The marriage of Lord Saint-Simon, and its events and results, have always been a headache for the groom, and it once became a topic of great concern in the upper class society where he lives. But now the situation has happened

Everything that happened 4 years ago, as well as some of the interesting details it contained, has been replaced by a new scandal. However, from my perspective, I feel that the story behind this case is not what people think.

Therefore, I think that if the truth of this case is not recorded, it will be a disaster in my friend's life.

Important achievements missed!

I remember that it was a few weeks before my wedding, that is, when Holmes and I were still living together in Baker Street. One day at noon, after Holmes came back from wandering for a while, he found a letter from him on the table.

.The weather that day was also very unusual. It suddenly started to rain continuously, and the wind kept blowing. As for me, because I had a bullet in my arm that had not been taken out when I participated in the war in Afghanistan, I couldn't stand it.

I would feel a dull pain on rainy days. I didn’t go out that day. I lay in an easy chair and read the news all day long. In the end, my head was filled with the news of the day, so I put my hands down.

I was lying there bored, staring at a letter from an unknown person on the table. On the top of the envelope of the letter, there was a huge emblem and criss-crossed letters. This was someone with identity.

Who wrote this letter to my friend? I kept thinking about it.

As soon as my friend walked in, I told him: "You have a very special letter. If I remember correctly, the letters in the morning should also be from a fishmonger and a customs inspector."

"Yes, there is always something special about my letters." He replied with a smile, "And generally speaking, letters written by people with more ordinary status are more interesting. But this letter in front of me, from the perspective of it is not

From the outside, being too popular is like a summons, making you feel a little uncomfortable or bored."

As he spoke, he opened the envelope and glanced at the contents of the letter.

"Oh, come and see, maybe this is a very interesting thing!" "Does that mean it's not a letter in the general social sense?" "No, it's obviously a business letter."

"Is it a commission from a noble?"

"Not only is he a nobleman, he is also the nobleman with the highest status in the UK!"

"My friend, it seems I want to congratulate you!"

"To be honest, Watson, I can tell you for sure that for me, I don't care what kind of social figure this client is. I am just interested in the case he entrusted me with. But, in

In the process of investigating this case, background information about his social influence is indispensable. You have been paying more attention to the news for some time, so you should know this best, right?"

"Maybe that's it!" I said listlessly, pointing to a pile of newspapers in the corner, "because I really don't know what to do."

"That's a coincidence. Maybe you can tell me some latest news about this case! You know, I have always been only interested in news about crimes and missing persons notices. Missing person notices can often bring some enlightenment to people.

. Since you are so concerned about the latest happenings, I think you must know something about Lord Saint Simon and his marriage?"

"Well, that's right. When I saw the news, I paid special attention to it."

Well, this letter in my hand was written to me by Lord St. Simon. I will read it to you, but you must read these newspapers again to help me find useful information on this matter.

.He said this in his letter:

Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:

Based on what I learned from Lord Buckwater, I have no doubt about your analytical ability and judgment. Therefore, I decided to come to visit you and ask you about the accident that happened at my wedding.

It hurts me so much. This case has been taken over by Mr. Lestrade of Scotland Yard. However, he has stated to me in advance that it is necessary to cooperate with you. Even in his opinion, cooperation with you will be harmful to

This case is of great help. I will visit you at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. If you have other matters then, I still hope to be able to receive you after you finish, because this matter is very important to me.

Your loyal friend——Saint Simon

"This letter was written with a quill and sent from Grosvenor House. Inadvertently, the noble Lord got a drop of ink on the outside of his right little finger," said Holmes, folding the letter.

"The time he agreed with me is 4 o'clock. It is 3 o'clock now, which means he will arrive here in one hour."

"Fortunately, with your help, I still have time to figure out this matter first. Let's take a look at these newspapers and organize the relevant information in chronological order in order to clarify the identity and background of our client."

Holmes pulled out a book with a red cover from the row of reference books next to the mantelpiece. "So there it is!" He took the book in his hand and sat down, placing it on his knees: "Robert

·Lord Walsingham de Vere St. Simon, the second son of the Duke of Balmoral. Oh! There is also a medal! The base is sky blue, with three black caltrops on it. This man was born in 1846. This year

Already 41 years old, he has already reached the age of marriage. He once served as Under-Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs in the previous government. And his father, the Duke, once served as Foreign Secretary. They are from the Angevin dynasty.

He is a direct descendant, so he inherited the bloodline of this family. The maternal lineage is from the Tudor Dynasty. Aha! This information is of little help to this case. Watson, it seems that you have to help me collect some more useful information.

Only the information will do.”

"This is too easy for me," I said, "because it happened not long ago, so I still remember it clearly! However, since you were handling another case at the time, I also

I know you don’t like to be disturbed, so I didn’t dare to tell you about it at that time.”

"Oh, you're talking about the furniture truck in Grosvenor Square! Now that I've figured it out, I should say it was clear to me from the beginning, so please tell me what you learned from reading the newspaper!"

You see, this is the first news I can find, it's in the notice column of the Morning Post. But judging from the date, it's a few weeks ago:

According to reliable information, the marriage of Lord Bert St. Simon, the second son of the Duke of Balmoral, has been decided, and his future wife is Hattie Dolan, the only daughter of Mr. Aloysius Dolan of San Francisco, California, USA.

Miss Lan, the wedding is now ready. If the news is true, it is estimated that the wedding will be held in the near future.

"That's all." I said to him.

"Very brief," said Holmes, stretching his slender legs towards the fire.

Another social relations newspaper from the same period also published this news, but it was described in more detail. Oh, here it is:

In the marriage market, there will soon be calls for the adoption of protective policies. Obviously, this is the result of the negative impact of today's free trade-style marriage policy on us British people. British nobles have fallen behind,

They were successively controlled by the woman's family on the other side of the Atlantic. Just last week, another important person was snatched away by these charming attackers, adding a new name to their victory list. They have been lingering in the palace of marriage for more than 20 years.

Lord Bert Saint-Simon, who is not a member of the family, recently suddenly decided to marry Miss Hattie Dolan, the beautiful and flowery daughter of a California millionaire. Miss Dolan is the only daughter in the family, and she has an elegant personality.

Her figure and one-of-a-kind appearance shocked everyone at the celebration banquet at Westbury Palace. According to recent rumors, her dowry will be much higher than 6 figures, and it is estimated that it may be even higher. As we all know,

The Duke of Balmoral has been selling off his collection of paintings in recent years, and Lord St. Simon currently only has a meager income from Birchmoor Heath, so the California heiress will be in this marriage.

With this move, a female Republican easily became a British noblewoman. Obviously, she was not the only one who took advantage this time.

"Any more?" Holmes asked, yawning.

"Oh, there are many more. Another piece of news published in the "Morning Post" said: This time their wedding will follow the principle of simplicity. Only their closest relatives and friends will be invited to attend. In Han Dynasty,

Their wedding will be held at St. George's Cathedral in Norfolk Square. After the wedding, the couple and their relatives and friends will return to the apartment rented for them by Mr. Aloysius Dolan in Castlegate.

, furniture and other items had been prepared there. Then, last Wednesday, two days after the news was released, they published a brief announcement announcing that the wedding had taken place. The couple would be at Buckwall, near Petersfield.

They spent their honeymoon at Lord's Villa. These reports were published before the bride disappeared."

"Before what?" Holmes asked in surprise. "Before the lady disappeared."

"So when did she disappear?"

"At breakfast after the wedding."

"Well, it's interesting. It's more interesting than I first thought. To be honest, it's even dramatic."

"Yes, the reason why I noticed this news is because this matter is extraordinary."

"These women always disappear before the wedding, or sometimes during their honeymoon. But this is the first time I have heard of such a simple disappearance. Please tell me the specific situation in more detail!

"

"I have to tell you in advance, what I know so far is only scratching the surface."

"But maybe we can put the pieces together!"

Well, that's a good idea. Here is a more detailed article, which was published in yesterday's morning paper. I'll read it to you. The title of the article is "Strange Phenomenon in Upper Class Weddings" and the specific content is as follows:

The strange thing that happened at Lord Robert St. Simon's wedding shocked their whole family. As briefly introduced in yesterday's newspaper, although their wedding ceremony had been held the day before yesterday, it was not reported until the deadline.

The truth is gradually becoming known, and various rumors in the market are gradually being confirmed. Although his relatives and friends are trying to help him cover it up, this incident has attracted more and more people's attention. So, now this incident

It has become a topic of conversation among people, and trying to ignore everyone's comments may no longer help.

The wedding took place at St. George's Cathedral in Hanover Square. The wedding ceremony was very simple, trying to avoid extravagance. Only the bride's father, Mr. Aloysius Dolan, and Balmoral were present at the wedding.

The Duchess, Lord Buckwater, Lord Eustace and Miss Clara St. Simon (brother and sister of the groom), and Lady Alicia Whitington attended. After the wedding the party went to Lancashire

The apartment rented by Mr. Aloysius Dolan of Tergate. Breakfast had been prepared in advance, but the behavior of a woman disrupted the order. No one knows who she was. She was with the bride and her husband.

After gathering relatives and friends, they wanted to force their way into the apartment and kept shouting that they were qualified to make demands to Lord Saint Simon. After struggling for a long time, they were driven away by the housekeeper and servants. Fortunately, the bride had already entered before that time.

She entered the room, but when her relatives and friends were sitting down to have breakfast, she suddenly excused herself to her room on the grounds of feeling unwell, and she never came back, which made everyone talk.

After a while, her father immediately went to find her. But his daughter's maid told him that she only stayed for a while when she returned to the room, then hurriedly took a long coat and a bonnet and went downstairs. And a man

The servant told his master that he saw such a person leaving the apartment at that time, but he did not expect it to be the young lady at the time. He thought she had been with everyone! After confirming that his daughter was gone, Aloysius Dolan

The husband immediately called the police together with the groom, and the police are now fully investigating. This strange incident should have been resolved immediately, but until late last night, there was no news about the missing lady. As a result, various rumors about

Due to rumors about this matter, everyone speculated that the bride might have met with misfortune. I heard that the police had detained the woman who was entangled at the door of the apartment, and suspected that she might be involved in the bride's mysterious disappearance due to jealousy or other purposes.

"Is that all?"

"There is another morning newspaper that also reported this matter, but although it is just a short message, it is very enlightening to people."

"What does it say above..."

"'Miss Flora Miller, the woman who persisted, has been arrested and detained. She seems to have been a ballet dancer in Alligro. She was acquainted with the groom.' And then disappeared. The current newspaper That’s all what was reported, I believe you already know the entire case very well.”

"This does seem to be an interesting case. I can't let it go easily. Listen, Watson, someone is ringing the doorbell. It's just after 4 o'clock. I think it must be our distinguished guest. We’re here. Don’t leave in a hurry, Watson, you know I’ve always wanted someone to witness for me, even if it’s just to test my memory!”

"Lord Robert St. Simon is here!" the boy servant came in and said. As soon as he finished speaking, a man who looked like a gentleman came in. From the appearance, he was a very kind man, and he seemed to be very well-educated. His face was very pale and his nose was high. , there was a hint of anger at the corners of his mouth, and a pair of big eyes, with a kind of calmness in them. From his eyes, it can be seen that this is the type of person who is born to give orders. His actions are very quick, but his whole person makes people feel that he is different from his age. It was very harmonious. He was a little hunched when he walked, and his knees were even a little bent. When he took off the hat that was rolled up high, I found that his hair was the same, and it was disharmonious because his head There is already a ring of gray hair around his chest, and there are only a few hairs left on the top of his head. Of course, it is another story once you see what he is wearing. He is very well-dressed, and can even be said to be a bit Luxurious: He wore a black coat with a high stiff collar, a white vest, a pair of yellow gloves on his hands, a pair of patent leather shoes, and light-colored leggings on his legs.

He walked into the room with slow steps in a gentlemanly manner, glanced left and right, and the chain holding his gold-rimmed glasses dangled in his right hand.

"Good afternoon, Lord St. Simon!" said Holmes, standing up and bowing.
To be continued...