Guidebook for the Dark Duke

Chapter 24.1 - GDD Chapter 24.1

THIS CHAPTER IS A ‘THREE CHAPTERS IN ONE’ CHAPTER, SO IT WILL BE DIVIDED INTO THREE. EACH IS AS LONG AS A NORMAL CHAPTER. 

Duke Wilson was stunned for a moment. Dully, he looked at Evan’s blue eyes, as if he was on a boat on a clean and clear lake. His curly golden hair was emitting a soft light under the sunlight, just like the warm sun on a spring day, warm and beautiful.

“You….you….” Duke Wilson was speechless.

Evan smiled, his handsome features became more gentle and warm, “Lord Duke, you can call me Evan.”

Trembling, Duke Wilson raised his hand to touch Evan’s cheek. But he stopped, and spoke with difficulty, “Evan…”   (Oh boy, our dear duke is falling for the wolf)

Evan smiled and held the duke’s hand. He said warmly, “Lord Duke, thank you for your comfort today.”

Duke Wilson felt like his hand was scalded by something and he wanted to withdraw his hand but he stopped and spoke stiffly, “You’re welcome.”

Evan saw that his initial purpose has been achieved so he stopped teasing Duke Wilson. He let go of the duke’s hand and stood up. Duke Wilson also stood up with him but his posture was stiff.

Evan pretended like he didn’t see this and said warmly, “Edward should wake up soon. I’ll go in and see him before I leave. There are still many things to do in the church this afternoon so I have to go back early.”

Duke Wilson raised his head when he heard Evan say he was leaving. Feeling uncomfortable, he looked at Evan with soft eyes, “So soon?”

Evan smiled, “You said it last time. I shouldn’t delay my work.” He said this as a joke but he actually knew how much he cared about what the duke said to him the last time.

When he said this, the duke looked embarrassed and he gently coughed a few times, “I was really rude to you last time. Please don’t mind what happened last time. This time, please stay and let me make up for the mistake.”

Evan waved his hand generously, “There’s no need for that, Lord Duke, I really have something to do this time.”

Duke Wilson’s face was stiff, he didn’t hold him back any longer and stood where he was watching Evan walk through the rose bushes and walk back to the castle.

Evan felt the duke’s gaze and he had a smile of determination on his lips. Duke Wilson has slowly begun to walk into the trap he laid for him, and he is about to succeed.

When Evan returned to Edward’s room, Alia was not there. According to Evan’s speculations, Alia definitely didn’t want to see him so she left first. That was fine though, he wasn’t in the mood to act against her. He comforted little Edward, who had just woken up, turned and went downstairs.

By the time he got downstairs, the duke had also returned. When the duke saw him, there was a momentary flash of embarrassment on his face but he quickly returned to the usual cold duke. Glancing at Evan, he nodded and said warmly, “I’ll take you out.”

Evan smiled and nodded in response. The duke sent Evan to the gate of the manor. Evan waved goodbye to the duke and left, but the duke stayed where he was, watching him leave.

The duke’s expression became dazed as he watched Evan walk away. Evan is the most noble and upright person he has ever met in this world, and he is also the best friend he wants to have, but today….

Without thinking further, the duke frowned, turned and walked back into the manor.

************

When Evan returned to the church, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Mrs Sanders had come back. After the previous sickness and pain, Mrs Sanders has finally recovered but she was much thinner. The usually fitted skirt looked a bit empty when she wore it and looking at it, Evan felt it was a little scary.

“My dear lady, your body has not fully recovered yet so you should rest for a few more days.” Evan said worriedly.

Mrs Sanders’ face looked sallow. She gently waved her hand, “I’ve rested enough. I want to continue working.”

Mr Chandler, who brought Mrs Sanders, was also worried, “Ma’am, are you really okay?”

Mrs Sanders looked at Mr Chandler with an expression that was softer than usual, “Don’t worry, I know my own body well.”

At the insistence of Mrs Sanders, the worried Mr Chandler finally left. Before he left, he kept instructing Evan to take more care of her.

Honestly, with the fragile body of Mrs Sanders, Evan didn’t dare to let her do anything at all.

It’s just that Mrs Sanders is very stubborn. She still insisted on reading the ledgers of the parish. With the efforts of Evan and George over the past few days, many inconsistent entries made in the ledger have been found. Frowning, Mrs Sanders looked at Evan’s calculations of the account.

“So much money has disappeared. Reverend Ross absolutely doesn’t have the ability. I wrote to him a few days ago and he is still a priest in a small church in Wales. If he had so much money, he would definitely not be reduced to this point.”

Evan also agrees with Mrs Sanders. Thinking of such an amount of money, such a large asset has long exceeded the range that a priest can handle. Not to mention that there are so many financial aspects and Reverend Ross is just an honest country priest, how could he know so much?

“Such a large amount has exceeded our ability to handle. It looks like we still have to report it to the church.” Evan said with some concern.

Mrs Sanders didn’t object this time. They were simply unable to handle such a large amount of money.

“You said that you really need to report the church, but do you have any doubts about anyone in your heart?” Mrs Sanders asked.

Evan pursed his lips, thought for a moment and said, “My dear lady, whenever I encounter this kind of problem, I don’t want to maliciously speculate about people’s hearts. This is too difficult for me. I don’t want great damage to be dealt to my faith.”

Mrs Sanders’ expression softened, she walked to Evan’s side and said softly, “Oh, Reverend Bruce, I know how you feel but this matter is too terrible. To steal money from the church, not only is it breaking the law, it is also moral corruption. You shouldn’t be soft-hearted.”

Evan pretended to sigh, with pity in his eyes, “Even so, I still have a hard time believing…” He stopped talking, picked up a document that was on the table and handed it to Mrs Sanders.

Mrs Sanders took it with some doubt, the names of the people who handled the money of the church were written on it. It included the names of the church’s accountant, Mr Stewart; Mr Johnson, the church’s lawyer as well as some other deacons and donors.

There were no problems with these deacons and donors, the donors are naturally self-evident, and the deacons are still in Delanlier Church today so their property status is easy to check.

However, the other two are very suspicious, especially Mr Stewart. As the church’s accountant, he controls all the financial affairs of the church. It couldn’t be easier for him but Mrs Sanders was the first to rule him out.

“Mr Stewart is a devout believer. He is in his sixties this year. For God’s sake, Reverend Bruce, he would never do such a thing.” Mrs Sanders was agitated.

However, Evan disapproved of Mrs Sanders’ subjective attitude. Even the most devout believers would find it difficult to remain unmoved in the face of such a large fortune. But he couldn’t say that to her face, so he said, “Ma’am, I understand what you mean but this matter concerns the church. I’m just honestly telling you what I know. As for who did it, it’s up to the church to judge.”

Mrs Sanders was frustrated, she knew that Evan was right but at the same time, she could not bear it and asked, “Then, do you want to call the police?”

This question stumped Evan. To be honest, he didn’t want to. If he calls the police, this incident would turn into a scandal. The fewer people who know about it, the better. Otherwise, many people will no longer be willing to donate to the church.

“I can’t make up my mind about this matter on my own. Let the church decide.” Evan sighed. This matter absolutely must be resolved, as for the method, it depends on the mood of the Bishop.

Mrs Sanders nodded. Unlike Evan, she didn’t know anything about bishops but she knows the character of the local Bishop very well.

Evan decided to write to the bishop the next day, Mrs Sanders also decided to control the news of the matter from spreading out of the church, and thoroughly resolve the matter before the situation deteriorated further.

Now that the two had decided, Mrs Sanders went to educate the poor congregants and Evan began to write the letter to be sent to the bishop. After writing only a few lines, he was interrupted by the church’s gatekeeper.