Chapter 25: Jade Rabbit and Mr. Priest are looking for three prospective sons-in-law to brush Bene...
"Miss Alice, you..." The man's usually calm eyes suddenly filled with intense emotion. He raised his hand and then lowered it, trying to say something but choking, he didn't know how to start. In the end, he could only glare at the impudent lady and turned to walk downstairs.
Alice blinked and followed him out of the bedroom.
Outside the door was John's face, frozen in shock.
Passing John and catching up with the gentleman, Alice led him towards the carriage. "The public carriage I called when I came here is outside the yard. Take that and go find him."
The man just responded with a cold "hmm".
I'm afraid he's still sulking. Alice, on the other hand, became more interested and couldn't wait to see how he would react if she completely pissed him off.
"Sir! Sir!" John called from behind. "Your cloak!"
Alice then noticed that the man before her was only in his hastily thrown-on clerical robes. She was not afraid of the cold, and for the moment she forgot this.
Adrian Moran was just immersed in his own emotions. When he heard John's words, he realized how thin he was wearing. His body suddenly reacted and he shuddered.
The servant came trotting after him and handed over the black woolen cloak he usually used. The man took it with weak arms, put it on with difficulty, and tied it tightly with his fingers clumsily.
He looked up at Alice and signaled that she could continue moving forward.
She led him to the open space outside the yard where the carriage was parked.
The public carriage I had just called was a bit old-fashioned, with the carriage far off the ground and no pedal power.
The man was still a little weak, and the little bit of luck he had just received wouldn't immediately restore him to his former health. He straightened his thick cloak behind him and tried to step into the carriage, but he couldn't get on as easily as usual.
Alice simply stepped forward, stretched out her hands to grab his waist and lifted him up easily.
Adrian Moran was stunned for a moment, then quickly struggled in her arms.
Normally, he couldn't break free, let alone the little strength he had when he was sick. Alice tightened her arms, patted the man's back, and looked down at him: "Be good."
The man stood stiffly, like a stunned mortal hare, letting her carry him into the carriage.
Alice followed closely behind him and got into the somewhat cramped carriage.
Outside the carriage, the coachman witnessed all this and was shocked.
John, who followed, was already numb, but was still able to say goodbye to the two normally.
Adrian Moran announced the location of the nearest church where the secret wedding might be held, and the old carriage started off shakily. The two men, one wearing a black cloak and the other a red cloak, rubbed against each other in the carriage that could only accommodate two people.
"Miss Alice, could you please look straight ahead?" Adrian Moran couldn't stand the breaths that occasionally reached his ears as the carriage rocked. "I don't think there's anything wrong with my face."
The lady who was called out was completely unaware, but she was willing to give way to the gentleman in front of her. She looked at the man's slightly tilted body, turned back, and was very relaxed, unlike the gentleman next to her who was reserved and pretended to be indifferent.
Arriving at their first destination, Adrian Moran was determined not to let Alice treat him the same way she had treated him when they boarded the carriage. As soon as the carriage stopped, he immediately opened his side of the door and got out, holding onto the wall.
Perhaps he had to go to several places, and in order to avoid getting on and off the carriage on the subsequent journey, Adrian Moran saw a spacious new carriage with pedals on the road. Without caring about anything else, he shouted in the street to stop the carriage and changed to the subsequent means of transportation.
Alice didn't try to stop him, watching him as if he were a small creature struggling to hide in its hole. She followed behind him, smoothing down her hair, which had been tousled by the London winter wind. The corners of her lips curved, waiting for the right moment to show her claws.
It was not easy to find two people in the whole city of London. The first church happened to be in his jurisdiction. Adrian Moran used his position as the rector to ask the church priest whether he had recently received money to publish a marriage announcement for two young people from other places.
"It's unfair, Rector Moran. You warned me before, how could I dare to do that? I don't want to lose this teaching position that helps me make a living." A thin and short priest denied.
"Are all the wedding announcements, including those added today, on the wall?" the man asked as he walked towards where the announcements were posted.
"Yes, they are all here." The short and thin priest hurriedly explained the origins of each pair of engaged couples, emphasizing that they were all residents nearby.
The two looked at the notice carefully and found that Lydia and Wickham's names were indeed not on it.
I also went to several small churches in other parishes, but found nothing.
Finally, in a small church in Southwark, they found the newly published wedding announcement. It was quite a distance from both Bond Street, where Alice lived, and Cheapside, where Mr. Gardner's family lived, making it difficult for acquaintances to spot them. Furthermore, it was a poor area with a mixed crowd, so the two strangers hiding there would be inconspicuous.
Following the wedding announcement, Lydia and Wickham were soon found nearby.
Alice heard laughter in the room and kicked the door open. The old wooden door fell to the ground with a loud bang, cutting off the laughter.
Amidst the flying dust and sawdust, Alice walked straight towards the troublemaker who had been causing trouble all morning. Her skirt had become dusty from the previous night's escape and travel, and it was no longer the exquisite dress she usually wore at home.
“Alyssa! Why are you here? What are you doing!” Lydia, who didn’t understand what was happening, was grabbed by Alice’s arm and screamed anxiously, “Wickham, save me!”
"He saved you?" He had to save himself first. Alice took Lydia's arm and walked towards her imaginary lover.
"Miss Alice, please let go of my fiancée. Our marriage may not be what you expected, but I truly love Lydia." Wickham's expression was quite affectionate. "Now that things have come to this, please let us lovers finally get married."
At the end, he looked at Lydia affectionately, and the silly lady in her hand said touchingly, "Oh, my Wickham, I love you too."
Alice stared at the young man across from her, who, even without his red uniform, still looked respectable, and scoffed, "You think you can get away with this?" Her eyes held a dangerous edge, as if capable of instantly killing someone. Wickham suddenly felt an unspeakable fear, but dismissed it as an illusion. He paused, wanting to continue his plea.
She was too lazy to talk nonsense, so she grabbed Wickham, one in each hand, and dragged them both out of the house. No matter how they struggled, they had to be dragged out.
Lydia was still shouting when she suddenly saw Adrian Moran standing outside the door in a priest's robe. She thought it was the priest from the nearby church who led the way. "Sir, you are a clergyman. How can you bear to separate a pair of lovers? Help me!"
He just glanced at the lady who was coming with him and didn't answer.
"This is my man, save your energy," Alice said casually. Miraculously, no one objected.
"Sir, Miss, this is it." The voice seemed familiar. Was it the hotel clerk downstairs?
"Is Lydia upstairs?" It was Jane's anxious voice.
"Don't worry, Jane, Darcy and I will soon..." Mr. Bingley was comforting. They came here too?
Before he could finish his words, he caught Alice and Adrian Moran's eye, who were standing upstairs. Lydia immediately called out to Jane, saying that Alice was trying to harm her and break up her good marriage.
"That's perfect. You guys take Lydia back first." Alice ignored the noise in her ears and put Lydia's arm in Jane's hand. "I'll talk to Mr. Wickham."
“Alyssa…” Jane was not sure what this always bold sister was going to do.
"It's okay, I'll just beat him up. Just keep an eye on Lydia." Then he dragged the man back into the house.
"Darcy! Darcy! Are you going to just watch your childhood playmate get hurt? Old Mr. Darcy will blame you in the underworld. And Georgiana!" Wickham realized the danger and didn't know that what he had done had been exposed. He still wanted to threaten the reputation of the Darcy brothers and sisters.
"Shut up! You deserve a beating! I should have beaten you a long time ago." Mr. Darcy stopped him from saying anything. Although he was surprised by Miss Alice's strength, he agreed with the decision very much, threw his hat, and stayed to join in.
No one helped the evil gentleman, only Lydia was shouting his name, but she was restrained by Jane and Mr. Bingley and taken back to Darcy's carriage. Along the way, the two men were still gently persuading Lydia not to believe the young man's sweet words.
Alice and Mr. Darcy beat up the scoundrel for her sister. During this time, she secretly released a wisp of demonic energy, knocking Wickham unconscious. Mr. Darcy and Adrian Moran, who was still standing outside, just thought he was unconscious.
The two men stopped fighting, and the three returned to their respective carriages.
The Darcys' carriage was just big enough for four people. Few people in Southwark rode in carriages, and finding a new one was difficult. So Adrian Moran had no choice but to continue traveling with Alice.
They had to hurry to Mr. Gardner to report the news, lest he and Mr. Bennett actually go to Scotland.
"Dad." Jane and Mr. Bingley shouted when they saw Mr. Bennet, which attracted Mr. Darcy's attention. They told Mr. Bennet that they had brought Lydia back, which made the old man feel relieved and very satisfied with this responsible son-in-law.
"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth was shocked to see that Mr. Darcy was also involved in this matter.
Darcy withdrew his gaze from his good friends Bingley and Mr. Bennet, and bowed to the lady who had rejected him.
Mr. Bennett also noticed him and, though somewhat puzzled, responded politely to his greeting.
Bingley explained that it was because the Darcy family was quite influential in the church that they asked him for help, and assured that his friend's character would not let the matter be spread.
"So, this time it was with Mr. Darcy's help that we solved this matter?" Mr. Bennet immediately thanked Darcy for his help.
"No, Mr. Bennett, I dare not take credit for it. When we arrived at Miss Lydia's place, Miss Alice and Mr. Morland were already preparing to bring people back," Mr. Darcy replied, glancing at Elizabeth.
"Oh?" Mr. Bennett turned to his third daughter and the handsome and silent gentleman beside her.
"Dad, this is Mr. Adrian Moran, my—" Alice introduced him naturally, but she deliberately dragged out the ending of her words when she mentioned his identity. "My clergy friend."
Satisfied with his tense expression, she continued, "This time, it was all thanks to him that he led me to every possible church, even though he was still sick."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Moran," said Mr. Bennett sincerely. "You are a truly worthy clergyman."
Adrian Moran followed the young lady next to him into the company of her family. Hearing her father's praise and gratitude, she was unsure how to face Mr. Bennett. Her expression changed several times, looking a little strange. Finally, she said, "It's my duty." There was no trace of the arrogance she usually displayed when dealing with people from the upper class.
"I really don't know how to thank you enough. Please, please, have a meal." Mr. Bennett was frightened by his little daughter this time, and he also respected the young man who had solved this difficult problem. Then he turned to the other two gentlemen: "Mr. Darcy, please also do me a favor. You have done a lot. And Charles, thank you for having such a helpful friend."
The group finally gathered at the Gardner family's dining table. Mr. Bennett's unusually sociable nature and the cooperation of the three men who were being thanked and praised made the meal a truly enjoyable one for both the host and the guests.
Elizabeth was surprised at Mr. Darcy's sudden change of politeness, and Alice was also surprised that Mr. Adrian had such a docile side that was loved by his elders, as she had heard the verbal exchanges between him and his mother.
Before leaving, Mr. Bennett once again asked his guests to express his gratitude, saying that the two gentlemen were both people of high status and that if they did not have a suitable gift at the moment, they would definitely make up for it later. Naturally, both of them declined.
Alice smiled and continued, "Dad, I've prepared a gift for the priest. I guarantee he won't be able to refuse it."
Then she turned to the man and said, "I'm going to move to a new house in two days. I will send you an invitation, so you must come--" She turned her back to everyone and mouthed the second half of the sentence to him, "Our love nest."
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