A Scandal By Any Other Name

Upstairs, on the wide carpeted landing of the staircase, Lady Celine Farrington remained curled tightly into a small ball.

The loud, violent echo of the gunshot had faded from the air, but it still rang loudly in her ears. She kept her eyes squeezed completely shut. Her hands were pressed hard against the sides of her head, trying to block out the terrible memories.

For several long minutes, Celine could not move. Her mind was trapped in the dark past. Her breath came in short, rapid gasps. Her entire body shook with absolute terror.

But as the minutes ticked by, she slowly realized something important.

The house was incredibly quiet.

There was no shouting. There was no sound of boots marching on the marble floors. There was no sound of her father’s cruel, commanding voice. The Crown Guards had taken him away. The terrifying Earl, the man who had controlled her every breath and ruined her life, was truly gone.

Celine slowly took her hands away from her ears. She opened her eyes.

The hallway was completely empty. The servants were hiding in the kitchens, too afraid to come out. Her mother was still out socializing.

Celine was entirely alone.

"Breathe, Celine," she whispered to herself. Her voice was incredibly weak and shaky. "Just breathe."

She forced her lungs to take in a slow, deep breath of the cool morning air. Then, she let it out. She did it again, and again, until the tight, painful knot in her chest began to loosen. She calmed herself down, but her hands were still shaking slightly against the carpet.

She slowly uncurled her legs. She placed her hands flat on the floor and pushed herself up. Her knees felt like jelly, but she forced herself to stand. She leaned heavily against the wooden banister of the staircase, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the polished wood for support.

She looked down at the foyer. The large front doors were still wide open, letting the cold breeze blow into the house. On the floor, the expensive porcelain vase lay in a thousand shattered pieces, destroyed by her father’s wild gunshot.

It looked exactly like her family’s reputation.

Completely broken.

Celine stood up straight. Now that her father was gone, and the house was empty, she had a clear window of opportunity. This was her chance. She had made a promise to Miss Kingsley, and she was going to keep it. She was going to find the ledger and fulfill her part of the deal.

"For Edward," Celine whispered firmly.

She let go of the banister and began to walk down the marble stairs. She moved carefully, holding the skirts of her morning dress so she would not trip. She reached the bottom step and walked past the shattered vase, completely ignoring the sharp pieces of porcelain crunching beneath her soft shoes.

She turned and walked down the ground-floor hallway. She stopped in front of the doors of her father’s private study.

The door was slightly ajar. Celine pushed it open and entered the room. She closed the door quietly behind her.

She walked straight toward the bookshelves lining the far wall. She reached up and pulled three leather-bound books away from the middle shelf. Behind the books, hidden in the dark shadows of the wooden shelf, was a loose wooden panel.

She pried the panel open with her fingers. Behind it sat a smalliron safe. It had a small, round keyhole in the center.

Celine stared at the lock. She needed the key.

She turned around and walked over to the desk. Her hands were still trembling, making her movements slightly clumsy. She opened the top drawer. It was filled with fresh parchment, sealing wax, and spare quills. She pushed the items aside, running her hands along the bottom of the drawer.

Nothing.

She opened the second drawer, and then the third. She found old letters, expensive cigars, and a silver letter opener, but no key.

"Where did you put it, Papa?" Celine asked the empty room.

She closed her eyes and tried to think. She tried to remember the night she had secretly watched him open the safe. He had been sitting at his desk. He had reached for something.

She opened her eyes and looked at the top of the desk. Sitting near the corner was an old wooden cigar box. Her father loved his cigars, but he rarely smoked the ones in this specific box.

Celine walked around the desk. She reached out and opened the lid of the cigar box. Inside, it was completely empty of tobacco. But resting right in the very center of the velvet lining was a small brass key.

Celine let out a loud gasp of pure relief.

She eventually found it.

She reached into the box and picked up the key. The metal was cold against her warm skin. She gripped it tightly in her fist and hurried back across the room to the tall bookshelves.

She stood in front of the iron safe. Her hands were shaking so much that she missed the keyhole on her first try. She took another deep breath, steadying her right hand with her left, and pushed the key into the small hole.

She turned the key. It made a loud clack

sound. Celine pulled the small door open. The hinges squeaked slightly.

The inside of the safe was small and dark. It looked completely empty at first glance. But then, Celine reached her hand inside. She felt the cold, cracked leather resting flat against the bottom iron plate.

She pulled it out.

It was the ledger.

Celine stared at the book in her hands. She felt a massive, overwhelming wave of emotion wash over her. This book was the reason Lord Arthur Kingsley was dead. This book held the terrible secrets that had ruined so many innocent lives. And now, she held it in her own two hands.

She did not open it. She did not need to see the names or the numbers. She simply clutched it tightly against her chest, right over her beating heart.

She turned away from the safe, leaving the iron door wide open. She walked quickly out of the study, closing the door behind her.

Celine went straight to her room.

She ran up the staircase, moving much faster than before. She reached her bedchamber and quickly locked the door from the inside, afraid that her mother might suddenly come back and starts looking for her.

She placed the ledger carefully on her bed. She needed to leave the house immediately. She had to meet Delaney at the dressmaker’s shop.

Celine quickly dressed. She took off her morning dress, opened her large wardrobe and pulled out a plain woolen dress. It was simple and warm. She pulled it over her head, her fingers fumbling slightly with the small buttons on the bodice.

She reached into her wardrobe again and pulled out a cloak. She wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, pulling the large hood up to cover her bright blonde curls.

She picked up the ledger from the bed. She also picked up a warm, fur-lined muff to keep her hands warm. She slid the book deep inside the soft muff, hiding it completely from sight.

Now, she faced a new problem. The shop was several miles away. She could not walk there and she certainly could not ask the Farrington coachman to prepare the family carriage. The servants would ask too many questions.

She needed to hire a carriage from the local inn or catch a passing travel coach on the main road. But she had absolutely no money. Her father controlled every single penny in the house. He never gave her loose coins, only sending the bills directly to his steward.

Celine looked around her bedroom.

She walked over to her dressing table. Sitting on the wood was a beautiful jewelry box.

She opened the lid. Inside, resting on soft black velvet, were sparkling diamonds, green emeralds, and glowing white pearls. Her father had bought them to make her look rich and appealing to the wealthy lords of the ton.

Celine did not care about the jewels anymore. They felt like heavy chains.

She reached into the box and pulled out a stunning necklace made of bright blue sapphires and clear diamonds. It was incredibly beautiful and worth a small fortune.

"This will be more than enough," Celine told herself.

She clutched the sparkling necklace in her hand, grabbed her thick muff containing the hidden ledger, and unlocked her bedroom door.

She sneaked quietly down the back stairs, using the narrow passages the servants usually took. The house was still completely silent. She slipped out the kitchen door and stepped into the crisp morning air.

Celine walked quickly across the back lawns, hiding behind the tall green hedges until she reached the main dirt road that led away from the grand estate.

She walked along the edge of the road for several minutes, her breath making small white clouds in the cold air. She looked down the road, praying for a carriage to appear.

Finally, she heard the rhythmic sound of horse hooves and wooden wheels.

A plain, sturdy carriage came around the bend. It was driven by an older man wearing a thick, worn coat. It looked like a local hired carriage returning from a long trip.

Celine stepped out slightly into the road and raised her hand, waving frantically.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Celine called out.

The driver pulled the leather reins, bringing the tired horse to a slow halt. He looked down at the young woman wearing an expensive cloak. He recognized her instantly as the daughter of the Earl.

"Lady Celine?" the driver asked, tipping his hat with a look of deep confusion. "What are you doing out here on the road without a proper escort?"

Celine did not answer his question. She stepped closer to the carriage. She opened her hand and held up the sparkling sapphire and diamond necklace. The bright blue stones caught the morning light, shining brilliantly.

The driver’s eyes widened in absolute shock. His jaw dropped. He had never seen such a magnificent piece of jewelry so close before.

"I need you to take me somewhere immediately," Celine said. Her voice was firm and completely desperate. She held the expensive necklace out toward him. "I do not have any coins. But I will give you this. It is worth more than a hundred carriage rides."

The driver stared at the necklace, and then he looked at the desperate, flushed face of the young lady. He did not know what kind of trouble she was in, but he was a poor man, and the necklace could feed his family for years.

He slowly reached out his hand and took the necklace. He stared at it for a second before slipping it quickly into his deep coat pocket.

"Climb in, My Lady," the driver said, nodding his head.

Celine let out a massive sigh of relief. She quickly opened the door of the carriage. She hiked up her wool skirts and climbed into the small cabin. She sat down heavily on the worn leather seat, keeping her fur muff pulled tightly against her stomach to protect the hidden ledger.

The driver looked back at her through the small sliding window.

"Where to, My Lady?" he asked.

Celine looked straight ahead. "To town, please," She said to the driver as she got into the carriage. "Take me to the dressmaker’s shop. And please, hurry."

The driver clicked his tongue and slapped the leather reins against the horse’s back. The carriage jerked forward, picking up speed as it rolled down the dirt road, heading straight for town to meet Delaney.