A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 88 - Eighty Eight

Rowan paced across the room. His long legs ate up the distance. He walked to the window and stared out at the gardens, but he did not see the flowers. He saw a prison.

If he backed out of the marriage now, the penalty would bankrupt him. He would lose his ancestral lands. Ines and Carcel would have to support him. The tenants who relied on him would starve.

But if he went through with the marriage, he was tied to a family he did not trust. He was tied to a man who wants to milk him dry. He was tied to a woman he did not love.

He turned back to the desk. He felt a surge of wild, hot anger. He wanted to tear the contract into tiny pieces. He wanted to ride to London, find Hawksley, and throw him into the Thames.

But he could not.

There was nothing stopping him from marrying Celine now. In fact, everything was forcing him to do it. With the way the contract was drawn, he could not take it to court. He could not fight it legally.

Why? Because it looked completely consensual.

He had walked into the Sterling Consortium office on his own two feet. He had brought his "cousin." He had negotiated the price. He had signed the document with a clear mind in front of five witnesses. No judge in England would believe he had been tricked. They would simply say the Duke of Ford made a bad bargain and must pay the price.

His hands were tied. Thick, heavy, invisible ropes bound his wrists.

He walked slowly back to the desk. He felt defeated. The Golden Duke, the man who was supposed to be perfect, had been outsmarted by a common swindler with a title.

He picked up the solicitor’s letter again. He had not finished reading it. His eyes were heavy, but he forced himself to look at the last paragraph.

Your Grace, I understand this news is devastating. The trap was laid with masterful deceit. However, English law is not entirely without mercy. There is one small window of hope.

Rowan’s eyes widened slightly. He stopped breathing. He held the paper closer to the light of the window.

I have examined the marriage clauses hidden in the business text. They rely on the assumption of ’good faith’ from both parties. If you marry Lady Celine, the penalty is voided, and the shares are yours. But, if you discover a breach of this good faith after the wedding, you have a recourse. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Rowan’s eyes flew across the ink.

There is a standard clause that Hawksley included, likely to make the document appear routine to any clerk. It states that the contract remains valid unless there is a ’significant deception, fraud, or hidden scandal concerning the bride’ discovered within six months of the wedding day.

Rowan paused. He read the sentence again. Significant deception. Hidden scandal.

If you marry her, the solicitor wrote, and within the first six months you can prove that her family hid a severe flaw, a scandal, or a prior ruin, you can petition the Crown for an annulment or a divorce. If the court grants it based on fraud, the entire contract—including the railway penalty—is completely destroyed.

You will be free, and you will keep your money and acquire theirs for damages.

Rowan slowly lowered the letter.

He stared at the blank wall opposite his desk. His mind, usually so calm and ordered, was racing at lightning speed.

Six months.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

It explained why Lady Farrington was so desperate. It explained why Hawksley was pushing so hard to sign the marriage contract. They did not want a long engagement. They wanted the ring on Celine’s finger now.

They were hiding something.

Rowan thought about Celine. He pictured her at the Pall Mall game. She was beautiful, yes. But she was quiet. She looked frightened. When she looked at her mother, her eyes held a deep, profound sadness that did not belong on the face of an innocent debutante.

He remembered how Lady Farrington hovered over her, controlling every word she spoke. He remembered how desperate the mother had been to confirm that the Hamilton diamonds would be worn.

They were selling her. And they were doing it quickly, before the goods could be inspected too closely.

Rowan placed his hands flat on the oak desk. He leaned his weight onto his arms.

"They have a secret," Rowan whispered to the quiet room.

A dark, dangerous energy began to fill his chest. The panic and defeat faded away, replaced by a cold, hard determination.

They thought they had trapped a Duke. They thought they had backed an animal into a corner. But they had forgotten that a cornered animal is the most dangerous kind.

Rowan looked at the signed contract. He hated it. He hated the ink. He hated his own signature.

But he saw the path forward. It was a dark path, filled with lies and pain, but it was the only way out.

He could not escape the wedding. He had to stand at the altar. He had to say the vows. He had to place his mother’s ring on Celine Farrington’s finger and make her his Duchess. If he did not, his family would be destroyed.

But he would not be a victim.

He would marry her. He would smile for the society papers. He would play the part of the smitten, perfect husband.

And from the moment they were married, the clock would start ticking.

He had six months. Six months to tear apart the Farrington family’s history. Six months to dig into their closets and find the skeleton they were hiding so desperately. Six months to prove they had committed fraud.

He thought of Carcel. Carcel was already looking for Vance. Together, they would find something.

And he thought of Delaney.

His heart gave a painful, violent twist.

Delaney. The woman who made him laugh. The woman who matched him in wit and anger.

If he married Celine, Delaney would leave. Her contract would be complete. She would take her money and disappear from his life forever. The thought of never seeing her again, of never arguing with her, felt like a physical wound in his chest.

But he had no choice. He had to protect his family. He had to protect the estate. He just hoped he finds something even before the wedding.