A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 188 - Hundred And Eighty Eight

Delaney turned away from the miserable couple. She picked up her small travel bag and walked up the stone steps.

As she passed her aunt, she saw the sheer hatred burning in Eunice’s tear-filled eyes and Eunice saw the smirk on Delaney’s face as she walked into the house. It was a very small, very dark smile. It was the smile of a woman who knew exactly how much power she held over them all.

Delaney stepped through the heavy front doors and entered the grand foyer.

The house smelled of beeswax polish and old wood. The portraits of her ancestors hung on the walls, their painted eyes seeming to watch her return. She ignored them all.

She walked toward the main staircase. A young maid, wearing a plain gray dress and a white apron, was hurrying down the hall with an armful of clean linens.

Delaney stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

Inside, Delaney called the maid to clean her room.

"You there," Delaney spoke. Her voice was no longer the quiet whisper of a terrified orphan. It was the clear, commanding tone of the true Baroness Kingsley. "Go upstairs and prepare my room immediately. Open the windows to air it out, change the sheets, and light a fire in the hearth."

The young maid stopped, clutching the linens to her chest. She looked at Delaney, completely confused. She had worked in the house for years, and she knew Delaney as the disgraced niece who slept in the cold, drafty storage room in the attic.

The maid replied, her voice arrogant. "I beg your pardon, Miss. But the storage room in the attic is already being prepared for you. The mistress gave the orders this morning."

Delaney’s hazel eyes narrowed into dangerous, lethal slits. She had specifically demanded to be treated with respect. She did not argue. She simply raised her hand.

Slap!

Delaney slapped the maid sharply across the cheek.

It was not a brutal, violent blow like Cole’s had been, but it was entirely sharp enough to sting and demand immediate, absolute obedience.

The maid gasped in shock, her hand flying to her cheek. She took a step back, staring at Delaney with wide, frightened eyes. The quiet orphan had never raised a hand to a servant before.

"I said," Delaney repeated slowly, emphasizing every single word with cold authority, "you should have my room prepared. The large bedchamber on the first floor at the end of the hall. My old room."

At that exact moment, Cole Kingsley walked through the front doors, looking deeply stressed and rubbing his forehead.

Delaney turned to her uncle, completely unbothered by her own violence.

"Right, Uncle?" Delaney asked smoothly, raising a challenging eyebrow. "I believe we agreed to certain conditions regarding my comfort during this week. Or shall I instruct the driver to take me back to London immediately?"

Cole’s eyes widened in panic. If she left, he would lose the final payment from Hawksley, and Hawksley would likely kill him. He could not afford to anger her over a simple bedroom.

Cole nodded his head rapidly, agreeing to her demands without a second thought.

"Yes, yes," Cole said quickly, waving his hand toward the terrified maid. "Go and prepare her room for her. The large one on the first floor. Do exactly as she says, immediately."

The maid bowed deeply, her hands trembling. "Yes, my lord. Yes, Miss. Right away."

The maid turned and practically ran up the grand staircase, desperate to escape the tense, dangerous atmosphere of the foyer.

Delaney did not look at her uncle again. She simply picked up her small travel bag and followed the maid up the stairs, her head held high, reclaiming her rightful place in her own home.

Now alone in the grand foyer, Cole let out a long, heavy sigh. He rubbed his temples again, feeling the sharp headache completely taking over his mind.

The heavy front doors opened again, and Eunice stepped inside. She held a lace handkerchief to her red, stinging cheek. She glared at her husband, her eyes filled with cold, venomous fury.

Cole faced Eunice. He looked at his angry wife, feeling entirely exhausted by her constant complaining. He had a massive, complicated plot to manage, and she was making everything entirely too difficult.

"Can’t you just let go for once?" Cole demanded, his voice a harsh, tired whisper. "Can’t you just keep your mouth shut for one single week? You nearly ruined everything on the front steps, Eunice."

Eunice lowered the handkerchief. She sneered at him, her pride deeply wounded.

"Ruined everything?" Eunice hissed, stepping closer to him. "You struck me, Cole. You struck your own wife for a miserable, useless orphan! You think I will simply forget that?"

"I struck you because you were screaming about murder in front of the footmen!" Cole shouted back, completely losing his patience. He grabbed her arm tightly, leaning his face close to hers. "Listen to me very carefully, woman. Lord Hawksley is paying us a massive fortune for that girl. A fortune that will save us from complete ruin."

He gave her arm a slight shake, making sure she understood the sheer gravity of the situation.

"We just need to keep her calm and happy for seven days," Cole explained through clenched teeth. "We give her a soft bed. We give her new dresses. We let her act like a lady. And then, at the end of the week, we hand her over to Lord Hawksley, we take our gold, and we never have to look at her miserable face ever again."

He let go of her arm.

"So," Cole finished, his eyes completely hard. "You will smile at her. You will serve her tea if she asks for it. You will do whatever it takes to ensure she walks down that aisle without a single complaint. Do you understand me?"

Eunice stared at him, her chest heaving with lingering anger. She hated Delaney with every fiber of her being. She hated the girl’s beautiful face that looked a lot like her sister in law, and she hated the fact that her brother in law, Arthur, had been a far better man than her husband.

But Eunice loved money far more than she hated her niece. The promise of a massive fortune was enough to buy her temporary silence. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Eunice nodded her head once, a sharp, jerky movement.

"Fine," Eunice spat bitterly. "I will play the loving aunt for seven days. But the moment Hawksley takes her away, I am buying an entirely new wardrobe for the London season."

Cole sighed, turning away from her. "Buy whatever you want, Eunice. Just stay out of my way."

He walked heavily toward his private study.