A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 187 - Hundred And Eighty Seven

The black carriage rolled to a slow, grinding stop over the loose gravel.

They reached the Kingsley estate as the sun was slowly descending. The sky was painted in brilliant, bruised shades of deep purple, burnt orange, and fading pink. The fading light cast long, dark shadows across the front lawns of the massive country manor.

Delaney looked out the window. Her heart pounded a slow, steady rhythm against her ribs. The house looked exactly as she remembered it. The tall stone chimneys, the wide front steps, the perfectly manicured rose bushes her mother had planted. It was a beautiful home, but it held absolutely no warmth for her anymore. It was simply a locked vault she needed to crack open.

A footman in plain uniform hurried forward and pulled the heavy wooden door open. He pulled down the small metal steps.

Delaney got down from the carriage.

She stepped onto the gravel, her soft leather slippers crunching slightly. She stood tall, her back perfectly straight, holding her small travel bag in one hand. She breathed in the crisp country air, preparing herself for the battle ahead.

The heavy front doors of the manor swung open violently.

Aunt Eunice lunged at Delaney.

Eunice Kingsley was a tall, sharp-featured woman who always wore her dresses a little too tight and her hair pulled entirely too severely away from her face. She practically flew down the stone steps, her silk skirts swishing angrily around her ankles. Her face was twisted into a mask of pure, ugly hostility.

Eunice stopped just inches away from Delaney. She pointed a long, shaking finger directly at Delaney’s face.

"You ingrate!" Eunice shrieked, her voice high and shrill, completely ignoring the servants standing nearby. "Where have you been these last three years? You ungrateful little wretch! We fed you, we clothed you, and you ran away in the night like a common thief!"

Delaney did not flinch. She did not take a single step backward. She stood perfectly still, looking at the older woman with a pair of cold, dead hazel eyes. She remembered the cruel pinches, the forced labor, the sleeping outside, the strikes on her back, and the stale bread this woman had subjected her to.

Delaney replied, her voice smooth, calm, and dripping with cold disdain. "Getting away from you."

Eunice’s eyes went completely wide. Her jaw dropped in sheer shock. She was entirely used to the quiet, frightened orphan who always kept her head bowed and took every insult without a word. She was not prepared for this new, defiant woman standing before her.

The shock quickly turned into a violent, boiling rage. Eunice’s face flushed a deep, ugly red.

She got angry and was about to hit Delaney. She raised her hand high in the air, fully intending to slap the insolence right off Delaney’s face.

Delaney did not brace for the blow. She simply shifted her weight slightly, preparing to reach for the hidden silver pistol in her garter if the woman truly dared to strike her.

But before Eunice’s hand could connect with Delaney’s cheek, Cole stepped quickly out of the carriage.

Cole reached out and grabbed his wife’s raised wrist, holding her hand firmly in the air.

"Enough, Eunice!" Cole shouted.

His voice was loud and harsh, completely surprising both women. Cole Kingsley was a man who normally turned a blind eye to the torture Delaney was subjected to. He usually avoided conflict at all costs, especially with his loud, demanding wife.

He released Eunice’s hand with a rough shove.

Eunice staggered back, completely surprised by his sudden physical force. She stumbled in her expensive shoes, her hands flying out to catch her balance.

She stared at her husband, her mouth opening and closing like a landed fish.

"You raised your voice at me for her?" Eunice demanded, her shrill voice breaking with complete disbelief. She pointed a shaking finger at Delaney again. "For this orphan? What is wrong with you, Cole? You have never fought with me before! What happened in London?"

Cole rubbed his temples, already feeling a sharp headache beginning to form behind his eyes. He had spent the entire carriage ride trying to calculate how much money Hawksley would pay him, and he did not have the patience for his wife’s dramatic hysterics.

Cole replied, his tone sharp and commanding. "Calm down, woman. Your nagging is causing me a severe headache."

He took a step forward, putting himself deliberately between his wife and his niece. He looked directly into Eunice’s angry eyes, delivering his orders very clearly.

"During Delaney’s stay here," Cole stated firmly, "you will leave her alone. Completely alone. Do you understand me? Don’t bother her. Do not ask her to mend your dresses. Do not ask her to clean the silver. She is a guest in this house until the wedding."

Eunice was absolutely stunned. She was surprised by her husband’s sudden, drastic change in behavior. Why was he protecting the girl? Why was he treating the miserable orphan like an honored guest?

Her confusion quickly twisted back into spiteful anger. She completely lost her temper, wanting to hurt Delaney with the most painful truth she possessed.

She angrily spoke, mistakenly spilling an information Delaney already knew.

"A guest?" Eunice sneered, her voice dripping with cruel venom. She looked past her husband, glaring directly at Delaney with pure hatred. "She is no guest! She is a piece of property! Have you forgotten, Cole? You already took a thousand pounds from Hawksley for her! And you took another fifty pounds from Hawksley to pay the coachman who broke her father’s carriage! She is nothing but a walking debt we finally sold!"

The cold, crisp air of the evening completely stopped moving.

The footman standing near the carriage froze in absolute terror.

Delaney kept her face perfectly blank, though her heart pounded a fierce, victorious rhythm in her chest. Eunice had just publicly confessed to the murder. She had shouted it loudly enough for the servants to hear. The seeds of destruction were already taking root.

Cole’s face turned completely white, and then it turned a violent, terrifying shade of purple. His own wife had just screamed a confession of murder in the front driveway.

Cole lunged forward.

Smack!

Cole slapped Eunice hard across the face to keep her mouth shut.

The sound of the slap echoed loudly against the stone walls of the manor.

Eunice gasped, a sharp, broken sound. She stumbled backward again, catching herself against the stone railing of the steps. She held her hand to her stinging face, her eyes wide with absolute, unadulterated shock.

Since their many years of marriage, Cole has never laid his hands on her. He was a coward, a man who preferred to manipulate from the shadows. To strike her in front of the servants was the ultimate humiliation.

Cole stood over her, his chest heaving. He pointed a shaking finger directly at her nose.

"You foolish, stupid woman," Cole hissed through his clenched teeth. His voice was a low, terrifying whisper. "If you ever speak of those matters again, I will lock you in the cellar and leave you to rot. Do you hear me? Not a single word!"

Eunice stared at him, tears of pain and sheer humiliation welling in her eyes. She slowly nodded her head, too terrified to speak. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Delaney watched the entire scene with completely cold, detached eyes. She did not feel a single ounce of pity for her aunt. The woman was finally receiving the exact cruelty she had dished out for years.