Guidebook for the Dark Duke

Chapter 37 - Church's Investigator Arrives

“You…You…” Duke Wilson was speechless for a while, not knowing what to say.

Evan looked at the embarrassed and excited duke, with his eyes soft like a lake (??) he said, “I told you before that love is the most wonderful thing in the world and none of us can predict where it will come from. I never underestimate the power of love and I will not easily judge the right or wrong of love.”

Evan said the most high-sounding words which may be the most basic for the people of his era. However, for the duke in such an era, these words were like a thunderbolt that stunned him.

He doesn’t mind such feelings. This was unbelievable for Duke Wilson. He stared at Evan for a while, speechless.

Evan saw the duke’s dazed look and he smiled in his heart but he had a puzzled look on his face, “Lord Duke? What’s the matter with you?”

Duke Wilson reacted suddenly and he had an expression of embarrassment. He turned his face and looked out of the window, his eyes wandering as he spoke, “No… it’s okay.”

Evan looked at the way the duke was behaving and he was even more happy in his heart. The duke usually looked indifferent, so this awkward behaviour is quite interesting.

“That’s good, but I don’t know what this has to do with Rael?” Evan quickly brought the topic back to the previous business.

Duke Wilson didn’t react at first, but after a few minutes, he understood what Evan meant and his expression became contemptuous.

“You don’t know yet but the reason why Johnson dares to embezzle so much property is for Rael. Rael is a vain and willful man, Johnson has to spend in order to keep his young lover. Naturally, he has little money, after all, he is just a lawyer and he earns only four or five hundred pounds a year, so how can he satisfy someone with a big appetite like Rael?”

Evan was surprised as he looked at the duke, “Mr Johnson was so confused?”

Duke Wilson curled his lips in disdain, “Johnson looked smart but he is easily dazzled by beauty. That kid, Rael, is just a high level courtesan but Johnson regarded him as a treasure and no wonder he was abandoned in the end. I heard that he wanted to elope with Rael with my check but he had never thought that Rael did not want to be entangled with someone like him, who had no money and no status. So because he rejected him, it eventually led to Johnson’s death.”

Duke Wilson said clearly but Evan frowned, “So what is the cause of Mr Johnson’s death?”

Duke Wilson sneered when he heard the question, but he still brought the tea cup beside the bed to Evan’s side first and watched him take a sip before speaking, “Sheriff Chandler is very concerned about this matter and you know too that Sheriff Chandler is a very upright man. He is also very contemptuous of such a thing. In addition, Johnson died after arguing with Rael so the sheriff turned his attention to him.”

Listening to Duke Wilson’s words, Evan gave a wry smile, this is really what Sheriff Chandler can do.

“Does the sheriff have any evidence?” Evan asked tentatively.

Duke Wilson wrinkled his nose, “At that time, Johnson had an argument with Rael and he may have said some extreme words, which were seen by witnesses…”

Duke Wilson did not finish his sentence but after thinking about it, Evan could think of the follow up to the sentence. Sheriff Chandler is very upright, but because he is too upright, he could sometimes be a little pedantic.

“Has Sheriff Chandler detained Mr Rael?” Evan asked casually.

Duke Wilson didn’t care either and he replied casually, “Of course, Sheriff Chandler took him to the station immediately. I’m afraid the interrogation has already begun.”

Evan pursed his lips, he had expected this result.

At this time, Duke Wilson secretly glanced at Evan. He was sitting by the edge of the bed and the autumn sun was shining on his face, making him look more gentle and holy. Duke Wilson’s heart felt turbulent for some reason.

At this moment, Evan suddenly raised his head. Startled, Duke Wilson quickly turned his head and did not dare to look at him again.

Evan was also stunned by the duke’s actions. He saw the duke’s unnatural behaviour. Although he had some guesses in his heart, he didn’t ask any more questions but he was secretly delighted and said, “That’s good. I hope the sheriff can find out the truth about this matter.”

Duke Wilson smiled stiffly and followed up with a few words, but his whole person was still a little unnatural and the atmosphere between both of them was a little awkward.

In the end, Duke Wilson couldn’t sit still so he said goodbye. Watching Duke Wilson walk away, Evan’s heart was 80% settled as he thought about the duke’s performance these past few days. His plan is 80% complete.

Evan lowered his head, looked at Rael’s beautiful face in the newspaper and he sneered. He really hadn’t seen what was wrong about this man, he really is an idiot.

Evan’s life became really peaceful after that. Sheriff Chandler was stumped by the Johnson case and couldn’t make time to pay attention to Evan. Mrs Sanders was even more annoyed with the church thing and wanted things to change. The honest assistant priest was obviously unable to adapt to a parish like Delanlier and many things were handled by Mrs Sanders.

Because of the busy schedules of these two people who have a relationship with Evan, Evan’s days at the Cornwall Manor have been free. He usually reads books, chats with the duke and then pays attention to the progress of the case.

But such a free life was broken by one person.

That afternoon, Evan was able to get up from bed and walk around. The person sent by the church finally came.

He was brought directly to Cornwall Manor by Mrs Sanders. At that time, Evan was drinking afternoon tea in the garden and Duke Wilson was sitting opposite him, talking to him with a smile. Led by Mrs Sanders and a valet, they walked along the rose bush towards Evan and Duke Wilson.

Evan squinted at the person who came. The man was very tall, almost a foot taller than Mrs Sanders. He looked only about thirty years old and his appearance was very ordinary but the temperament between his eyebrows was very refined and didn’t seem to be a normal gentleman.

But Evan looked at this man and his heart suddenly fell.

When he took over this body before, he also accepted the memory of this body. If Evan remembers correctly, Evan knew this man.

Sure enough, after the visitor came forward, he first saluted Duke Wilson, then turned to look at Evan and smiled very gently, “Bruce, the first time I heard this name, I guessed it was you. I didn’t expect it to be true.”

Evan looked at this man and really couldn’t laugh. If he remembers correctly, there was absolutely no good relationship between this man and the original owner.

“Senior Ford, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. You’re still the same as before.” Evan was polite and restrained in his answer, with almost no excess emotion overflowing. But even so, Duke Wilson, who was sitting on the side, suddenly felt as if he had been touched by something, his heartstrings suddenly tensed.

He straightened his back and looked at the mild-mannered Ford with alertness, and a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Ford still looked at Evan with a smile and said, “Junior Bruce, you’re very different from before.”

Evan’s heart sank but he still smiled, “Really, after all it has been so long.”

Ford looked at Evan with some deep meaning in his eyes, “Yeah, it’s been too long.”

“How long?” Duke Wilson, who was not willing to be excluded from the conversation between the two, immediately asked.

Ford was stunned by the duke’s question, then he looked at Duke Wilson who was sitting on the side with a wary expression. As if he knew something, he raised his eyebrows and curled the corners of his lips sarcastically and spoke, “Maybe it’s been eight years, Lord Duke.” After speaking, he looked at Evan again, “What do you think? Junior brother Bruce?”

Evan tried his best to maintain his expression and nodded, “It seems so, your memory is very good.”

He’d quickly sorted out his memory just now. This Ferd indeed played a large part in the original owner’s life. At that time, Evan was still in public school when he met this senior. Ford was the youngest son of an Earl’s family. He had an outstanding family background and was very influential in school, while Evan was just the son of a squire. How could he compare to Ford?

So, he used his little cleverness to get involved with this nobleman but he didn’t expect that this person would have some kind of indescribable affection for him. The original owner was a very straight man so it was naturally impossible for him to respond to these feelings. On the contrary, he was terrified, immediately fled from the senior and severely trampled on his feelings. He said a lot of terrible things and spread the matter about. Evan doesn’t know what happened later but if you think about it, it was definitely not good.

Duke Wilson couldn’t stand the way Ford looked at Evan. A feeling he couldn’t grasp spread in his heart and he hated this feeling very much.

“Mr Ford, are you sent by the church to handle the investigation of the church’s accounts? Regardless of the undercurrent between the two, Duke Wilson immediately changed the topic simply and rudely.

Ford turned to look at Duke Wilson, smiled meaningfully and said, “Yes, this is the purpose of my visit. But I heard from Mrs Sanders that the culprit of the matter has been found?”

The person he asked was Evan but Duke Wilson didn’t give Evan the chance to speak as he immediately answered, “The culprit has indeed been found, but he is also dead.”

Ford was stunned for a moment. Mrs Sanders hadn’t gotten the time to tell him about it.