Chapter 100 Daily Life of a Lady 14 Midnight Surprise
"Judging from the symptoms, this disease may be an intestinal infection caused by contaminants entering the body through the mouth. Therefore, the cleanliness of water and food is crucial. Tar soap and masks may play a role in this. People should also pay attention to drinking only boiled water and keeping a distance from infected people. I think temporary medical facilities or churches can be set up to collect patients to prevent further spread."
Just as Lancaster read the last word of the letter, the carriage stopped. Evan looked out the window and reminded his boss that they had arrived at their destination.
There was no meeting tonight, and Lancaster had wanted to stay home and write his reply quietly, but he was called to the Red Lion Tavern halfway, which made him very annoyed.
As soon as he showed up, the receptionist at the door immediately invited him upstairs in a familiar manner.
As the epidemic spread rapidly, the number of customers at the Red Lion Tavern dropped by half. However, due to its relatively safe location in the heart of the aristocratic district, few infected people were allowed to stay nearby, and the street remained one of London's busiest neighborhoods.
It was still the last private room on the second floor, the "Blue Room", but when I pushed the door open, the layout was no longer the familiar one. Instead, there was a long conference table piled with documents, and it was obvious that a private meeting had just ended.
Lancaster raised his eyebrows and said, "Duke Clarence, it seems you are very satisfied with this place."
Duke Claren felt no remorse for stealing someone else's goodness. He said confidently, "It's really good. It's private and quiet enough. The view is great, and the smoked sausages are delicious. I guess I've been away from London for too long. I didn't even know when this private room on the second floor of the Red Lion opened."
Lancaster didn't intend to dwell on this issue. The other party was of high status and thick-skinned, and he couldn't win the argument.
"What did those guys say?" He raised his chin and pointed to the scattered things on the table.
Duke Claren dropped his joking expression and sneered, "What can those high-ranking officials say? Their implicit message is to isolate civilian areas with high infection rates and have military police guard them to prevent anyone from escaping. But you know the Workers' Mutual Aid Association, right? They've been actively protesting lately. Speaking out directly would worry about sparking a revolutionary movement, and it wouldn't go against the mainstream values of so-called 'noble responsibility.'"
Lancaster said nothing. He took out a box of cigars from the secret compartment of the cabinet, opened the lid and handed it to the Duke of Claren. He waited until he took out a cigar with an accusing look on his face before he took one out and put it in his mouth.
"So, who do they want to be the bad guy?"
Duke Claren took a puff with enjoyment, and felt that he had to go through all the cabinets here again to make sure he didn't miss any of the original owner's treasures.
"They're not being bad guys, they're being good guys. They want to seal off those areas, but at the same time, they're setting up a foundation, donating supplies, and sending doctors to show that the Empire hasn't given up on its people. Oh, and they're also interested in collaborating with the factory that makes masks and tar soap, donating what they call basic protective kits to areas with high infection rates."
The Duke of Claren squinted through the swirling smoke. "You know Mr. Darcy from the mask factory, and the person behind the contact with the Workers' Mutual Aid League to distribute protective gear, right? I heard you brought that up separately at the inquiry."
Lancaster's fingers twitched imperceptibly at his side. "You've already found out, why don't you contact them yourself?"
Duke Claren smiled cunningly. "Aren't we partners? It would be more effective if you find someone. After the job is done, I can promote the person you want. How do you think?"
Lancaster gave him a deep look, knowing full well that this royal, long a member of the common people, was far less fond of power-playing than he appeared. In fact, he was probably the living royal who cared most about the people's livelihoods and was most eager to get down to business. If he truly cared only about money and power, he would never have made concessions to all parties in the sugar industry, as the spies had reported.
He is the best candidate.
"Aren't we supposed to be good people? Just donating money and sending supplies isn't enough. Civilians aren't fools. Mr. Darcy from the mask factory is a hereditary landowner, so it makes more sense for him to play the selfless philanthropist. Also, the basic protective suit was the idea of the lady you met in Liverpool that day. A reward wouldn't be too much, would it?"
Since Darcy was going to marry Heather's niece, they were now on the same boat. Taking advantage of the opportunity to get some benefits and promote one's own talents would be a mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Duke of Clarence pondered for a moment and agreed.
After the story was finished, he relaxed a little. "Tell me about that lady, the beetroot and the protective suit. What's her background?"
Lancaster didn't want to talk about this. He subconsciously touched his pocket watch in his arms and remembered that he had already given it to Heather.
He put out the cigar in his hand and stood up.
"She is quite intelligent and kind-hearted. But perhaps you will see her again soon, for I have already succeeded in proposing her."
Lancaster bowed slightly to the Duke of Claren's surprised look and walked out of the box.
Duke Claren laughed and scolded from behind: "You little bastard, who asked you about your proposal?"
It was already late at night when I arrived home. The person I wanted to see most was not around, and the heavy workload that I used to be accustomed to became unbearable.
Lancaster raised his hand, pinched his brow tiredly, and pushed open the door of the study.
The door hinges slid open silently, and a familiar fragrance hit him first, followed by warmth on his face. A hand gently covered his eyes and pressed him against the door panel.
"Guess who I am?" The woman's voice was filled with deliberately suppressed joy, and the ending tone could not hide the pride.
Lancaster's body tensed up instantly, and his brain, which was constantly working at high speed, was caught off guard by the sudden palpitation that broke his guard.
"Why are you back?" He reached out and took the hand that was covering his eyes away slowly. He saw the person he had been thinking about day and night. She was wearing a light apricot travel dress, the hem of which was still stained with mud from the journey. Her hair was a little messy due to the night wind, and her smiling eyes were so bright in the candlelight that they seemed to contain stars.
He held Hazel's hand and pressed it against her chest. Her strong heartbeat could be heard through the fabric, making her fingertips hot.
She was still not used to expressing her feelings directly, so she complained to him in a roundabout way: "What? You didn't act surprised at all. And, you don't know, it rained for several days near Euston Station, and my wheels were stuck in the mud. I had to wait a long time before I could set off again. If I had known, I wouldn't have worn a new dress..."
Lancaster stopped her and continued to chatter about everyday things. Every word was like a beating note that stepped on his heart.
He responded to her words, leaned over, picked her up and carried her to the single sofa by the window. After sitting down, he retracted his arm to let her sit steadily on his legs, and rubbed the ends of her hair with his fingertips.
Heather glared at him, "Are you even listening to me?"
Lancaster sniffed her breath greedily and hummed: "You are talking about dirty shoes. It's okay. I will ask someone to make ten pairs tomorrow."
Heather couldn't help but laugh, pulling out a pamphlet and slapping it against him.
"This is a small disease prevention pamphlet that Mary and I worked on overnight, combining illustrations and text descriptions."
Heather turned a page and looked at it with him. The first page was about not drinking raw water, and the second page was about the seven steps to washing hands frequently. The reference was the kind that was posted on the wall of every school sink.
"How about this? Adding this pamphlet to my protective suit and distributing it to the public should have a good effect. I also ask Mr. Darcy to do his utmost to expand production regardless of cost. I believe that no matter how much we produce now, there will be people who want it."
Lancaster carefully opened each page. This short manual covered almost every aspect of daily life. It was detailed, clear and practical.
"Excellent! The idea and content are both excellent." He put the booklet down and asked her to turn her head so they could meet his gaze. "Why don't we give this booklet to the royal family as a donation from noble ladies to the common people? Also, all the products produced by Darcy's will be distributed through the royal family. You remember the Duke of Clarence we met in Liverpool? The one who deposited dividends from the sugar refinery into my account every month?"
He hugged her and told her in detail what kind of man the Duke of Claren was and the temporary cooperation he had reached with him in the past few days.
Heather listened attentively, feeling like she was about to slide off his lap. She adjusted her sitting position before saying, "So when he becomes the crown prince or the next king, we can all benefit from it, right?"
She looked up at him, but felt that this position was not very comfortable, so she moved to find a more suitable position.
Lancaster couldn't hold it in any longer. He picked up Heather and placed her on the large desk in the middle. He replied in a hoarse voice, "Yes, and this will also improve efficiency and distribution, and public acceptance will be higher. That person's character is also more reliable than the current ruler."
Heather thought she had hurt his leg, so she shook his hand guiltily, then agreed to his suggestion with great trust.
"Okay, I'll do as you say. If you have time, please tell Mr. Darcy for me. He takes this matter very seriously and has returned to London."
Lancaster agreed and asked her if she wanted to go home and sleep so late.
Heather glanced at him furtively. She was torn. It was too late to go back home, but wasn't it a bit unseemly to stay at the home of her "boyfriend," a 19th-century gentleman, before they were even married?
Lancaster understood her thoughts and made the decision for her.
He lifted her down from the low cabinet again, as if she had no legs.
He carried her to the study door and put her down, straightened her skirt and let her walk by herself.
"How about you stay in the room at the end of the third floor? It's been arranged since you first came here and it's cleaned every day. I'll have a maid come and serve you."
Heather stopped worrying about it, whispered good night, opened the door and followed a group of maids waiting not far away.
Walking into the room at the end of the corridor, Heather's eyes lit up. This place was inconsistent with the simple style of the whole house. It was obvious that it was carefully decorated with many fancy little ornaments, which was exactly the same style as her study.
The light green wallpaper had fine silver-edged patterns, and the curtains were not the common heavy aristocratic style, which was exactly what she wanted.
The maids came in one after another and took over all the trivial matters after obtaining her consent. Heather took a comfortable bath, changed into luxurious clothes, and was taken to the soft big bed. The fabric of the bedding was similar to the one she had boasted about on the cruise ship to Liverpool.
She sighed comfortably and wanted to take out her phone to send a text message to her considerate fiancé.
Unfortunately, this wish could never be realized. She could only close her eyes with a little regret and look forward to tomorrow.
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