gentleman's manor

The scabbed rash all fell off in a few days without leaving a trace.

After recovering from my illness, I returned to church and continued to work.Pastor Cole was sorry to me, and he said to me, "It's all my fault for letting you go to Holi. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have encountered such a thing."

"Don't blame yourself, am I safe and sound?" I comforted him and said, I knew he was still sorry for the minister who contracted smallpox and died of illness in that hotel.

"What kind of strange disease is smallpox?" Pastor Cole sighed, "Is it really witchcraft by witches, or is it haunted by devils in hell?"

I shook my head and said, "The doctors say it's an infectious disease."

"But if it is an infectious disease, why do some people get it and others don't? I have come into contact with many people who have smallpox and have taken care of them myself, but I have never been infected, and some people will get sick just by being in the same room with a sick person. Sick." Pastor Cole stood sadly in the center of the church hall, looking up at the statue of Jesus on the cross and praying: "May the merciful Lord have mercy on the world."

This time smallpox spread on a large scale, and it was almost uncontrollable. Many people left the port city and went to the inland where there were very few people to escape. Some people escaped by boat.

Edward also expressed to me his intention to evacuate India.

"Come out of India with me," he said. "Your time in India is up, isn't it?"

"But...no new missionaries have been dispatched yet, and Pastor Cole is too busy on his own," I said.

"A new missionary?" Edward snorted and said, "No one will come here at risk. You should take care of yourself. Although you were lucky not to be infected with smallpox last time, who knows if you will be so lucky every time? Don't forget For your sister, last time you were left alone."

As soon as Edward mentioned what happened last time, I felt very embarrassed, and said slowly: "Don't mention the past, my friend, I made a fuss, although you fully appreciate my timidity, don't always laugh at me. "

"Who is your friend?" He put his arms around me, rubbed his hands behind me, and lingered on his buttocks and thighs.

Since the misdiagnosis of smallpox, I have fallen into a very passive and embarrassing situation.Edward has already thrown the politeness of a gentleman into the country of Java. He would kiss and hug him as soon as he met, completely ignoring my opinions, and even clearly expressed his desire to stay overnight many times. I was burned out by his domineering posture.

"Don't..." I stopped softly.

But Edward hugged me tightly, sucking and gnawing on my neck, I was made weak by him, the thing between my legs was about to move, and I could feel the other's desire pressing against my lower abdomen.

"No, Edward," I said.

"Why not?" He stopped, breathing heavily into my face.

"I... I'm still a pastor..."

"Didn't you say fuck the Holy Mother of God? Don't tell me you regret it again, I don't accept such an excuse." He said with a frown.

I looked at him and said, "No, I won't forget what I said, and I won't push you away again. It's just... I have to wait. When I return to England, I will resign as a pastor. Just with you."

Edward looked serious, and asked me seriously: "Are you really going to resign as a pastor? But a pastor is a sign of your gentleman status. You have worked hard for this for so many years. Isn't it a pity to give up?"

"At that time, I thought I really had smallpox. When my life was facing the end, the thing I regret most was not being able to be with the person I love. This time, I will never regret it again."

Edward looked at me deeply, then he lowered his head and kissed me reverently.

This moment is very quiet, and we enjoy this short tenderness.But after a while, Edward suddenly asked me: "I remember that pastors are tenured. Can pastors also resign?"

"Uh..." I frowned and said, "After I stop working as a pastor, don't I stop being a pastor?"

"After a priest receives the authority to forgive sins from the bishop, he is a life-long divine right. Even if you no longer work, you are still a priest for life." Edward told me a cruel fact.

I was struck by lightning for a moment. There have only been pastors who stopped working for various reasons, but I have never heard of pastors who apostate.

"What are you going to say now?" Edward bent down and looked directly at me.

"..." I stared blankly at him, speechless for a long time.

Edward took a deep breath, looked down at me and said, "I am not an ascetic believer, and my patience is limited. When facing the person I like, please forgive me for not being able to control my body and mind with reason. If you don't respond to my request early, then I have no choice but to take tough measures, and I hope that Your Excellency will not blame me for my barbaric behavior, because I have already warned you."

I think he is a little angry, and he is putting on airs again.

"When we return to England, let's see if we can revoke the title of priest and make plans again?" I said flatteringly.

"What if not?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"There is always a way." I whispered.

"I have a deeper understanding of Your Excellency's stubbornness. Please forgive me for being rude. I have to leave today. I am afraid that my cultivation is not enough to control the turmoil in my heart. On impulse, I may just throw you away Go to bed and do to you what I did to you in my dreams when I was a teenager." He looked me up and down with lust in his eyes.

I put my hand on my forehead and said helplessly, "I'm not interested in the plans in your mind. If you want to take tough measures, you have to look at the target. Don't forget, I am a master of swordsmanship."

"Then let's wait and see, and don't forget, I taught you all your sword skills." He put on the cloak, grabbed the back of my head, kissed me bitterly, and then left the room.

However, he came to me in a hurry that night.

"We're leaving early, Adam." He said anxiously: "Smallpox has appeared in the port, and it may spread, and we won't be able to leave by then."

"But wouldn't it be more terrifying if smallpox patients were brought on board?"

"We will linger in the harbor for a few days, leave India first, and wait until Africa."

So I quickly packed up my luggage and followed him to the port the next morning.

Before leaving, I bid farewell to Pastor Cole and asked him to return home with us.

Pastor Cole refused: "I have lived here for decades, and this place is like my home. I can't live without her. I wish you the best of luck, child."

I am indebted to Reverend Cole, he was a respectable man, kind and kind, and taught me a lot.I hope that in the future I can become a generous and loving person like him, and then try to help others as much as I can.

Under the warm tropical monsoon, we boarded the cargo ship.

This is Edward's fleet, and all his crew members are on board. After the outbreak of the epidemic, they are only confined to the dock, so there is no sign of smallpox infection yet.

After sailing at sea for more than ten days, everyone finally felt relieved, because they finally escaped from the shadow of death.

The days at sea are very boring. Apart from staying in the room, we are facing the boundless sky and sea.

Edward initially inspected the physical conditions of the crew members, lest there might be smallpox lurking among those who were brought aboard. After finding that everyone was safe, he became tired of staying in my room and refused to leave.

"You can't stay here all the time, people will gossip," I told him.

"God's way doesn't make sense on a ship. There are many ways for the crew to pass the time on the ship. Do you want to see it?"

Years of seafaring life brought Edward a huge change. Although his gestures are still cautious and polite, and his dealings with others are also kind and gentle, but he is very dignified when facing the crew, and many people are trembling in front of him.

It is not an easy task to control such a large fleet. The ship is full of feral and unruly men. Drinking and fighting are common. If they cannot be deterred, the fleet may have been disbanded long ago.

I coughed dryly and said, "I can relieve my boredom by reading a book in my room, I don't need to know."

"Oh? Look at this Bible that you have read hundreds of times?" Edward said, shaking the book in his hand.

"Books are always read and new."

"No excuses, I know you're bored too. How about we have some fun?" he said, pulling out a deck of cards.

"Well, we can drink and play cards." I thought he was playing tricks, but it turned out that it was just playing cards.

We sat at the table, I poured each other drinks, and Edward dealt the cards.

"Up the ante as usual, let's bet on something new, you know 'skinning a pig'?"

"What is that? A new way of playing cards?" I counted the cards in my hand and said, today's card luck is good, I thought to myself.

"Of course not. The crew often get together to play. It's a kind of bet. Whoever loses will take off a piece of clothing until the first person takes off." He said.

I stopped my hand and raised my eyebrows to look at Edward.

He put his hands on the table, stared at me and said, "Don't be so defensive to me, I will feel very hurt, not to mention I will give you a chance to maintain your dignity."

"This...is not appropriate..." I said hesitantly.

"It's just a game, and I have no other intentions, and maybe it's because of your embarrassment of watching me." He seduced in a low voice.

I looked at a handful of good cards in my hand, and thought it would be okay to try. When I was a teenager, he always lost more than he won when playing cards with me.

"Okay." I took the lead in throwing a card on the table.