A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 208 - Two Hundred And Eight

Flora wiped a tear from her cheek. The pride in her voice shifted into a deep, agonizing sorrow.

"But Lord Farrington is a monster," Flora spat, the word carrying years of hatred. "And he is much smarter than we ever realized. The very next morning, the Earl went into his study. Edward had left everything perfectly in place, but Lord Farrington noticed something we did not. He noticed a single, tiny smudge of dirt on the edge of his hidden safe. He opened the safe and found the ledger missing."

Rowan felt a cold chill run down his spine. Farrington’s attention to detail was terrifying.

"The Earl did not shout. He did not call the guards," Flora whispered, shivering in the warm drawing room. "He stayed completely calm. He examined the lock and saw fresh, tiny scratches on the brass. He knew a duplicate key had been made. He called his footman, tortured him into confessing and sent his worst, most violent men into the local villages. By nightfall, they found the locksmith. They beat the man until he described the young, tall stable boy who had ordered the key."

Flora squeezed her eyes shut. The tears fell freely now, tracking down her wrinkled cheeks.

"Lord Farrington knew it was Edward. But he did not arrest him. He waited. He waited for Edward to make his move. And Edward did."

The room was completely silent, save for the sound of Flora’s quiet weeping. Rowan did not rush her. He waited patiently, his heart aching for the tragic end he knew was coming.

"It was the night of the elopement," Flora sniffed, opening her eyes. "Edward had been planning for two days. He packed a single small bag. Celine was wearing a simple dark cloak. I walked with them to the edge of the stables to say goodbye. Edward was holding the reins of two horses. He smiled at me. He told me Celine was going to be free."

Flora’s voice broke into a harsh, ragged sob.

"Then, Lord Farrington stepped out of the shadows. He had been waiting in the dark the entire time. He held a hunting rifle in his hand."

Rowan’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached.

"Lord Farrington caught him," Flora wept, covering her face with her hands. "He did not even ask for the ledger back. He did not say a single word to Edward. He simply raised his gun and shot him dead. Right in the chest. Edward fell into the mud. And then..." Flora choked on the words, struggling to push them out. "And then, Lord Farrington walked closer. Edward was already struggling to breathe, but the Earl reloaded his rifle and he kept on shooting him. Over and over again, to punish him for daring to sabotage his plans."

Rowan closed his eyes. The sheer, cold-blooded brutality of the act was sickening. It was no wonder Celine was a broken, terrified shell of a woman. She had watched the man she loved be butchered by her own father.

"I saw the whole thing happen with my own eyes," Flora cried softly. "I was hiding behind a carriage. Lady Celine was screaming. She fell into the mud, begging her father to stop, but he ignored her. When the gun was finally empty, Celine completely lost her mind. Out of pure, blinding rage and grief, she screamed at her father. She spilled the secret. She told him that she was no longer pure. She told him that Edward had already taken her innocence, and she would never be able to marry the port commissioner or any other respectable man."

Carcel let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a tragic, desperate confession meant to hurt her father, but it had only sealed her fate.

"Lord Farrington did not even flinch," Flora said, wiping her face with the back of her trembling hand. "He knew all along. He looked at his weeping daughter with pure disgust. He immediately went into the house. He sent Celine away to a strict convent in France the very next morning for damage control. He told the society papers she was going to France to be more refined as a Lady."

Flora took a deep, shuddering breath, calming her tears. She looked directly at Rowan.

"Then, he turned his attention to me," Flora explained, her voice dropping into a fearful whisper. "He accused me of theft. I was Celine’s personal maid, so he knew I was close to her. He wanted to get rid of me too. He dragged me into his study."

Rowan leaned forward. "How did you survive?"

"I played the fool," Flora answered honestly. "I fell to my knees and pleaded with him. I swore to him that I would not tell a single soul about Lady Celine’s lost purity. I cried and begged for my life. Lord Farrington looked at me like I was an insect. But he only kept me alive because he thought I was ignorant. He thought I only knew of the elopement and the lost virtue. He did not know that Edward had told me everything about the smuggling. He did not know that Edward had told me about ledger."

Flora wiped her eyes one last time, her posture straightening with a lingering, defiant pride.

"He then dismissed me without a character reference," Flora said. "He threw me out onto the street, ensuring I would live in poverty for the rest of my days, too poor and too frightened to ever speak against an Earl."

Rowan stared at the brave, exhausted woman. She had carried this horrific, heavy burden for three entire years. She had lived in constant, terrifying fear, yet she had still found the courage to come forward when Delaney offered her a safe hand.

Rowan took a slow, deep breath, organizing the facts in his mind. Farrington believed the ledger was lost, perhaps buried with Edward.

Rowan asked, his voice incredibly gentle but filled with a sudden, sharp hope. "Do you know where the ledger is?"

Flora nodded her head. The fear completely left her pale eyes, replaced by a quiet, fierce victory. She reached down to the floor beside the velvet sofa.

She picked up her worn, faded shoulder bag. She rested it on her lap and unbuckled the leather strap with steady hands.

"Before Edward went to the stables that night," Flora said softly, looking down into the bag, "he knew the Earl might send someone after him. He knew it was too dangerous to carry. So, he gave the book to me to hide. He told me to keep it safe until they sent for me."

She reached deep into the bag. She pulled out a thick, heavy book bound in cracked black leather.

She held it out toward the Duke of Hamilton.

" I have it here" Flora said clearly. "I brought it with me."