Mary's Nineteenth Century

In the afternoon of July [-]nd, the port of Lowestoft, a small town in the east of the UK, was cold.

This place is completely different from Thames Port, there is no persistent fog, no constant flow of horses and horses, and no visitors of all kinds from all over the world.

There are only three or two fishing boats moored in the port, and it is particularly conspicuous when the cruise ship rented by the Atlantic Publishing House is coming from afar.

The old fisherman was ready to go out to sea with his fishing nets. He happened to meet the cruise ship entering the port, so he stopped and watched curiously, and talked to the people waiting to board the ship on the pier.

"Sir, are you and those guests going to sea on a cruise ship?"

There were a total of 14 people waiting on the pier, and it could be seen from the positions that they were divided into four waves.

The two redheads were obviously grandparents and grandchildren, accompanied by an old housekeeper.

A middle-aged lady dressed in French style wears a pearl and sapphire necklace around her neck, and a huge ruby ​​ring on her finger is also particularly dazzling.

Followed by three young men.The men obviously pay attention to the materials and accessories in their clothing, but they inevitably look like women's attendants.

One was holding a parasol for the woman, the other was shaking a fan for her, and the other was holding a glass beverage bottle, as if the woman was going to bring her tea and water at the first order.

A few meters away, three men and three women stood, looking at three couples who seemed to know each other.

The lovers peeked at the French lady from time to time, and then winked at each other, as if to say, "A middle-aged woman and three young men, is it the relationship between the gold master and the lover?"

Except for thirteen people, Mary was alone on the other side.

She didn't look at the sea, but looked at the sky where the sea of ​​clouds was surging, and then she heard the old fisherman's words.

"Yes, those of us are going to Derby Island for a holiday."

As Mary spoke, she pointed to the clouds in the sky, which were brilliant purple.

"Look at your fishing net. I guess you must be a master of fishing all the year round. I'm afraid only an old sea wolf like you can answer my doubts. Is the cloud today a little abnormally beautiful?"

Can a fishing net tell who is a good fish catcher?

Of course, it can be seen from the material of the woven net, the size of the holes, and even the calluses on the hands of the net holder.

The old fisherman felt that the young man was very eloquent, and he was happy to tell the truth.

"Sir, you are asking the right person. I have been fishing in the North Sea for 30 years and know the weather like the back of my hand. Don't think it is calm now, but in five days, there is bound to be a hurricane. If you are going to Derby Island, you don't have to Too worried, there is an old castle refurbished there, enough to handle the stormy weather."

five days?

There are only four days of island vacation, counting today, the return trip will return to London in the morning of the fourth day.

The weather has changed, which is unexpected.

Mary calculated the itinerary. If all went well, the vacation would not be hit by a hurricane.

She also asked a few words about the recent situation of Derby Island, "From your tone, it seems that you know something about the old castle on the island?"

"Yes, the island has a new owner three years ago. Mr. Page often orders fresh fish and shrimp from us."

The old fisherman said that the owner of Page Island is generous and enthusiastic, "It's not surprising to hear that he is not British, but seems to be from southern Europe, isn't it?"

Southern Europeans have a passionate personality in some stereotypes.

Mary did not refute the differences between individuals and groups, but asked more about the castle.

"In this way, the owner of Page Island does not exclude guests from landing on the island? Does he often rent out the castle to hold various holiday activities?"

The old fisherman didn't pay special attention, "That's not clear. Generally speaking, we only provide daily ingredients, and the dishes for the banquet should be purchased separately."

Mary nodded slightly. As far as she knew, the food for this holiday party was purchased by the publishing house and sent to the island along with the cruise ship.

As for the owner of Page Island, the outside world has not heard his name, only know that a Spaniard took over the property rights of Derby Island three years ago.

While talking, the cruise ship docked, and the crowd waiting on the pier was ready to board.

Mary also lifted the suitcase towards the.After walking a few steps, he turned back to find the old fisherman, took out his notebook and wrote a few words, and handed out the note along with the five pounds.

"Please do me a favor, old sir. If you don't hear of my safe return after the hurricane, can you send a telegram to London? Ask my friend Mr. Watson to come here and organize a rescue." .”

"what?"

The old fisherman was not in a hurry to get the five pounds. He glanced at the note and signed it as MM, and was a little confused. "Rescue? Going to Derby Island? Are you worried that there will be a mistake on the cruise ship and you will not be able to send you back safely?"

Mary evaded the most important thing, "Cruise ships don't stop at Derby Island all the time. You locals know more about the conditions in this sea area than cruise ship crews after the storm, don't you?"

Yes, yes.

The old fisherman is very confident, and these fishermen have a deep understanding of the North Sea.

There is just a little problem. Is the Mr. MM in front of you a little too cautious?What's more, even if you want to find foreign aid, you shouldn't find him who you met by chance, right?

"You accept it. This is the telegraph fee paid in advance. The rescue fee will be calculated afterwards. Thank you very much."

Mary left a note and coins without any explanation, and then ran to the cruise ship without looking back.

Not unfounded.

The cruise ship chartered by the publishing house does not stop at Derby Island.After sending everyone to the island today, the cruise ship returns to Thames Port, and will pick up everyone back to London on the morning of July [-]th.

Whoever thinks that when he is about to board the ship, he accidentally discovers that the ancient island and castle overseas may hit the impending hurricane, so he has to be vigilant.Even if it is mediocre to think too much, it is just five pounds for nothing.

"Hey……"

The old fisherman was stuffed with money in a daze, but when he looked up again, he found that he had run away without a trace.

"Mr. Minton, you are welcome."

Shipley, head of the Atlantic Publishing House, smiled and looked at the last person on board. "Quietly tell you a piece of good news, "Big Red Riding Hood" is here to participate in the party this time. "

The illustrator Little Gray Wolf has not disclosed his identity to the outside world, but it is not a secret among the senior management of Atlantic Press.The reason is simple, this is one of the shareholders of the American Gold Coast Publishing House.

The Atlantic Publishing House and the Gold Coast Publishing House have a cooperative relationship, which is why Little Bad Wolf was only a fan of "Sweet Food Book" before he became famous, and his gift painting can be successfully delivered to the hands of "Big Red Riding Hood".

If not, how could such a large publishing house receive so many letters from readers every day, and the principle of "Big Red Riding Hood" is to ignore trivial matters other than the delivery of manuscripts.

In the 19th century, there were also star-chasing black-box operations.You and I are not meant to be, it all depends on my spending money.

In this regard, Mary admitted without hesitation that when she first thought of sending out illustrations with pictures as a book fan in the United States, she wanted to meet the old lady in rainy weather who looked similar to Mrs. Roman.

Because it is suspected that the "Big Red Riding Hood", the old woman who took her umbrella on a rainy day, and Mrs. Roman are the same.

Unexpectedly, the collection of sweets illustrations has not yet been completed, and I first met Mycroft in Berlin, Germany.

Apart from not being personally acknowledged by the other party, it is basically certain that dear Mr. Holmes is Mrs. Roman.

Then, do you want to continue drawing the illustrations for "Sweet Food Appreciation"?

Mary didn't like to give up halfway, and wanted to give this gift too.Although her free time is limited, she took a year and a half to complete the album.

Taking advantage of this year's vacation invitation letter to send out a painting, I am also curious whether "Big Red Riding Hood" will recognize her from the painting, or will she change her previous style of refusing to attend events and come to the island together?

The answer, delightful.

After talking to Shipley for a while, Mary asked him to lead the way to visit the "Big Red Riding Hood".

blue sea, blue sky.

On the deck of the cruise ship, guests are in twos and threes.

All 38 people who will land on the island have arrived.

There were only 20 people on the deck, like the red-haired grandson and the old butler, who didn't come out to enjoy the sea breeze.

Not all 38, Shipley whispered, were guests.

In addition to him and his assistants, 12 writers and 4 representatives of partners were formally invited to the island for vacation.But among the 16 people, some brought their companions, and some brought their attendants.

"Mr. Minton, there are not many partners like you who come here alone."

Shipley lowered his voice and pointed out that one of the partners was a French lady whom the dock had met. "That's Mrs. Barbie from Beautiful Paper, and her three male favourites."

Two other partner representatives were not on deck.

Shipley said that one was Hubbard, who was a clean freak, with three servants, and the other was Colin, who brought two female companions.

Hearing this, Mary very much agreed with the practice of "Big Red Riding Hood" not attending holiday activities in the past.Although the party can meet people, but also can not avoid a random word.

"I think it is enough to enjoy the view of the island in peace."

Mary replied that she was not interested in other people.This time I came here to save Shipley, and to see the Big Red Riding Hood.

Shipley was very witty, and he didn't take the initiative to introduce Mr. Minton to anyone, but just said who was the Big Red Riding Hood.

"The one standing in the corner, old Mrs. Faye, is Red Riding Hood, talking to Wendy, the detective writer. "

"Thank you for showing me the way."

Mary thanked Shipley with a smile.

In fact, no introduction is needed. When her gaze passed through the crowd, she already met the eyes of the "Big Red Riding Hood" in the corner.

When the four eyes met, the other people on the deck seemed to have turned into phantoms.

The two who looked at each other couldn't help laughing.At this moment, it seems that only the existence of each other is the only reality.

Mary walked over without hesitation.

After walking a few steps, a hand holding a wine glass suddenly stretched out in front of him, and his eyes were bright red nail polish.

"Hi!"

Mrs. Barbie lifted the champagne glass, "Handsome sir, are you interested in having a drink together?"

"Sorry, I think drinking is bad for your liver, you can invite others."

Mary acted as if she didn't see Mrs. Barbie's erotic plan, and walked sideways to walk around her.

Even more ignoring the resentful eyes coming from behind, he accelerated to the corner where the "Big Red Riding Hood" was located in three steps and two steps in parallel.

Mycroft took in the whole scene, smiled and shook his head slightly. His Mr. Minton was as popular as ever.

On the side, Wendy, a writer of detective novels, also saw clearly that she had committed an occupational disease again.

He couldn't hold back, and asked curiously, "Old Mrs. Fay, who is this gentleman? You two know each other?"

know?

Of course know.

Mycroft is not like the pretended strangers when they met in Berlin in the past. Mrs. Roman was dead at that time, and he should not have recognized Mr. Minton.

At this moment, he didn't hide the familiarity in his eyes, and answered Wendy with a nod. "This is Mr. Minton. We had the good fortune to meet in the autumn rain in London. Mr. Minton's timely help saved me from being drowned."

According to common sense, the old lady Fay who was given the umbrella could not know the name of the umbrella giver who met by chance.

Mycroft didn't tell Wendy this answer, but instead admitted to Mr. Minton that Holmes was equal to the "Big Red Riding Hood".

Mary's smile deepened.So far, the previous speculation has been verified to be true by personal observation.

"Yes, very interesting first meeting. Old Mrs. Fay, I have always treasured the books and bookmarks you sent me. They are all wonderful."

Wendy: I ​​don't know why, suddenly I feel a little flustered?

Mary, on the other hand, had no intention of killing anyone, so she changed the subject very kindly.

"Mr. Wendy, it's a great honor to meet you. I have read your work "Ten Days and Ten Nights in Snowstorm Mountain Villa". It is really an excellent work. It can be said to be the best detective work of this year, bar none."

Wendy felt a little embarrassed when she was praised positively. "Thank you, thank you for liking me."

Who likes you now?

Mycroft glanced at the detective novelist inadvertently. Wendy's daily language was obviously not rigorous enough, and Mr. Minton just admired his works.

"Mr. Wendy, just now you mentioned the temple and castle on the top of the mountain, but there are no mountains or temples on the island."

Mycroft also began to change the subject, "According to your professional opinion, can you speculate on the reason why the new island owner changed his name like this?"

This question managed to divert Wendy's attention.

Just now he kept talking about the destination of this trip by himself, and now we can finally discuss it together.

"I heard that the new island owner is not British."

Wendy made a point of view, "I guess it's his personal belief. Maybe a sacrificial temple altar was built in the old castle. Imagine that a small island on the sea can basically only accommodate an old castle, a mysterious altar ..."

Wendy committed an occupational disease again.

He started to make up stories, and even though he was a member of the cruise ship, he actually set up a Far Cry.

The two listened patiently without interrupting Wendy.

On a cruise ship, it’s also good if someone is willing to tell a story live. It’s a good way to pass the time, and it’s better than some people getting drunk.

It's just that Mycroft felt that Mr. Minton was sneaking a glance at him occasionally, and his eyes glanced at his right hand inadvertently.What's the matter?He's wearing gloves, is there anything wrong with that?

Mary gave a polite and gentle smile, but she didn't mean to explain the confusion for the time being.

With the ups and downs of Wendy's current detective story, the cruise ship also followed the current and arrived at Derby Island at around nine o'clock at night.

The sky darkened.

At a glance, the castle on the small island is brightly lit, just like daytime.

Tonight, the owner of Page Island did not come out to greet him, but the butler came to meet him with a team of attendants.

The butler told everyone that the owner of Page Island did not show up earlier because he was resting and resting.According to the previous agreement with the publishing house, the group of 38 people who landed on the island only need to abide by the rules of the castle, and there is no need to greet the island owner.

Next, the attendants were busy carrying luggage and fresh ingredients from the cruise ship.

After the unloading of the cruise ship was completed, the ship sailed away from Derby Island, and the next time it came back was the morning of July [-]th.

All the guests went to the auditorium.

The auditorium provided wine and food, which was a slightly late dinner.

Then, sit down and eat.

By the time the meal was over, the clock had pointed to 22:22.Some people began to dance, and some people were going to go back to their rooms to rest.

In the corridor on the second floor of the old castle, the two looked out from the window.

Mary looked at the shoreline, which was empty.The cruise ship sailed away an hour ago, as if with the last ties to land.

She put away her messy associations, and turned to look at Mycroft, who was disguised as a woman, with a smile on her face. "Old Mrs. Fay, are you a little curious, why did I look at you when Wendy was telling stories on the boat?"

Even though there are only two people in the corridor at the moment, they are all here, and the role-playing continues.

Mycroft didn't have to feign indifference, as the gentle "Big Red Riding Hood", he could admit it naturally.

"Yes, I'm a little curious. Is there something wrong with me? Mr. Minton, you can point it out directly."

"No, how could there be anything wrong with you. I couldn't suppress my joy after seeing you."

Mary changed the subject, showing regret. "At that moment, I was as excited as I was, and I really wanted to give you a hand kiss. Unfortunately, it was outdoors on the deck and you were wearing gloves all the time, so I couldn't pay my respects as I wished. Sorry, if it caused your misunderstanding, I apologize to you."

what!What?

The air was suddenly quiet.

Mycroft's eyes froze, he couldn't believe what he heard?

At this moment, a sentence was circling in his mind——Mr. Minton wanted to kiss him, oh no, kiss his hand.

Unfortunately, a good time was missed!

Mycroft took a deep breath silently, feeling that his bottom line in a certain aspect had been breached again, and he had only one thought at the moment.

At this moment, he actually wants to say seriously that he is quite an adult, and he can generously let Mr. Minton get his wish on the spot.

Just as he was about to speak, there were hurried footsteps in the corridor.

The castle steward came hurriedly.

His face was pale and his voice trembled, "Mr. Minton, please move to the third floor. Something happened to Mr. Hubbard."

Who is Hubbard?

Mary has a good memory, and she is the representative of the partner who has a cleanliness.

Hubbard didn't go to the auditorium for dinner. It is said that he wanted to take a good bath first, and then had a midnight snack in his room.

I only heard the castle steward say, "Mr. Hubbard, drowned in the bathtub."