"Kingsley," Hawksley repeated. He rolled the name around in his mouth like a sip of wine he wasn't sure he liked. "Kingsley. It is a common enough name, I suppose. And yet..."
He narrowed his eyes, staring at the steam rising from his cup.
"It rings a bell," Hawksley murmured. "A rather unpleasant bell. There was a scandal, was there not? A few years back. A Baron Kingsley. Embezzlement and defrauding the queen, if I recall. Cheated the queen before having the decency to die."
The room went dead silent.
Ines stopped bouncing Harry. Celine froze with her teacup halfway to her mouth. Even Lady Farrington looked uncomfortable, her fan fluttering rapidly against her chest.
Rowan felt a cold spike of adrenaline. He didn't know Delaney's history—she had never told him about her family—but he saw the trap opening. If Hawksley connected Delaney to a disgraced Baron, her reputation would be ruined. And by extension, his own judgment would be questioned. Hawksley was trying to trap him.
