A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 194 - Hundred And Ninety Four

Ding...

The bell above the door of the dressmaker’s shop chimed with a bright, cheerful sound.

Inside, the shop was a warm, colorful haven against the sky. Bolts of expensive fabric—shimmering silks, soft muslins, and rich velvets—were stacked high on polished wooden shelves. The air smelled faintly of lavender water and crisp, newly cut linen.

Several ladies were gathered near the front window, speaking in hushed, excited whispers as the modiste, Madame Helena, measured ribbons.

Delaney stood quietly near the back of the shop.

She was looking through a row of day dresses. Hamish was standing dutifully outside the shop window, keeping a close watch on the street. Delaney ran her gloved fingers over a piece of thick, dark green wool. She was supposed to be buying clothes for her fake wedding to Lord Hawksley, but her mind was entirely focused on the sleeping tonic she would buy next.

Then, the shop bell chimed again.

The sound of a loud, demanding voice instantly filled the quiet room.

"Madame Helena!" the voice called out. It was a sharp, aristocratic tone that expected immediate attention. "I need to see the latest fashion plates from Paris immediately. We have a gown to adjust, and time is entirely running out!"

Delaney froze. She recognized that harsh, commanding voice instantly.

Delaney stepped slightly behind a large display of hanging silks. She peeked through the gap in the fabric and was completely surprised to see Lady Farrington standing in the center of the shop.

The older woman wore a highly expensive traveling dress, looking completely out of place in the shop. But what caught Delaney’s attention the most was the young woman walking quietly behind her.

It was Lady Celine Farrington.

Delaney watched them closely. Celine looked incredibly pale. She wore a high-necked dress that made her look like a fragile porcelain doll. She kept her head bowed slightly, her hands folded perfectly in front of her waist.

Lady Farrington was talking rapidly to the dressmaker, demanding to see the most expensive silks in the shop.

Celine stood silently behind her mother. She slowly lifted her head, her light blue eyes scanning the shop. As her gaze swept over the back aisles, she suddenly stopped.

Celine saw Delaney hiding behind the hanging silks.

Celine’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second. She quickly masked her surprise, forcing her face to remain perfectly blank. She looked at her mother’s back, and then she looked back at Delaney.

Over the past few days, a massive change had taken place inside Lady Celine.

She had decided that fighting her parents behind closed doors was entirely futile. If she cried, her mother slapped her. If she begged, her father threatened to hurt the people she cared about. She realized she could not win a war of words against monsters.

So, she had made a completely different, highly dangerous plan.

She had decided she would play along with them. She would agree to everything. She would let them sew the dress, send the invitations, and push her down the aisle. She would wait until the very day of the wedding, until the entire society of London was watching, and then she would disrupt everything. She planned to refuse the Duke of Ford loudly at the altar.

She knew the consequences perfectly well. She knew society would brand her a madwoman. She knew her reputation would be completely, utterly destroyed. No decent gentleman would ever look at her again. But she simply didn’t care about her reputation anymore. She just wanted to end this madness. She wanted to save herself and the Duke from her father’s blackmail, and she wanted to be free.

To make her plan work, she had to act like the perfect, obedient daughter until the trap was set.

Celine took a quiet breath and stepped closer to her mother. She put on a soft, entirely fake smile.

"Mama," Celine spoke, her voice light and perfectly pleasant.

Lady Farrington paused her demanding speech to the dressmaker and turned around. She looked at her daughter with a sharp, assessing gaze.

"What is it, Celine?" Lady Farrington asked impatiently.

"Can I be excused?" Celine asked softly. She pointed a gloved finger toward the back of the shop, exactly where Delaney was standing. "I saw a beautiful silk over there. I am sure the Duke would love it on me for an evening gown."

Lady Farrington stared at her daughter. Slowly, the harsh, tight lines around her mouth relaxed. A genuine, victorious smile spread across Lady Farrington’s powdered face.

She was so incredibly happy. Her daughter was finally accepting the situation. Celine was no longer crying in her room. She no longer rebelled against the engagement. She was actually thinking about pleasing the Duke of Ford. She was following everything her mother said without a single argument.

"Of course, my dear," Lady Farrington smiled, waving her hand approvingly. "Go and look. Choose whatever you like. We must ensure you are the most beautiful in all of England."

"Thank you, Mama," Celine replied, dipping into a graceful, obedient curtsy.

Lady Farrington turned her back and enthusiastically continued her talk with the dressmaker, entirely convinced that she had finally broken her daughter’s spirit.

Celine turned away from her mother. The obedient smile vanished from her face instantly, replaced by a look of urgent, serious determination.

She picked up the heavy skirts of her dress and walked quietly down the narrow aisle of fabrics. She moved quickly, wanting to stay out of her mother’s line of sight.

Celine went to the aisle where Delaney was hiding.

Delaney stepped out from behind the hanging silks. She stood tall, her dark green dress contrasting sharply with Celine’s pale blue one. They met halfway down the quiet, shadowed aisle, surrounded by tall shelves of colorful ribbons and lace.

"Miss Kingsley," Celine said. Her voice was a hushed, urgent whisper. She looked over her shoulder to ensure her mother was not watching them.

"What are you doing here?" Celine asked, looking back at Delaney with deep confusion. "I thought you were residing at Hamilton House in London."

Delaney kept her posture perfectly relaxed. She did not want to show any signs of panic. She offered a polite, calm smile.

Delaney replied, her voice equally low. "To buy clothes."

Celine blinked, realizing how silly her question sounded in the middle of a dressmaker’s shop. A faint blush of embarrassment touched her pale cheeks.

Celine smiled apologetically. "Of course. I am sorry. My mind is entirely scattered today."

The small smile quickly faded from Celine’s face. She looked down at the wooden floorboards, her breathing becoming slightly shallow. She took a step closer to Delaney, closing the distance between them so no one else could possibly hear.

"I have something to tell you," Celine whispered. Her eyes looked up, filled with a heavy, terrifying burden. "Something incredibly important."

Delaney’s calm expression shifted. She saw the genuine fear and the desperate urgency in the young woman’s eyes.

Delaney frowned her brows, leaning in slightly to hear better.

"What is the matter, Lady Celine?" Delaney asked softly.

Celine looked down at her hands. She twisted her hands in her dress, her fingers gripping the pale blue silk tightly. It was a nervous, frightened gesture. She was about to betray her own family. She was about to speak aloud the dark secrets she had kept hidden in her heart.

Celine took a deep, shaky breath and forced herself to look directly into Delaney’s hazel eyes.

"Well," Celine started, her voice trembling slightly. "My uncle is responsible for your parents’ death."

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and incredibly dangerous.

Celine watched Delaney’s face, expecting the matchmaker to gasp or to start screaming in horror. She hurried to explain everything, wanting to get the terrible truth out before her mother came looking for her.

"I have been eavesdropping on his and my father’s conversations for a while now," Celine confessed, her words rushing out in a frantic, desperate whisper. She kept twisting her hands in her dress. "My uncle, Lord Hawksley, gave your the money he used to pay a man to sabotage the carriage. And my father... my father was the one who covered for him. He used his money to hide the evidence so my uncle would not hang."

Celine stopped speaking. Her chest heaved as she waited for the explosion of grief and anger from the woman standing in front of her.

But the explosion never came.

Delaney stood perfectly still. A profound sense of sadness filled Delaney’s heart. She looked at the trembling, frightened young lady standing before her. Celine was willing to risk her own safety, and perhaps her own life, to warn a simple matchmaker about a murder.

Delaney smiled.

It was a soft, incredibly gentle smile. She looked at Celine with deep, genuine pity. She thought about the cruelty of the world. Celine’s family did not deserve a pure soul like her. Lord Farrington and Lord Hawksley were monsters, yet they had raised a girl who possessed more honor and bravery than both of them combined.

Delaney reached out her small hand. She gently placed it over Celine’s nervous, twisting fingers, stopping her frantic movements.

Delaney replied, her voice entirely calm and completely steady. "I know."

Celine froze completely.

The breath stopped in Celine’s lungs. Her hands went perfectly still beneath Delaney’s warm touch. She stared at the matchmaker, her mind struggling to process the completely unexpected answer.

Celine replied, her eyes widening with absolute surprise. "You knew?"