After all, Henry, being so young and already a wealthy man with outstanding abilities, had a vast array of choices.
If this were to happen, the committee would surely become the laughingstock of high society—unable to retain even the exceptional talent born and raised in their own town!
All agenda items concluded, and Henry would become the official Sheriff after taking his oath tomorrow morning.
It was nearly 7:30 PM when the meeting ended, and William invited Henry to his Manor for dinner, which Henry gladly accepted.
Deputy Sheriff Ronald was quiet throughout the meeting, only offering a few platitudes when analyzing the bandits' motives. As soon as the meeting ended, he hurried towards his house.
Ronald's wife and children lived in McKinley Family's Dwyer Manor, five miles outside of town; he lived here alone.
Upon returning home, Ronald took out some stationery and wrote a letter quickly.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and James and the other two arrived as arranged.
Ronald handed the letter to James and said, "Deliver this to Patriarch Sean at Dwyer Manor."
James and the other two immediately returned to the Sheriff's station's stable to get horses and rode to Dwyer Manor.
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Mayor William's Manor was Victorian in style.
Victorian-style houses almost every part had exquisite details, from intricate wood trim, ornate staircases, stained glass, and decorative woodwork.
The Manor featured steep gabled roofs, front-facing gables, patterned tiles, bay windows, circular towers, and a front porch.
The architecture incorporated a Gothic style with pointed roofs, fish-scale-like wooden shingles on the exterior walls, and round or square columns with delicate decorations at the entrance, giving the entire building a meticulously crafted feel.
The interior decoration of the Manor was in natural wood colors, and the furniture was European style.
Because it was a last-minute dinner, it wasn't very formal.
Moreover, since it wasn't in an English noble's home, the dining etiquette wasn't as strict.
As a child, Henry would occasionally come here for meals with his grandfather, and he privately called Mayor William, Grandpa William.
So he was very familiar with the place; tonight was essentially a family dinner.
In fact, if not for William's care, Henry, as an ordinary member of the Sheriff's station, would not have received such a large reward of 24,000 us dollars, even with his distinguished achievements.
The dishes were very rich, with 8 courses served, including appetizers, main courses, desserts, and so on.
Only William and Mikala and their two younger grandchildren were present.
The grandson, Frank, was 7 years old, and the granddaughter, Jennice, was 10 years old.
William opened a bottle of French Burgundy AOC Premier Cru red wine, and the couple drank with Henry.
William was 64 this year and had three sons and two daughters.
William's wife, Mikala, was a year older than him, and she was very fond of Henry.
Their eldest granddaughter, Alice, was only one year younger than Henry.
When Henry's grandfather was still alive, he and William interacted frequently, and Henry and Alice could be considered childhood sweethearts.
However, in June 1876, four years ago, when Henry had just turned 16, his grandfather, who he depended on, passed away, and Henry rarely came to this Manor.
Furthermore, after that summer, Alice went to New York to attend a private girls' high school with her parents, and the two never met again.
The conversation always started with people they both cared about.
"Alice will be back for half a month at the beginning of next month. She just got into Smith College, and classes start at the beginning of September, two months from now," William said.
Henry exclaimed, "I remember Alice's childhood wish was to attend a women's college when she grew up. Congratulations to her for achieving her wish; she is truly outstanding."
Mikala looked at Henry kindly and said with a smile, "You are both very good and excellent children, Henry. I hope you'll come to see me more often, like before, okay?"
Henry immediately replied, "Of course, Grandma Mikala."
Jennice interrupted, "Henry, I heard you killed over a hundred bandits today, is that true?"
Henry looked at the doll-like little girl, nodded with a smile, and said, "It's true. If you ever get into trouble, just say you're my younger sister, and see who dares to offend you."
Jennice let out a joyful, bell-like laugh and said, "Henry, I'll remember that. Can you warn little fatty Blake for me tomorrow noon? He always deliberately dirties my friend Kent's clothes."
Henry gently asked, "Why doesn't Kent warn Blake himself?"
Jennice said helplessly, "He does, but Blake doesn't listen. He's two years younger than Blake and much shorter."
Henry noticed that William and Mikala, the old couple, were both smiling, and he knew that these children were all little classmates taught by private tutors hired jointly by several close families.
"If I warn, I'll only shoot. Jennice, do you want me to shoot in front of Blake to scare him?" Henry asked with a smile.
Jennice quickly shook her head.
"So, either Kent fights back against Blake himself, regardless of whether he wins or not, he must at least immediately show his resistance and that he's not to be trifled with."
"Or, let Kent record every instance of Blake bullying him in a diary, and then pay him back all at once when a suitable opportunity arises."
"In this Western world, one can only rely on themselves. The sooner one understands this principle, the better."
William raised his glass in a toast, and Henry quickly clinked glasses with him.
"Henry, what you just said is very true. Here, one can only rely on themselves, but this 'self' should include members who share the same bloodline," William said, downing about half a glass of red wine.
Putting down his glass, William continued, "Henry, we both have noble blood flowing in our veins from the same place. We are natural partners."
Henry agreed, "Indeed, Grandpa William, you are very right."
As far as Henry remembered, his grandfather had told him that their family's ancestors could be traced back to the Scottish hero Robert Bruce, and were of royal blood.
And the Sinclair Family was a noble family with a long history in Scotland.
However, Henry's branch was a distant offshoot that had long since declined. Before his death, his grandfather only urged Henry to live well and propagate the family.
It was said that the Bruce Family had vast properties in Canada and India.
However, none of this had anything to do with Henry.
But his bloodline would make it easy for him to be accepted by the American upper class.
The earliest English, Scottish, German, and some Irish immigrants to America were the only ones they truly recognized as local residents.
As for the so-called Indigenous People, what kind of savages and oddities were they?
Although Zhang Tianyuan's soul had merged with Henry's memories, he still believed himself to be Zhang Tianyuan, a pure descendant of the Dragon.
Even though his body was a peripheral member of the so-called blue-blooded nobility.
But that didn't stop him from using this to make life better for himself and those he wanted to help.