Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

May 31, 1893 Please see, sir, our vehicles are of high quality and can definitely meet your various needs, the head of the Adams Fine Carriage Rental Company boasted, he is a Scotchman with a full beard. Indeed, Condon said.Really pretty good.I'm leaving London for a day or two and I'll decide which one to buy when I get back. No problem, sir, Adams said.Allow us to give you a ride home in one of our beautiful carriages. Condon smiled.He often held parties on his yacht, and many guests who had only thought about buying a boat at first, but rushed to place orders before the voyage was over, so he admired the wisdom of the Scot.very happy.

this way please. When they arrived at the atrium, they saw a large carriage drawn by four horses preparing to set off. The carriage with black background and golden decoration was very luxurious. Ah, here comes Mrs Croyce, Adams said very cheerfully. What?Condon thought he had heard wrong.Mrs Croyce?A ridiculous image appeared in his mind, a petite bitch wearing a diamond collar and a gold leash. Mr. Sebro, just a moment.Adams said. He hurried over to greet the lady who was about to get into the car.On her twisted breast hung a necklace of strings of pearls, each of the same size.The clothes on her body are extremely gorgeous, and the brocade fabric is woven with golden threads.She wore a large wide-brimmed hat full of bird feathers, and a chin-length veil that sparkled in the sun because tiny diamonds were sewn into the mesh.

That's what Mrs. Croyce should look like in human form.Cong Deng smiled shyly in his heart. He should ask Jiaqi why she didn't dress like this since she was listed as the richest woman in Britain.But we'll have to wait until the next time we see her.After they had had sex on the night of the Carlesso's ball, she sent a succinct note the next day informing him that he would not be able to hold the line for the next seven days.From that day on, he never saw her again. Today is the eighth day. Adams flattered Mrs. Royce in every possible way, and she showed her arrogance, which he watched with relish.Finally Adams helped her into the carriage, bowed her farewell before returning to Condon.

Usually I don't appreciate such a luxurious lady, he said.But that one is special.Very stylish, right? The imposing lady picked up the puppy on the other side of the seat and held it up against her face.It was grand enough, Condon knew the corgi. Jiaqi.Why did she rent a carriage from Adams?Hasn't she got enough carriages of her own?Why is she suddenly dressed like the mistress of a rich man in America? I thought about it, he said to Adams.Decided to take a cab today. Jiaqi's rented carriage headed east, crossed Westminster Bridge, passed Lambeth District and entered Southwark District.Both sides of the street are full of shops. Vendors are soliciting customers on the sidewalk, selling ginger beer and strawberries from the West Bank. People carrying advertising clipboards look around warily, because urchins often deliberately push them down for fun. They advertise a wide variety of products. From tobacco to women's health pills.

The houses here are not bad, some are even very decent, but once you enter the alleys, the prosperous atmosphere immediately disappears.The carriage turned into a small road, and after walking a few streets, the environment could hardly be called decent. The carriage stopped in front of a small building, and there were neighbors on both sides. One was a small restaurant with a strong smell of sausages and onions, and the other was a small clinic. It also has a magical effect on weight loss. Six women stood on the sidewalk, two of them with young children on their hands, waiting quietly together.The luxury carriage hadn't stopped completely, they were already busy arranging their skirts and hair, none of them was wearing gloves, everyone tried their best to restrain themselves, not to peek at the ladies in the carriage.

The driver jumped out of the car, unfolded the steps and opened the door to hold it.Jiaqi got out of the car, dressed as richer than God, with a colder attitude than Persephone on the bed of Hades. Compared with the dull blue and brown old clothes on those women, her daytime outing with gold, green and green strips bloomed colorfully. Bright, almost blinding.When she arrived at the door, a middle-aged woman opened the door from the inside. Her clothes were quite neat. (Annotation: Persephone is the goddess of spring in Greek mythology, who was forced to marry because of the design of Hades, the king of the underworld, and stays in the underworld for three months every year.)

Condon ordered the rental carriage to stop across the street, and sat in the carriage staring blankly.This street almost fell into obscenity, what is Jiaqi doing here? A woman in line bent over to speak to a child, and Condon was finally able to see the bronze medal on the left side of the door. croyce lending co. women only Jiaqi looked at the young mother with a young child in front of her. She had seen this kind of woman hundreds of times, with different looks and different names, but she had the same experience.She fell in love with a man and thought it would last forever, but she didn't expect good times to last forever.She came here in desperation, with only a few cents left by her side, begging for mercy from strangers desperately.

Such a story still made Jiaqi shudder.If she was a poor and helpless tailor, wouldn't she fall in love with the handsome apprentice from the bakery next door?If she had been a maid, she might have believed the young master's sweet words. She also made the same mistake.She has tasted loneliness, and she has loved so desperately that she voluntarily abandoned all reason. Miss Sumek was originally an apprentice in a florist shop in Cambridge, with a promising future, but she fell madly in love with a young professor, who came to the shop every morning to buy corsages.Then there was the same tragedy.She was pregnant, and he refused to marry her, or even provide for her.When she couldn't hide her stomach, she was fired from the flower shop, and the flower shop with good reputation refused to hire her. In order to support herself and her children, she had to go to sea to earn money.

Finally, a turning point came, and Miss Ni Li, a florist who was an apprentice with her, wrote to ask her to help, and her prayer seemed to have finally been answered.Before Miss Zimmer's accident, Miss Ni Li had already set up her own shop, so she didn't know that her reputation was ruined, and thought she was still a decent woman.Miss Su Meike has worked in Miss Ni Li's store for two years, saving money as much as possible, hoping to open a store by herself one day.But just when she thought she would let go of the past, Miss Ni Li's brother came to the store one morning. He was once Miss Su Meike's benefactor when she sold herself, and the truth was exposed like this.

Jiaqi has hired a detective for a long time to do investigations for Croyce Money Lenders.Miss Sumike's troubled youth can't take up more than a blank page.Those with reliable guarantors and letters of recommendation will be handled by Mrs. Ramsey, and special cases will be reviewed by Jiaqi herself. Miss Sumike stammered about the unfortunate experience, her cheeks were flushed, and Jiaqi just listened. Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I have a blemish on my personality, but I know flowers well.I know some words and have a good idea of ​​numbers. Miss Ni Li used to ask me to help with accounting.I have arranged many grand occasions, such as weddings, balls, etc., and received a lot of praise. Miss Su Meike kept her voice down, and Jiaqi's glacier-like noble style finally made her terrified.

Not only is she gorgeous, but the office is also scary.After the guests enter the door, they pass through the shabby foyer and the narrow and dark corridor. Once they enter this magnificent office, everyone will be stunned.Lawrence.Alma-Tadema's paintings are placed in luxurious frames, and the dazzling white marble and the blue-washed sky of ancient times are vivid on the paper, which always attracts a lot of exclamation.The high-end furniture that usually only appears in the living room of the nobles made the applicants stare in horror every time. They stared blankly at the expensive brocade interlaced with vermilion and beige, for fear of being soiled by their humble buttocks. You said you want to open your own shop, Jiaqi said.Have you chosen a location? yes ma'am.There is a small shop near Bond Street, the rent is high, but the location is very good. Miss Sumike is ambitious and courageous, which Jiaqi admires very much.Bond Street?Miss Su Kemei, don't you feel a little ambitious? no ma'am.I've thought about it many times and this is the only way that works.If a businessman's wife heard about my past from Miss Ni Li, they would never hire me.But noble ladies are different, as long as I have good craftsmanship, they won't mind so much. It does make sense.Even so, I urge you to declare yourself a decent widow. yes ma'am.Miss Sumike was so excited that she could hardly speak. Also especially target those rich Americans who come to London, and seize their business as soon as possible. yes ma'am. Jiaqi wrote the check and put it in the envelope.Take this to Mrs. Ramsey in the next room, and she will take care of the rest. Mrs. Ramsey would instruct Miss Sumac to sign the Croyce Lending Company's standard deed, tell her what to do with the check, and send her out the back door.Jiaqi doesn't want the applicants to discuss each other, because she agrees to the loan almost every time, and she doesn't want the word to get out. Oh madam, thank you, lost man! Miss Shoemaker curtseyed so low she nearly toppled over. I still want to eat candy. Her son had been quiet all this time, but suddenly he started making noise. Hush!Miss Sumike took out a beautiful sugar bowl, opened it and quickly stuffed a piece of chocolate into her son's mouth.That sugar bowl.Goodness, that's a jar from Demmel's confectionary shop in Vienna.The last time she was in Condon's possession, the jar had been on the desk, by her hand. How do you have that jar?she asked sharply. It was given by a gentleman outside, madam.Miss Sumike looked at Jiaqi worriedly.Because Timmy couldn't stop crying, he gave me a sugar bowl to soothe the baby.I'm sorry, ma'am, I shouldn't have taken it.It is my fault. It doesn't matter.You did nothing wrong. but ma'am Mrs Ramsey is waiting for you, Miss Zimmerk. Jiaqi searched everywhere, but there was no sign of Condon outside the Croyce Loan Company.She returned to the carriage company in the original car, asked Adams to help her call a cab, and went to the fabric shop to pick out a new shawl.Fifteen minutes later, her own carriage came to pick her up at the door of the store, and it was the same carriage that had brought her here two hours ago. She came home to find Condon in his bedroom, packing a stack of starched white shirts into a duffel bag. why are you following me. Out of curiosity, my dear Mrs Croyce.I went to pick up the carriage, and you just showed up.He turned to look at her, showing a slight smile.What would you do if you saw me dressed up like a king at a coronation, calling myself a lord of generosity, and doing something mysterious? Will continue to do her own thing of course, her tone is not very convincing. Of course, he was built.But don't worry, I'll keep it a secret for you. That's not a secret, it's just hiding your identity.The women who borrow money from the Crowes Lending Company are by no means the pitiful poor people that the moralists call them, but I just don't want to explain so much. I see. No, you don't understand.How could he understand?He was so lofty and flawless.Those women are hard-working businessmen with a shady past who only need a little money to get back on their feet. How much did you lend today? She hesitated.Does he really want to know the exact number?Sixty-five pounds. He raised an eyebrow.Not a lot.Did you lend it to Miss Sumike? ten pounds.Ten pounds is not a small number. Many women earn only two pounds a month. Where is Miss Dalton? eight pounds.Miss Dalton is very talented in calligraphy, and as long as she can control the good and the bad, her future should be very secure. He put the three scarves into the duffel bag, then raised his head and said, only based on her one-sided words?I suspect that Miss Dalton's reputation is also flawed. I have hired a private eye for a long time.In six years, only three people defaulted, and one of them was killed by a carriage. Really outstanding. What he said casually about reading beauty, on the contrary, angered her even more.Don't look down on people.Crowes Lenders might be unconventional, but it was perfectly legal and decent.This company helps me sleep more restfully at night. After he buttoned the duffel bag, he walked towards her.do not be angry.He pressed her shoulders, and she shook them away forcefully, so he took a step forward and held her face in his hands. do not be angry.I really think you are great.I'm glad someone is willing to take care of the poor forgotten soul, and I'm glad it's you. Even if he said that he would nominate her for canonization, she would not be more surprised than she is now.He put his hands down and strolled leisurely to the crescent-shaped table to wind up his pocket watch, but the heat from his hands was still burning her face.I just want to give them a chance to start over. He never gave her such a chance. He paused, looked back at her before continuing to wind the clockwork.He didn't say a word. She suddenly felt that she had stayed too long and talked too much.Well, I will leave you alone.I wish you a pleasant journey. I am going to Devonshire, and I promise to dine with your mother and Lord Perrin.The train leaves Paddington station in an hour.Tell the kitchen to make a sandwich for you, come with me. More than a dozen thoughts ran through her mind.The reason why he wanted her to go was because he hoped that he could complete the task of inheriting the family nearby, and also avoid Mrs. Roland asking about the divorce, and it would not be so embarrassing when having dinner with the Duke.But his invitation still aroused trembling joy, and he refused to retreat no matter what.I've already told her I can't go anymore, she said. Giving her a chance to start over, he put the pocket watch in his pocket.She will appreciate it.