He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 38

38. What? You Like Her?

Trot. Trot.

Lord Louis Palmer was silent on the way home.

After such a loud declaration of refusing marriage, he must be embarrassed and confused now that a woman he wants to marry has appeared.

Theo carefully spoke to him.

“Lord Palmer, how was meeting her in person? Did you like Miss Clifford?”

Louis, looking startled, quickly turned his head to the window. He seemed ashamed to have his true feelings revealed.

“Ah… yes. Well… she didn’t seem bad.”

“If you don’t like her, I can find someone else…”

Louis hurriedly cut Theo off.

“No! No! Don’t misunderstand, it’s not like that. Well… if Miss Clifford is willing… I would like to continue seeing her.”

“Haha, is that so? I understand. Then, as promised, we will meet again in two days.”

“…Yes.”

Theo couldn’t help but smile at Louis’s flushed face.

**

At the Hazel Palmer baronet’s residence.

“What are you talking about? You liked her?”

The baronet’s wife asked her son repeatedly with an incredulous expression.

“Yes, I liked her. Well, I’m tired, so I’ll go up to my room. Mr. Sanderson, I’m sorry, but I’ll go up first.”

Theo nodded with a smile.

“Yes. You must be tired from all the stress today. Go and rest.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey! How can you just leave like that? Tell me more!”

As her son went into his room with an embarrassed face, the baronet’s wife asked Theo with a bewildered look.

“What is going on? Does my son really like Miss Clifford? Is it true?”

Theo replied nonchalantly to the baronet’s wife, who was questioning him.

“Yes. It’s as you heard from your son. I thought they looked good together too. Hahaha.”

“Ah… Mr. Sanderson?”

Theo checked the time, stood up, and announced as if giving notice.

“Anyway, the two of them have agreed to meet again at the tea garden the day after tomorrow. Since it’s an outdoor meeting, her family will also be there, so you can come with them then.”

“What? Meeting at the tea garden in two days? So soon?”

“Yes, that’s right. Well, I must be going now. I need to get home quickly. If you have any questions about the meeting the day after tomorrow, you can ask your son directly. I explained everything to him in detail. Well, I have an appointment, so I’ll be going.”

The baronet’s wife blankly stared at Theo’s back as he hummed a tune and left.

*

“What did your brother say?”

Immediately after Theo left, the baronet’s wife sent her second daughter, Hailia, into her son’s room.

It was to confirm whether his feelings for Ashley Clifford were genuine.

Hailia replied with a sulky expression.

“He said he’s going to meet her? He said he’s definitely going to meet her, so don’t ask anymore. Even when I asked if the woman he met today was really okay, he just told me to get out because he was annoyed.”

“Ha, really.”

He had never budged, no matter how many decent young ladies from good families she had introduced to him.

His sudden change of attitude was incomprehensible to the baronet’s wife.

“I don’t understand what’s so good about that dull-looking girl.”

The eldest daughter, Sandra, shook her head.

“Mother, something is strange. There’s no way brother would like a woman like that, right?”

“Right? You think something’s strange too?”

“Yes. Maybe…”

“What is it? Do you have any idea?”

“Maybe brother is just tired and sick of matchmaking. So, he might have decided to give up and marry anyone.”

“Give up?”

“Yes.”

The baronet’s wife shook her head vigorously and complained.

“Even so! How can he give up and marry just anyone when marriage is so important? He’d be better off living alone. Ah, really, I shouldn’t have left it to Mr. Sanderson. I shouldn’t have entrusted it to him from the start. Ugh, my head hurts!”

◈ Two days later, London Tea Garden.

The Hazel Palmer baronet and his wife, along with their eldest daughter Sandra, who had left earlier than the appointed time, were sitting at a table in the tea garden, drinking tea.

In this era, parents or family members accompanied unmarried men and women on outdoor dates. It was customary to watch from a distance of about 10 feet.

“Is it still a long way off?”

“They’ll be here soon. Anyway, why is this guy acting like this when he never used to?”

Their son Louis was not there because he had gone to greet Ashley and her family.

The Palmer baronet sipped his black tea and asked his wife.

“Do you dislike the girl that much? Shouldn’t we let Louis marry her if he wants to?”

The Palmer baronet originally didn’t want to attend, but he seemed to have been dragged out by his wife’s insistence.

“You’ll know why I’m like this as soon as you see her. It’s not that she’s ugly or anything, but she has a dull feeling and seems to do whatever she wants, and she’s a bit arrogant? Anyway, she’s a very sly girl who’s hiding her true intentions, knowing that our family is rich. If a girl like that comes into our house, she’ll definitely make things difficult for our family and Louis.”

“No, you’ve only met her once, right? Did she act so arrogantly when she first met you?”

“Of course, she was all sweet and nice in front of me. But she doesn’t respect adults, and she laughs easily and gets along with the maids… I couldn’t tell who was the maid and who was the young lady of the house.”

“Hmm… She must be an unrefined, tomboyish type.”

“That’s right. She seemed like a vain girl who was trying to get a rich husband and make a fortune.”

“Well, that won’t do.”

“Anyway, she’s absolutely not allowed. We have the reputation of our family to consider, how can I introduce such a girl as my daughter-in-law in front of people?”

“Doesn’t Mr. Sanderson have an eye for these things? When I asked someone I know, they praised Mr. Sanderson a lot?”

The baronet’s wife glared at him with fierce eyes.

“What good is it if he only connects other people well? He’s connecting our son with a terrible woman, what good is that kind of reputation!”

“So, your behavior is important. First, you must oppose her unconditionally, and if he still doesn’t listen, give him a stern scolding to bring him to his senses.”

“Hum, geez. Why did Mr. Sanderson introduce such a woman and make me go through this…”

The baronet was only unfamiliar with his wife, who was so eager to marry off their son, now trying to stop it.

“Oh? They’re coming, they’re coming!”

The eldest daughter, Sandra, who knew Ashley’s face, made a fuss.

“Where, where?”

The Hazel Palmer baronet stretched his neck and looked in the direction his daughter was pointing.

Far away, Theo, his son, and two women were walking together.

“Is that young woman in the green silk dress walking next to Louis, Ashley Clifford?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“Hum…”

Although they were a bit far away, she wasn’t as terrible as his wife and daughter had said.

Rather, she was an attractive young lady with a beautiful smile.

“You… because you said she was so strange… well, she’s not bad in terms of appearance?”

“What? How can you say that after seeing her bear-like figure?”

The baronet’s wife was filled with annoyance at her husband’s words.

But Theo, Ashley Clifford, and the Clifford viscountess were approaching right in front of them. She had no choice but to shut her mouth.

Louis, with a smile from ear to ear, introduced Ashley Clifford and the viscountess to his father.

“This is my father.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

The Palmer baronet and the viscountess, who were meeting for the first time today, exchanged greetings first, followed by the other family members, and joined the table.

The two families had a brief conversation before their date.

As the two families sat facing each other, Theo skillfully changed the subject.

It was to erase the unique awkwardness of such a gathering.

“Did everyone hear the news? The decree issued by His Majesty the King is a hot topic, an important bill related to the environment in London…”

Theo was properly demonstrating his skills as a matchmaker after a long time.

*

As the atmosphere matured to some extent, various conversations were exchanged while drinking tea.

Theo smiled inwardly as he saw the Hazel Palmer baronet come along.

‘The baronet’s wife… she must have brought the Palmer baronet to cut off the relationship with Miss Ashley for sure… The wife dug her own grave. Hehe.’

Theo asked Ashley Clifford loudly.

“By the way, Miss Clifford, your older brother whom I met last time didn’t come today?”

“Yes. He had some work to do, so he left early yesterday.”

“Ah, I see.”

The Palmer baronet, sitting across from Theo, still didn’t show much interest.

“I heard that your older brother is much older than you, so he takes good care of you.”

“Yes. I’m the youngest, and there’s a difference of more than fifteen years between me and my oldest brother. He carried me on his back and played with me since I was young… he always took good care of me. He really wanted to come with me today, but he couldn’t because something came up, and he was very disappointed when he left.”

Theo nodded and started in earnest.

“Ah, he must have had something urgent to do. Was it perhaps an urgent matter related to the Bristol House of Commons?”

At that moment, the Palmer baronet, who had been maintaining a stern expression, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“No. It’s not because of the Bristol affairs, but he’s running for the Speaker of the House of Commons this time as the position is vacant. It seems there was a meeting in Bristol to prepare for that.”

“Haha. I see. Well, Sir Henry Clifford is certainly qualified to aim for the position of Speaker of the House of Commons.”

As the specific name and title came out, the Palmer baronet’s eyebrows slightly rose, his eyes widened, and his mouth even opened slightly.

It was a momentary change in expression for the Palmer baronet, who rarely showed his emotions, but Theo couldn’t miss it.

‘Okay! I expected it to some extent, but he’s showing a reaction beyond what I thought.’

In the 18th century, two members of the House of Commons in Bristol, England, were in charge of the Bristol area.

Bristol was certainly a large city, but it was one of the provincial cities, so it was a region that was sidelined from central politics like London when it came to political issues.

As a result, the local Chamber of Commerce needed someone to connect their petitions to the central government in London.

So, they elected one person from a merchant background who was familiar with the commercial interests of the merchants, but the other person was a nobleman who had a base in British central politics and could convey the demands of the Bristol merchants.

The person elected here was Sir Henry Clifford, Ashley’s older brother. As a politician based in central politics, he was elected as a member of the House of Commons in Bristol and was playing that role perfectly.

Henry Clifford was already a familiar name to the Palmer baronet, who was trading in Bristol and desperately wanted political power.

He was also at the very top of the political backing that the Palmer baronet so desperately wanted.

The Palmer baronet hurriedly joined the conversation, forgetting his dignity.

“Wait a minute! Is Miss Clifford’s older brother the Honorable Henry Clifford from Bristol?”

The Clifford viscountess smiled and asked.

“Yes, that’s right. Do you happen to know my son?”

“Yes! Of course, I do. I’m doing business in Bristol.”

“Ah… I see. I heard you were in business, but I didn’t know you were in Bristol. Hoho, what a coincidence.”

“Yes, yes! What a deep connection this is. Hahaha.”

***

Trot. Trot.

Inside the carriage returning home after the meeting between Louis Palmer and Ashley Clifford ended in a friendly atmosphere.

The Hazel Palmer baronet looked very uncomfortable.

“No, you went to that house last time, how could you not know that her older brother is a member of the Bristol House of Commons?”

“Why would I ask something like that? It’s not like our son is marrying her older brother… What good is it if her brother is doing well? The person herself isn’t great.”
The Palmer baronet barely suppressed the anger rising at his wife’s words.

“What is this person? What strange things are you babbling about since earlier? Even if you’re not interested in your husband’s work, don’t you know that I want to join the Bristol Adventurers’ Guild so much?”

“You always said you didn’t want to join the Merchant Guild because you didn’t want to associate with those vulgar Merchant Guild people, right?”

“That’s because I have to associate with those people and cater to their tastes to join the Merchant Guild, but that’s what I didn’t want to do!”

“Even if Ashley’s older brother uses his power, you still have to cater to those people’s tastes to join the Adventurers’ Guild, right?”

The Palmer baronet clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk, you don’t know how the world works. A person recommended by a member of the Bristol House of Commons can immediately join the Adventurers’ Guild! And if I join with the backing of a member of the House of Commons, everyone will try to please me, why would I please them?”

“……..”

“That’s not all. Ashley’s older brother is a politician with strong connections to Whitehall [Whitehall: another name for the British government]! If we connect with our family, it will have a good impact not only on Louis’s future but also on our daughters’ marriages… Hehe, we were introduced to a daughter-in-law from such a great family, but what? A dull and sly girl, kick her out? Is this woman really sane or not?”

“…Even though her brother is in such a high position, she didn’t say anything and hid it… Isn’t that sly? So is her mother.”

“Say it right! Is that sly? It’s humble!”

The baronet’s wife, who had been confined to her home and had little social activity, had no concept of how great a member of the House of Commons was.

But at her husband’s words, Whitehall, her mouth closed without her knowing.

The baronet’s wife often felt intimidated in front of people related to Whitehall because of what she had experienced before her marriage.

“And Ashley is pretty and sociable, and there’s nothing lacking at all. Frankly, I was more surprised at how she could be connected to our family.”

“What’s so surprising? They must have checked everything. They must have checked and realized that our family is so rich, so they jumped at the chance.”

“Woman! If it’s Ashley’s family, people as rich as us are lining up. If I had known this would happen, I should have sent better porcelain, but I sent cheap stuff because of you! Hmm, but how did she get connected to our son?”

The Palmer baronet, who had been tilting his head for a while, clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

“Ahaha. Look at my mind! Yes, Mr. Sanderson! Mr. Sanderson set up the meeting, right? Yes, it’s all thanks to Mr. Sanderson. Hahaha, yes. That’s what it was!”

The Palmer baronet praised Theo endlessly on the way home.