He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 34

34. Declaration of Marriage Refusal

◈ North London, Hampstead.

Early morning, inside the small market of the town.

The Hampstead market was bustling with people buying and selling goods from the early morning.

Among them was Lucy, the maid from Theo’s house, with her basket full of vegetables and meat.

However, even after finishing her shopping, Lucy had no intention of returning home, engrossed in chatting with two women.

“…And that’s how another matchmaking fell through, and the mistress of the house was completely furious. Ugh, I think the atmosphere in the house will be the worst for at least a few weeks.”

Lucy clicked her tongue and said.

“Tsk, tsk. It’s always been like that, hasn’t it? It’ll quiet down again.”

“No, it’s not like that. The situation is really serious this time.”

The woman of the same age, frowning deeply in front of Lucy, was Mary, a maid from Baron Hazel Palmer’s residence, and a longtime friend of Lucy’s.

She had stopped by the Hampstead market to get something and was enjoying a conversation with Lucy, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.

After listening to the situation for a while, Lucy tilted her head and asked Mrs. Suzanne next to her.

“No, ma’am? Is there something wrong with Master Palmer? He seemed fine when I saw him a few times before?”

Mrs. Suzanne nodded.

“Our young master is perfectly fine. He has such a good and generous personality. Honestly, he’s the best person in the Baron’s family.

Compared to the good-for-nothing sons of the count I used to work for, I even think he might be an angel. But I don’t know why such a person says he won’t get married.”

Mrs. Suzanne was a housekeeper who had newly joined the Palmer Baron’s house two years ago.

When the housekeeper of the Palmer Baron’s house quit for health reasons, the Baroness inquired about a new housekeeper, and Mrs. Suzanne came to work.

In this era, the housekeeper was the head of the female servants and was in charge of all the household chores, so she usually played the role of the mistress’s secretary.

Mrs. Suzanne had good social skills and was efficient in her work, so in a short time, she had gained the great trust of Mrs. Palmer.

Mary glanced over the things Lucy had bought and said.

“But it’s strange. Matchmakers who are crazy about money can’t connect the young master despite the good conditions.”

“Good conditions? Did they promise to give a lot of money if the matchmaking is successful?”

“You’ll probably be surprised if you hear it?”

“Really? How much is it that it’s surprising?”

Mary wore a meaningful smile.

“Don’t be surprised, Lucy. A whopping 10,000 pounds in cash. 10,000 pounds is the success bonus, excluding the commission fee.”

“What? 10,000 pounds? Really?”

At this time, the annual salary of a maid was only around 10 pounds, and considering that the average annual salary of an office worker in London was less than 100 pounds, 10,000 pounds was a considerable amount.

Mary, smiling at Lucy’s surprised expression, raised her index finger and shook it from side to side.

“The surprise is still early. 10,000 pounds isn’t everything.”

“What? There’s another bonus?”

“Yes. In addition to 10,000 pounds, they’re giving a Jamaican plantation together.”

“Huh… Is that real? 10,000 pounds and a plantation?”

Lucy looked at Mrs. Suzanne with an unbelievable expression.

“Ma’am! Is everything she’s saying true?”

Mrs. Suzanne nodded with a bitter smile.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“No, but I don’t understand. Why is Baron Palmer betting so much money? Is it because the matchmaking keeps falling through?”

Mary quickly explained.

“At the beginning of this year, the young master declared that he wouldn’t do any more matchmaking. In short, he declared a refusal to marry.”

“Declaration of marriage refusal? What’s that? Did he say he would live as a bachelor?”

“Not exactly a bachelor, but he said he would never live with a woman he didn’t like… He diligently participated in the social season, and even though he went on endless matchmaking dates, he couldn’t find a woman he liked, so he declared that he would refuse to marry for the time being. I don’t really know how it’s going.”

Mrs. Suzanne opened her mouth with a sigh.

“The Baron, who was desperate because of the young master’s declaration of marriage refusal, offered 10,000 pounds and a Jamaican plantation to the matchmaker who brought a young lady who completely pleased the young master and made the marriage happen.”

“I think he was very afraid that the family line would be cut off forever. So? Did a lot of matchmaking offers come in?”

Mrs. Suzanne waved her hand.

“Don’t even mention it. Introductions came in endlessly. So many that the young master didn’t even have time to meet them all. So, the Baroness first looked at them and selected the young ladies who the young master would like as much as possible.”

“The young master declared that he would refuse to marry, right? So, I don’t think he would have even tried to see those young ladies?”

“That’s right. He did. So, the Baroness took the young ladies she had carefully selected to the house and just sat them down. That way, she tried to make them run into each other, even if it was forced.

Anyway, it was because he was declaring a refusal to marry because there was no woman he liked. She thought that if he saw someone he liked, his decision might change. And the young master wouldn’t have been able to say anything about doing that.”

“But, it hasn’t worked out so far, has it?”

Mrs. Suzanne nodded.

“Yes. It didn’t work out. Many young ladies visited the house, but they didn’t even get a proper glance from the young master. Master Palmer looks very gentle on the outside, but his stubbornness is really something else.”

“You guys are really something…”

Lucy, shaking her head, suddenly asked Mrs. Suzanne.

“By the way! My master is really famous for marriage matchmaking, should I tell him about it? Since we live in the same area, it’s easy to consult?”

At Lucy’s words, Mrs. Suzanne opened her eyes wide and asked back.

“What? Your master does matchmaking? Didn’t you say he runs a business?”

Lucy nodded.

“That’s right. He also invests in other businesses, but he mainly does marriage brokerage. People like us don’t know much, but Theo Sanderson is quite famous among nobles and wealthy people.”

“It’s strange that a man does matchmaking? By the way, it’s strange. Why haven’t I ever heard of such a famous person from the mistress? Your master’s name is Theo Sanderson?”

“Yes. Please tell her about it. You’ll find out soon if you ask around.”

In an era where there was no proper information transmission medium, it was difficult for people to know even if they became quite famous.

Moreover, Baron Palmer and his wife did not like to socialize with people, so they were even more ignorant of rumors.

Mrs. Suzanne, who had been under a lot of stress due to the bad family atmosphere, was thrilled as if she had encountered a very big piece of good news.

“Really? Then, Lucy. First, tell your master about our situation and ask if he can introduce a good young lady. If he’s willing to do the matchmaking, I’ll ask the Baroness right away.

The Baroness will definitely allow it if there’s a good matchmaker. Anyway, she’s still lying sick, and I’m taking all the stress, so I’m getting sick.”

Lucy asked with sparkling eyes.

“Ma’am? Then, shall I go find out now?”

“Now?”

“Yes. The master is at home, and there are no special schedules for the time being, so I think today is the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot.”

“Really? Okay. I have to wait a few more hours because of the things I’m waiting for, so ask quickly and come back. I’ll be here.”

Mary also chimed in from the side.

“Yes, Lucy. Please solve it somehow. The maids and everyone else are dying from the Baroness’s hysteria.”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

**

Theo’s study.

Theo, who was organizing the member list at his desk, opened his mouth without even looking up.

“Lucy! Stop being so obvious and say what you have to say.”

Theo had been feeling that Lucy had been watching him since a while ago.

However, he was trying to give her time to speak on her own, but he was too bothered by it, so he spoke first.

Only then did Lucy, who had been wiping the study, put down the wet towel and smiled brightly.

“I can’t beat the master’s perception after all. Actually… I went to the market in front this morning and met the housekeeper of Baron Palmer’s house.”

“Baron Palmer?”

“Yes. He’s a wealthy aristocrat who made a lot of money from sugar cane plantations.”

“And?”

Lucy, who paused for a moment, continued as if she had made up her mind.

“They’ve been trying so hard to marry off the eldest son at Baron Palmer’s house, and matchmakers have been coming and going since last year, but they haven’t been able to get married after all.”

“Really? There must be something wrong with the man.”

Seeing Theo speaking nonchalantly, Lucy shook her hand.

“No, no. I’ve seen him too, and he’s really fine. Both in appearance and personality. Other maids who have been in that house for a long time also know him, and they all praise him.”

Theo tilted his head.

“He’s good-looking, has a good personality, and is the eldest son of a noble family who will receive quite an inheritance, but he can’t get married… Isn’t that a bit strange?”

As Theo showed interest, Lucy quickly approached the desk.

“So, I told the housekeeper about you. Mrs. Suzanne trusts Mrs. Palmer very much.”

“Well, in such cases, there is always a reason. If you rashly step in without knowing, you’re bound to be in trouble. And why is Lucy getting involved in this? I hope you don’t do that in the future.”

Theo, with a sullen expression, lowered his head again and did what he was doing.

“Yes… Of course, I should, but the brokerage conditions were so good that I couldn’t help but…”

“Conditions?”

Lucy explained eagerly to Theo, who raised his head again.

“Yes. Recently, the son declared that he would never get married, so he even declared a refusal to marry. So, there was a big fuss, and the mistress is lying sick. But when I heard about it, if you broker the marriage and make the marriage successful, they will give you 10,000 pounds in cash…”

Theo’s eyes widened.

“10,000 pounds? Not 1,000 pounds?”

“Yes. 10,000 pounds. But that’s not all. In addition to cash, they say they’ll give you a plantation in Jamaica.”

“What?”

It was an era when if a woman had a dowry of 30,000 pounds, men from decent noble families would line up to propose.

But as a marriage success bonus, they give 10,000 pounds and a plantation in Jamaica…

“No, the money of 10,000 pounds is one thing, but it’s a bit strange to just give a Jamaican plantation?”

Theo, who had returned to his previous life and was trading Jamaican sugar, had some understanding of the plantations there.

As Theo made an expression that he couldn’t readily understand, Lucy added an explanation.

“Baron Hazel Palmer has several large sugar cane plantations in Jamaica, and he’s making a lot of money by trading sugar from there.

But the eldest son, who has to continue the family line, hasn’t been getting married for several years, so he’s burning inside. Besides, he even declared a refusal to marry a while ago, so wouldn’t that be the case?”

In fact, in this era, there were more noble men who did not marry until late in life or lived as bachelors than one might think.

There was also the fact that they could be relatively free from financial problems compared to women, and there were also cases where they waited to inherit the title and were delayed.

But I felt a different reason from that situation.

‘I heard that his appearance and personality are fine, but he declared a refusal to marry? Is he a homosexual? There would be no other special reason besides that… If he is a homosexual, marriage connection is virtually impossible.’

Lucy cautiously asked Theo, who was lost in thought.

“Master. The conditions are so good, why don’t you try this matchmaking? The son of Baron Palmer’s house that I’ve seen so far seemed like a pretty good person. Even if you do that, you won’t lose anything, right? You could get a big profit if it works out.

If you’re willing to do the matchmaking, I can tell the housekeeper of the Palmer’s house right away. That aunt is at the market now, waiting to receive the goods in the afternoon.”

“……..”

Lucy was a very quick-witted maid.

Although her education was short, she not only studied on her own and knew how to read and write, but she was also a smart girl with a natural talent for reading the emotions of others, even if not as much as Theo.

‘If Lucy felt that he was okay, then his character is not bad… Hmm…’

Lucy, who read Theo’s positive reaction, shouted in a bright voice.

“Then, I’ll go tell Mrs. Suzanne this good news! The aunt’s face is not good these days because she’s taking all the Baroness’s temper. I have to tell her quickly before I leave, hoho.”

“No… Wait a minute! Lucy! I haven’t decided yet…”

Clang-

But before Theo could finish speaking, Lucy hurriedly closed the door and left.

Theo looked at the sight as if he was dumbfounded.

‘Huh, really.’

But after hearing the conditions, it didn’t seem that bad.

Theo, who needed a lot of funds to start the marriage business in earnest now.

At times like this, 10,000 pounds and a plantation in Jamaica can be really useful.

‘Hmm, there must be a big flaw in the son? Even if his appearance is okay, there must be something mentally wrong…’

If it is a case where Theo can easily treat him psychologically, it could be a very big windfall, but if he has a strong homosexual tendency, he will not be able to solve it and will only have a headache.

Still, as Lucy said, there was not much to lose. Moreover, the conditions offered were so attractive.

‘A Jamaican plantation…’