Mary's Nineteenth Century

In mid-November, the weather is getting colder.Some people are starting to prepare for Christmas, and travelers in other countries can prepare to return.

After discussing the business, Darcy was supposed to take Bentley on his way home, but unexpectedly, he was temporarily arranged for a secret exploration activity.

Being arranged, from the word "by", it can be seen that it is not an individual's active choice.

"Unexpectedly, you never gave up on finding clues for Harlan Tory."

Darcy was a little surprised. He always remembered the murderer who kidnapped and murdered his sister two and a half years ago, but there was still no breakthrough in the pursuit of the murderer who had been on the go.Originally thought that Minton went to the United States to start a new life, because he had a love affair with the world, and he had long forgotten the old things.

"I am a victim of murder and of course the investigation will not be stopped."

Mary came to Darcy because she wanted to find an insider to investigate the suspicious activities of the Scarab Society.When she had a choice, she would not break into a strange place alone, lest there would be no one to collect the body.

Now that we met, I just happened to implement another matter.

"With all due respect, regarding the property on Pall Mall Street in London, are you still willing to sell it to me as agreed?"

Mary refers to Darcy's temptation at that time, to test whether she deliberately approached Georgiana in order to blackmail a huge sum of money, who made her come from unknown and showed a state of amnesia.

Back then, Darcy wanted to give away a set of real estate but was rejected by Mary, who asked to keep the purchase right for three years.

That kind of rhetoric sounds like a fantasy, how can a penniless amnesiac be able to afford real estate in central London.

This moment, that moment.

The almost impossible has really happened.

Darcy has to admit that there are always exceptions to everything, and Mr. Minton's ability is beyond the scope of ordinary people, and he can rise to the top with just a chance.

There is more than one exception in the world, just as he fell in love with Elizabeth, it was completely beyond his life plan.

Mary: Why did Darcy suddenly feel down when talking about real estate in London?It seems that there is a kind of repressed reluctance?

Mary thinks that most of the time she is very reasonable and doesn't do things that repay favors.It was normal for Darcy not to trust her back then, because she had a suspicious background.Even if she doesn't trust her, Darcy has provided her with a chance to settle down, and she deserves to be thanked for helping her in the snow.

"I don't really have to, Mr. Darcy. If you like that property very much..."

"No, I have not regretted it. Make an appointment, and we will go to London to complete the transaction procedures. Sorry, I was distracted."

Darcy didn't expect that his thoughts would suddenly come to him, or that he had trusted Mr. Minton from a certain aspect, and it was because he didn't have the ability to control his emotions with reason at any time as he imagined that he would be distracted.

"I will go to England during the winter vacation in January next year."

Mary didn't mind Darcy's distraction. The property with price but no market was about to be sold, and she could ask a few more questions about the seller with concern. "Is there something difficult? If you need help, you might as well talk about it."

Darcy: Say what?How did you break up in love?

Thinking with his toes, it is impossible for him to talk about the specific reasons.

The next moment, Darcy spoke after frowning hesitantly, "I have a friend who fell in love with a very inappropriate person. Mr. Minton, how do you think we should deal with it?"

Mary: Huh?Are you sure you asked the right question?

Fortunately, she thought it was a big business that met a competitor, but it turned out to be "I have a friend series".Using this sentence pattern is not just trying to cover up your own affairs.

Darcy felt wrong after blurting it out.The two are not that familiar, how can they talk about personal emotional troubles.

But when he thought about it carefully, he knew a lot of people, but he didn't have any friends who could consult such troubles.The only suitable person to confide in is Bingley, but Bingley is also in deep trouble of lovelorn, and their lovelorn object is still a sister from the same family.

what happened?

Thinking about it this way, I actually feel a little pitiful.

At this moment, Darcy was calm, and there was nothing wrong with consulting Mr. Minton. They were also friends who kept some secrets.For example, he never revealed to the outside world about the crimes committed by the revolving door killers, for example, he never talked about Mr. Minton's memory loss experience.

Ask Mr. Minton, with his acumen to stop a bank robbery in its infancy, his ability to invent a machine that moves the stock market, and his wit to be a rising mathematician, presumably he can give you the right advice.

Marie: Always felt like being given a weird amount of trust.

She also has no psychological burden. Although she has no experience as an emotional counselor, she might as well give guidance and advice as she pleases.

"What is the specific situation of your friend, what is inappropriate? Is the person you like married? Is there a physical defect? ​​Or..."

Mary's brain is a little bit bigger, "Or is it because the person you like is the same gender by accident?"

"Cough-cough-"

Darcy almost lost his temper. The inappropriate reasons he said became more and more outrageous, and the final homosexual love was even more criminal. "You! I really think too much!"

Thinking too much?

Mary didn't take it seriously, and she didn't speculate in more outrageous directions, such as falling in love with someone who wasn't human at all.

All right.It needs to be combined with the reality of the "I have a friend series", Darcy can't be out of line to that point.

"Does your friend think that the other party's family is not enough? The woman's parents or other relatives are not decent enough?"

As Mary spoke, she saw Darcy nodding. This time, she was right, and she also smiled. "Now do you want to hear the truth? Or polite words?"

"Please be blunt."

Darcy didn't want to hear lies at all, otherwise why would he provoke a topic that he wouldn't talk about originally.

"The truth is very simple. It's just that you don't have a good family. Your friend has no insurmountable obstacles."

Mary put it bluntly, "It's not that I'm interested in a married woman, or I have a tendency to prefer broken arms and limbs, or I like a man. That's what the world thinks is inappropriate. It's a pity, You have no troubles like that."

Darcy: Wait, what's wrong?What do you mean he is sorry?

Mary would not say that such a question is quite challenging, how could she expose her nature of fear of chaos, and only continued solemnly:

"Actually, there is no need to be entangled. There are not many questions to think about. First, consider whether your friend is in love with that lady? Second, how much money or energy are you willing to invest, and how much risk are you willing to take from the other family? Solve most of the world's problems, especially the one that doesn't match up, doesn't it?"

These words are simple and rude enough.

Darcy's brows were furrowed more and more, and he couldn't give a definite answer immediately, because Elizabeth rejected his marriage proposal.

A moment of silence.

Darcy seemed to have figured something out, but couldn't figure it out completely.But I suddenly discovered an important point. Is it really reliable to consult Mr. Minton?When this man just heard about an unsuitable lover, why did he think of those shocking options first?

Reminiscent of the late Mrs. Roman, it seems that the crux of the problem has been discovered.

Mr. Minton's mate preference is different, isn't it?To what extent would he be so reckless that he could really give advice that is applicable to ordinary people?

"thank you for your advice."

Darcy changed the subject, did he find the wrong person to consult? "It's almost time. After lunch, go to the abandoned church on Cheese Street."

Mary: ...

How come there is a feeling of being used and thrown away?

Darcy could only smile politely.Sure enough, impulsiveness is the devil, so you shouldn't talk about personal relationship issues lightly.

There is no way to express more gratitude now, if you really get married in the future, then invite the other party to the wedding to share the joy.

The emotional counseling started abruptly and ended abruptly.

Mary put these things behind her in an instant.

Whether Darcy, so-called he has a friend, what does it matter if he likes someone?Even if they are attending the other party's wedding, can there be any drama?

In the afternoon, a group of four went to the abandoned church.Instead of a Bentley, he brought two guards.

After Harlan Tory committed the crime two years ago, Darcy sent people to Germany to find out the situation of the revolving door murderer, and it was these two guards who sent him.

In other words, the people who will visit the church are all those related to the murder case.If something is really discovered, there is no need to worry about information leakage.

"The church was abandoned because of a fire."

One of the guards said, "About 15 years ago, the biggest funder of the church passed away. Later, the church suffered a fire, but the source of funds was cut off and it could not be rebuilt. It has been abandoned here."

The abandoned church is a small, two-story building.

Now most of it has been burned down, and there are only four or five rooms with ruined walls left on the ground.

"Go to the basement first."

Mary referred to the relevant records in the social magazine in the archives room. Some people organized a group to explore here many years ago, and found the scarab logo in the basement.

Leaving a janitor behind, the three went to the basement.

You can also see traces of the fire along the way, and according to incomplete investigations, the fire killed and seriously injured at least seven people in the church.

It's a pity that it's been a long time, and there is no way to ask for the list of casualties.

Darcy went down the stairs to the dark basement, which was at the end of the corridor. "Mr. Minton, do you really think that just a few symbols can prove that this place is related to the murderer Harlan?"

The three lamps in the corridor gave off a dim light, and it was so quiet that there was no fourth person.

Mary didn't reply immediately, she noticed the abnormal situation on the basement floor with sharp eyes.

The ground here is abnormally clean, it doesn't look like it has been abandoned for more than ten years, and there is too little dust.Someone had obviously cleaned it, but no footprints were left.

The church has been abandoned, and the revolving door murderer Harlan died suddenly in the UK. Who else will come to this basement?

"Be careful."

Mary took out the gun, originally to observe the remnants of the past, but she did not expect to encounter something unexpected.

Darcy became vigilant, and after walking for a while, he felt a strange smell penetrate the tip of his nose.

Bloody smell!

The three of them made sure they heard it right. Moving forward, when the basement door appeared within the lighting range of the kerosene lamp, they saw a gap in the door.

Go forward and open the door carefully.

The twenty-square-meter basement suddenly became a blood room.There was blood on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and the floor was littered with the remains of human bones.

Most of them have been ossified, and there are still some corpses that have not been eaten away by insects.

The death toll could not be determined immediately because the bones on the ground had been dismembered and it was not possible to determine whether they were from the same person.

It's like a slaughterhouse.

The wall was stained red with blood, covering the former scarab pattern.

"I want to return the bad news."

Darcy resisted the nausea brought by the smell of blood, and pointed behind the gate.There was a black feather, and a rotting severed finger.

"The royal sapphire men's ring on the broken finger was auctioned off by little Ralph at the London auction last year. It was the little Ralph who was rumored to throw a dead rooster before the statue's dusting ceremony a few days ago."

Severed finger + ring, this combination shows the worst possibility.

If little Ralph hadn't given the ring away but had worn it himself, he might have been in trouble.

**

British embassy.

The wall clock reads 16:46.

Mycroft glanced at the time, he would be leaving get off work soon.He produced a document, not a business one, but a contract brought from London by a private solicitor, concerning the purchase of the Pall Mall house.

Before coming to Berlin at the beginning of the year, His Excellency Matthew gave assurances.He will definitely not be allowed to continue to work abroad year after year, and it is certain that he will work in Whitehall, London most of the time in the future.

So finding a place close to home is very important for people who don't want to travel around.Once and for all, I chose to buy a house on Pall Mall Street, hoping to start a peaceful commuting life by myself when I return to London next year.

As for anything else?

Glancing at the bookshelf, there was a mathematics journal on it.Among them was the paper published by Minton and Roman, which was brought to Berlin, Germany more than half a year ago.

No, maybe it wasn't smooth in the first place, but I just didn't realize it.

Mycroft walked over, ready to put the journal back in the bottom of the suitcase, or take it out again when it was unnecessary.

Yesterday I discovered a strange feeling for Mr. Minton, which should not have appeared to him.That's not suitable, and it's not the feeling he needs.

He is not stupid, of course he understands what will happen after thinking that a person is special.It cannot be allowed to develop, otherwise I am afraid that it will embark on an extremely dangerous path.

That way not only violated the law, but also violated his principle of supremacy of reason.It's better to stop in time, as long as you don't take the initiative to meet, time will eventually dilute everything.

Taking off the journal, Mycroft's fingers trembled slightly, but he still decided to stuff it into the briefcase.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

The old face, the bald fat gentleman in the consulate.

"Mr. Holmes, it is very good that you have not gone away! Inspector Button has come and said that he has a very important case to discuss with you, without giving details."

Come again?

The most troublesome family member of the embassy and consulate, little Ralph, left for London three days ago, who else could make the Berlin police come to his door?

Mycroft could only temporarily put the periodicals back on the bookshelf, and went to the drawing room on the first floor with Fat Bald.

It's not just Sheriff Barton here today.

Mary heard the gradual footsteps in the corridor, then looked at the entrance of the living room, and gave the visitor a standard polite smile.

A polite smile, gentle and polite, but nothing more.

There is no half-familiarity, let alone any redundant emotions, as if the two are really unfamiliar.

Mycroft paused.

hell!At this time, it is time to ask why Mr. Minton came?Or should I ask whether this situation where the two seem to be strangers to each other is what he hopes most to get back on track?