completely ignored her. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, marching directly toward the tall, brooding figure of her older brother.

"I know he did something," Ines muttered under her breath, her voice low but carrying clearly to Delaney on the wind. "He’s always doing something to ruin his own life. He overthinks everything until it falls apart. Troublesome, foolish man."

"He really didn’t do anything!" Delaney tried to argue, her chest heaving as she was towed across the lawn. "Please, Duchess!"

They arrived at their destination.

Rowan was standing by the wooden boundary of the bowling green. He was currently holding a heavy, asymmetrical wooden bowling ball in his right hand, weighing it thoughtfully. He was staring blindly at the white target peg in the distance, lost in a dark maze of legal contracts and blackmail.

When he heard the loud rustle of heavy silk skirts and the sound of his sister’s stomping footsteps, he finally turned around.

He saw Ines. And then he saw Ines dragging Delaney Kingsley by the wrist like a misbehaving child caught stealing sweets.

Rowan looked utterly confused. He blinked rapidly, lowering the wooden ball to his side. His eyes darted from his furious sister’s face to Delaney’s panicked, blushing expression.

"Ines?" Rowan asked, taking a step forward. "What in heaven’s name are you doing to Miss Kingsley? Let go of her."

Ines stopped right in front of him. She abruptly let go of Delaney’s hand.

Delaney immediately pulled her arm back, rubbing her wrist with her other hand. Her cheeks were flushed bright, hot red with embarrassment. She wanted to sink into the earth.

Ines planted her hands firmly on her hips. She tilted her chin up and glared at her older brother with the righteous fury of a younger sibling who knows she is right.

"What did you say to Miss Kingsley that made her gloomy?" Ines demanded. Her voice was loud, accusing, and carried no room for evasion.

Rowan took a physical step back in sheer surprise. He looked at Delaney.

He saw the dark, bruised circles under her beautiful hazel eyes. He saw the tight, painful tension in her narrow shoulders. He saw the way she was biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

Rowan’s heart gave a massive, painful squeeze inside his chest. He wanted to drop the heavy wooden ball. He wanted to step forward, wrap his arms around her, and smooth the deep worry from her forehead, just exactly like he had done in the dark the other night on the floor of her bedroom.

But he could not.

He was trapped. Hawksley held the chains. If he showed any affection for this woman in the broad daylight, he would put her in terrible danger. He had to be cold. He had to let her go.

Delaney looked up at him. She shook her head frantically, a tiny, desperate motion. Do not tell her, her eyes pleaded silently.

"What?" Rowan spoke, truly baffled by Ines’s sudden, aggressive attack. He held his free hand up in a gesture of pure defense. "I didn’t say anything to her. I have not insulted Miss Kingsley."

"Do not lie to me, Rowan Hamilton," Ines said, tapping the toe of her kid leather boot impatiently on the grass. "She was perfectly happy yesterday. She was glowing. Today she looks miserable. You are the only person on this estate who possesses the unique talent to ruin a mood that quickly."

"I assure you, Ines, I am entirely innocent in this matter," Rowan replied, his voice rising in deep frustration. He gestured to the empty space between them. "We haven’t even seen each other since today began. I have been in my study since this morning." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

It was the absolute truth. After he had discovered the terrible, binding trap of the addendum contract, he had avoided her entirely. He could not bear to look at Delaney knowing he was legally bound to Celine.

Ines looked back and forth between the two of them.

She saw the way Rowan was looking at Delaney. It was certainly not the look of an arrogant man who had insulted an employee. It was a look of deep, profound yearning, mixed with a terrible, silent agony.

And she saw how Delaney was actively refusing to meet his eye, staring fixedly at the polished leather of Rowan’s riding boots instead of his face.

Ines sighed heavily, the wind catching the feathers on her bonnet. The air between her brother and the matchmaker was thick with unspoken words, hidden desires, and tragic secrets. Ines didn’t know exactly what the specific problem was, but she knew exactly how to force them to deal with it. You couldn’t run from your feelings if you were forced to stand next to them.

She smiled her most wicked, triumphant, Duchess-like smile.

"Very well then," Ines replied smoothly, clapping her hands together with a sharp, commanding smack. "If you are both perfectly fine, and no one is upset, we’ll begin the game immediately."

She pointed a commanding, inescapable finger directly at her brother, and then swung it to point directly at Delaney.

"And Miss Kingsley will team up with you."