Evan's hunch was very correct. When he returned to Delan Lier Church, on the first Sunday, Ferde did not come to worship. Ferd was a member of the church, and he did not come to worship. He put the feud between the two of them on the table.
Most of the townspeople in Deran Lier were unaware, and only a few sensitive gentlemen and ladies could see what was wrong here, because although Ferd had only been in Delan Lier for a few days. Time, but the sense of existence is still very strong, even the person with the most closed information will not ignore his existence.
After the service, a very flamboyantly dressed lady walked up to Evan. She looked thirty years old, but was wearing a bright yellow dress that only little girls would wear, with a pink dress on her head. Bow tie, the smile squeezed out of the face is contrived and eccentric.
"Mr. Pastor." She said with her voice under her breath, "Do you still remember me?"
Evan looked at the woman in front of him, thought for a moment, smiled and nodded: "Miss Blair."
The woman had impressed him on his first day on the job, and Sheriff Chandler had told him the other day that it was this woman who was Rael's alibi witness.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to remember me." Miss Blair giggled. She seemed to want to make her voice more delicate, but the effect was actually quite terrifying.
Evan resisted the urge to touch his arm with goose bumps, forced a smile and nodded, and immediately asked, "Is there anything you need to do?" He really didn't want to entangle with this lady.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Miss Blair seemed to be trying to wink at Evan, but Evan didn't even look at her.
"I want to ask you something." Because of Evan's indifference, Miss Blair was obviously a little frustrated: "When will the trial of Mrs. Johnson's case begin?"
Evan's heart tensed when he heard her ask this.
"Why do you remember to ask this?" Evan tentatively asked with a smile.
Miss Blair looked a little upset when she talked about this, and the contrived smile on her face could not be maintained at this time, she just waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, just ask casually."
Although she said so, the expression on her face was obviously different.
Evan couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart, and after a short pause, he said, "I don't know much about this. It is said that the county court has been busy these days. I'm afraid it will be next spring."
"It took so long!" Miss Blair said in surprise.
Evan looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Miss Blair hurriedly lowered her head to cover up, and added with some stumbling: "But... Poor Mrs. Johnson, I really feel... heartache for her."
Evan's heart was full of emotions, but he just smiled: "You are really a kind lady, if you want to know anything about Mrs. Johnson, you can go to Sheriff Chandler, I think he will return. Tell the truth."
Miss Blair smiled reluctantly, then mumbled a thank you, turned and left.
Looking at Miss Blair's back, which meant that she was fleeing, Evan's expression was thoughtful. Blair was so concerned about Mrs. Johnson's affairs. , the only thing that matters is that Miss Blair is Rael's alibi...
Evan's eyes sank involuntarily. It seems that this case is not so simple.
Early the next morning, Evan went to Sheriff Chandler. When he just arrived at the Sheriff's house, Sheriff Chandler was trying to feed his daughter mashed potatoes. Evan's arrival promptly alerted the police. Changjie rescued this predicament. With a grateful face, he hugged his daughter to Mrs. Chandler, and dragged Evan out of the house.
The two of them chose a quieter tavern and sat down. Sheriff Chandler ordered a large beer. He didn't seem to have much mental barrier to drinking in the morning, but Evan was different from him. His body was originally I was very weak, so I just had a glass of water.
Sheriff Chandler first took a sip of beer, and then smacked his lips contentedly: "What's the matter with you today?"
Evan held his glass of white water in his hand and stroked the edge of the glass before saying, "Mr. Sheriff, has Mrs. Johnson explained why she came home from the Women's Association?"
Hearing that Evan originally asked this, Sheriff Chandler couldn't help but curled his lips: "What do you think he can say? It's not those evasive words, saying that he is worried about Mr. Johnson's asthma, so I want to go back and have a look. , but didn't expect to go back without seeing Mr Johnson, and then she went back."
Hearing this, Evan couldn't help frowning: "Mr. Johnson does have asthma, I heard Dr. Hester say this."
Since Johnson's death, all the rumors about him have long spread in Delan Lier.
Sheriff Chandler snorted coldly with some disdain: "They are husband and wife, of course Mrs. Johnson knows this kind of thing better than anyone else, but I have never seen Mrs. Johnson caring about Mr. Johnson so much. Now saying this, it's really true Some are too funny."
Sheriff Chandler said this, and Evan was also a little silent for a while, and after a while, he finally said: "Maybe, but I think this time is a bit strange, Miss Blair also asked me about Mrs. Johnson yesterday. I always feel that the attitude of that lady is a little unusual."
Sheriff Chandler was very calm when he heard it, he just said, "Miss Blair has always been such a neurotic person, don't worry too much."
Evan watched Sheriff Chandler drinking beer as if nothing had happened, his eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper. This matter is obviously not so simple.
In the end, because Sheriff Chandler didn't care, Evan left suspiciously, but soon, he had no chance to worry about it anymore, because his own problems began to appear.
I don't know since when, a message began to spread from the whole town. Pastor Bruce is not as pure as he appears. He once made a big mistake in London, so he was sent to a country like Delan Lier. Priest.
This kind of news has no basis, but it is favored by people in places like Delanlier. The transmission of this news is almost viral, but in one day, I am afraid that everyone in Delanlier will know Now, their honorable pastor has an unusual past, and they are even more curious about what this honorable pastor did to receive such a punishment.
Of course, Evan also heard this rumor, but when he knew it, people around him looked at him differently.
Evan's heart is actually very worried. On the surface, such rumors don't seem to have any substantive significance, but his blow is very obvious. In this era, for a pastor, his reputation is the most important thing. , If his reputation is ruined, his career will almost come to an end.
Evan knew very well in his heart that he had to suppress this rumor. If he wanted to suppress the rumor, the first thing he had to do was to find the source of the rumor, but Evan was not worried about this, because he knew very well that he could Only Ferd can do this kind of thing.
Back then, the original owner ruined Forde's reputation, and with the character of Forde's flaws, he would never let Evan go.
Mrs. Sanders also heard about this rumor. Like Evan, the first thing she thought of was Ferd. Perhaps it was her intuition as a woman. Mrs. Sanders always had a lot of love for Ferd. The most cautious attitude.
"Pastor Bruce." Mrs. Sanders looked worriedly at Evan who was kneeling in front of the Jesus statue, and whispered, "Now that the ridiculous remarks in the town have spread, do you want to clarify?"
Mrs. Sanders' idea is also the most mainstream approach now, but Evan doesn't think so. Since Ferd can make this move, he must have a backhand. If he clarifies with reporters now, he might fall behind. into his trap.
"My dear lady, please don't worry." Evan's tone was very calm: "The rumors stop at the wise. I haven't done anything shameful, so don't care about such rumors."
Mrs. Sanders became more anxious when she heard him say this: "Mr. Pastor, even if you haven't done such a thing, you can't let things develop like this. Most of the townspeople are very ignorant, and they are very ignorant. It’s easy to believe such unfounded words, ignorant people are a breeding ground for rumors, you can’t let things develop like this, if you let the church know, I’m afraid there will be trouble.”
Mrs. Sanders' concerns are very reasonable, and Evan is very clear in his heart, but he has his own plans, so he can only decline the kindness of Mrs. Sanders.
"Ma'am, I am very grateful for your concern, but sometimes some things get worse and worse. The more I say, the more wrong I am. Let this matter be judged by God."
Evan made a cross on his chest and ended his prayer. He stood up from the ground, turned to look at Mrs. Sanders, smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will be fine. , the townspeople are not as ignorant as we think, as long as I am firm in my heart, everyone will see the truth."
For Evan's optimism, Mrs. Sanders is noncommittal. She has seen the power of rumors. She gave little John up for adoption because she was afraid that rumors would ruin the lives of their mother and son. Now Evan treats this matter willfully. The incident made Mrs. Sanders anxious.
"Okay, if this is your decision." Mrs. Sanders nodded her head, but she thought to herself that Pastor Bruce is still too naive. He believes in the power of human nature, and it is better to believe in the spread of rumors People will have the effect of the plague, and this matter still has to go to Duke Wilson. Among the people Mrs. Sanders knows, only Duke Wilson is both powerful and concerned about Reverend Bruce.
Now that Mrs. Sanders made up her mind, she left Delan Lier Church very simply and walked towards Cornwall Manor. In fact, she was still a little uneasy, because she had not had much interaction with the Duke before. She was afraid that the Duke would not see her.
But to Mrs. Sanders's surprise, when she reported her intention to come, she only waited for a few minutes at the door, and was greeted in person by the chief butler of Cornwall Manor, butler Chris. Sanders Madam suddenly felt a little better about Duke Wilson's feelings.