Guidebook for the Dark Duke

Chapter 1 - The New Priest

Evan got off the train, and the conductor helped him carry his luggage out. Evan nodded slightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally took out five shillings and handed it to the conductor. 

“Thank you.” Evan said gently. 

The conductor took Evan’s tip excitedly. Just to carry the luggage, even a generous businessman would not have such a big hand. 

“Thank you, Mr. Priest, you’re so kind, you must be a good priest.” The conductor was almost incoherent. 

There was a hint of regret in Evan’s expression, but in the end, he smiled slightly, “Thank you for your compliment.” 

He took his salute from the conductor and walked towards the platform. Looking at a middle aged woman standing behind a pillar with a serious expression, Evan felt he must have found the right person. 

Evan strode up to the middle aged woman and said warmly, “Are you Mrs Sanders?” 

The middle aged woman had a rigid expression and the lines on her face made her look serious and inhumane. She was wearing a long brown skirt. She looked Evan up and down and said stiffly, “Yes”. 

Evan smiled gently, “Hello, I’m the new priest, Evan Bruce.” 

Mrs Sanders nodded quickly, her expression still did not improve, and said coldly, “I am Mrs Sanders, the parish secretary of Delanlier. Welcome to Delanlier, Reverend Bruce. There is another deacon waiting outside the station’s gate. Please, come with me.” 

Evan nodded with a smile and said thank you. They were about to go outside but heard Mrs Sanders say, “Reverend Bruce, please allow my offense. At your annual salary of 400 pounds a year, next time you tip, keep it within a shilling or you’ll go bankrupt within a year.” 

Looking at Mrs Sanders’ cold face, Evan smiled with a little embarrassment. Over half a year ago, he returned to England at the end of the 19th century overnight. This had no less impact on him than life and death, not to mention these folk customs which he was more ignorant about. It’s no wonder it was ugly now. 

“Your words are good words for me. Thank you for your advice.” Evan said gently. 

Mrs Sanders raised the corners of her mouth quickly. “Just don’t mind my offence.” 

After speaking, she turned and walked out of the station. Evan didn’t dare to delay and quickly followed. 

The deacon who came to pick Evan was named George but he was a kid who had just graduated from college. He had an ordinary appearance and had many freckles on the tip of his nose. 

George was a little embarrassed in front of Evan at first, but ten minutes after he got into the carriage, George completely opened the conversation. Evan turned slightly to show that he was listening, but in fact, his mind had already flown 18,000 miles away. 

He had lived a good life as a playboy, but he came to this place overnight and became the assistant priest of a small church in the suburbs of London. 

Evan looked at the scenery of the English countryside outside the window and couldn’t help sighing. If it wasn’t for this transfer, he wouldn’t have come to such a place. Delanlier, a place that didn’t exist, exists in a book. This place he came to is not only the England of the 19th century but also a world that exists in a book. 

In his topics of conversation, George has already talked about the development of Delanlier from the construction of trains. You must know that Delanlier is not an unknown place. Although it is just a town, this town is the fief of the famous Duke of  Wilson. 

Charles Krist, Duke of Wilson, whose ancestry can be traced back to the Middle ages. His family is the oldest family in England. His father had fought on the battlefield and was awarded the rank of General, and his mother was the cousin of the current king of England, Princess Margaret. His illustrious background made him live like a king in the small town of Delanlier. People worshipped him and admired him greatly and George was no exception. 

“The Duke has reached an agreement with the Congressman that Delanlier will also open a textile factory in the future. Mr. Priest, do you know that this will bring more than 1000 jobs to Delanlier? It will be more prosperous in the future.” The tip of George’s nose was flushed with excitement and he would have danced if he had not been sitting in the carriage. 

Evan’s expression changed slightly and he said warmly, “Oh? The duke you’re talking is Duke Wilson?” 

“Who else is there other than Duke Wilson? There is no second duke here.” George said jokingly. 

At this moment, Mrs Sanders coughed softly and George immediately put away his hippie smile. He carefully glanced at Mrs Sanders who was sitting opposite him and didn’t dare to say a word again. 

Evan slightly raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mrs Sanders sideways. She still looked cold and dignified, the lines at the corners of her mouth became deeper. 

Evan lowered his head, looked at the Bible he had been in his hand and smiled softly. 

******

Delanlier is not far from the train and they arrived there in only twenty minutes by carriage. 

The carriage crossed the whole Delanlier and Evan looked at this unknown town through the carriage window. The British-style buildings stood on both sides with a subtle and elegant atmosphere, and the vitality of the town was also in view. The bakery, the Post office and the barber shop all came with a unique British style and this made Evan feel a little fascinated. 

Mrs Sanders looked at Evan and said solemnly, “There are not many strangers in Delanlier, so people inevitably get curious.”

Evan glanced at Mrs Sanders and did not explain her misunderstanding, because he suddenly found that people were truly staring at him. 

Evan was a little embarrassed for a moment, but still said warmly, “It is understandable.” 

When they crossed the main street of Delanlier and walked 3 miles south, they finally reached Delanlier’s church. 

The church was built on a gentle slope and under the sunlight, the snow white walls emitted a faint shimmer. 

Evan got off the carriage and walked around the church with great interest. The forest around the church was hidden, the low Bush was verdant and bright hydrangea grew on the walls of the church. The surrounding view was wide, it was sunny, and the interior of the church was well lit and beautifully built, dignified and spacious. This was completely different from the small church that he had served in before. 

Evan nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, “The church is very beautiful.” 

Mrs Sanders’ face softened a little this time and said warmly, “This was built by the duke. God bless him. The duke is a gentleman and a faithful believer.” 

Evan couldn’t help bending the corners of his lips but he didn’t say anything and just smiled. 

After they visited the church, George sent him to the parsonage that had been given to him. It was a single family house with a small garden where geraniums were growing vigorously. 

Evan touched the petals of the geranium with his fingertips. George hurriedly stepped forward and said, “The wife of the last priest liked geraniums very much, so she planted a lot of them. If you don’t like it, you can plant something else.” 

Evan looked at the beautiful flowers, smiled and shook his head, “No, this is fine.” 

Afterwards, George introduced him to the servants who served there. A gardener, a manservant, a cook, a maid and an errand boy. 

Evan was very satisfied. He wasn’t very rich. Although his father is a gentleman in the traditional sense, he is only the second son. He cannot get a penny from his father so this was enough for him to live comfortably. 

George had thought that Evan was a rich man who would be difficult to serve so he didn’t expect him to accept this slightly simple environment so easily. So, he was relieved and hurriedly said, “It’s good you’re satisfied. By the way, Reverend Bruce, tomorrow is Monday. Although there is no need to go to church, because it is your first day here, I still want to invite you to preach.” 

After Evan crossed over and became an assistant priest for half a year, he had already done countless sermons for the alcoholic priest. So he didn’t panic when he heard this and responded with a smile. 

He sent George to the door and was about to say goodbye to him when George seemed to have remembered something and said, “By the way, I almost forgot to tell you. Mrs Lawrence will hold a welcome banquet for you. Please make sure you’re there.” 

“Mrs Lawrence?” Evan raised his eyebrow slightly. If he remembered correctly, this Mrs Lawrence had taken up a lot of space in the original book. 

“Yes, Mr Lawrence is a member of the town council, and Mrs Lawrence is also well known locally. Their only son, John, is even working for the duke.”  George said with a smile. 

Evan pursed his lips slightly and a dark light flashed in his eyes. He had already arrived at this place. For the sake of his future survival, he could not let go of anyone who could be in contact with Duke Wilson. 

“Please thank her for her kindness. I will definitely attend.” Evan replied with a smile. 

In the book, this Duke Wilson was like a nuclear bomb. His three views were completely different from those of normal people. The people who died in his hands was not only Evan who tried to provoke him in the original book, but also small characters who also provoked him and innocent passersby who were implicated. There were only two kinds of people who survived under Duke Wilson, the big killer, one is an NPC who doesn’t even show his face, and the other is people he loves. 

Evan is not the kind of person who is willing to be an NPC, at the same time he is not a very ethical person. So, in order to live a better life in this world, he needs more resources and status. When he came to this place, he decided that he must include this noble duke with serious personality flaws in his plans. 

Evan stood at the door with a slight raise of his lips and watched George walk away. His slender body became taller and taller under the sunlight, his curly blonde hair was neatly combed behind his ears. His handsome face carried a breath of abstinence with his priest’s uniform but there was a faint sneer in his blue eyes. Like an angel possessed by demons, both holy and terrifying.