"So that is how it happened," Celine said. Her voice was barely a whisper, completely drained of all its energy after recounting the terrifying morning her father had been arrested. She stood in the narrow, shadowed aisle of the dressmaker's shop, holding her heavy winter cloak tightly around her small body.
Delaney looked at the young, exhausted lady. She carefully tucked the blackmail ledger away.
"It is alright," Delaney replied, her voice soft but filled with an undeniable, fierce strength. She reached out and placed her gloved hand gently on Celine's arm. "You are safe now, Celine. Your father has been taken away by the Crown Guards. He is going to face the high courts. He is going to pay for absolutely everything he did to you, to Edward, and to everyone else."
