He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 53

53. Osborne’s Only Daughter

Startled, Mr. Osborne hurriedly pulled his daughter away, saying,

“Ahem, ahem. Catherine, we have a guest. Didn’t John tell you?”

Only then did Catherine notice Tae-oh, and she blushed as she apologized.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I must have misunderstood Uncle John. I thought he said you hadn’t arrived yet.”

“Haha, it’s alright. It’s nice to see such affection between father and daughter.”

Though Tae-oh had expected a daughter who resembled Mr. Osborne, Catherine had a completely different appearance.

‘I’ve never met her mother, but Catherine must take after her.’

Her luxurious, pure white muslin dress suited her fair skin perfectly, and her innocent, childlike expression gave off a very bright aura. In the 21st century, she would have been an idol—a charming young lady with a cute appearance and pure beauty.

‘I heard her mother passed away when she was young, but there’s no hint of sadness. Mr. Osborne must have raised her with so much love.’

Even in that brief moment, her unreserved attitude and pleasant energy made it clear that she had been raised with a lot of love from a young age.

Mr. Osborne quietly asked his daughter as she sat down,

“Catherine, how was your painting lesson today?”

“I was a little frustrated because I couldn’t express myself as I wanted, but I was praised for improving a lot.”

“Haha, that’s good to hear.”

The expressions of the father and daughter as they looked at each other were filled with tender and warm emotions. Tae-oh could feel that emotion directly.

It became clear that the source of the warmth hidden within Paul Osborne was his only daughter, Catherine.

*

In late 18th-century England, wealthy, emerging financiers began to be treated as members of the aristocracy or gentry [the landowning upper class].

As the early capitalist era began, these new, rising wealthy individuals were able to enter the so-called ‘noble class’ of aristocrats and gentry, which they had been aiming for.

However, simply being wealthy did not grant the social privilege of entering this ‘noble class.’

Although much had changed as capitalism took hold, the deeply rooted social perception remained that a ‘noble’ person should not work and sweat to earn a living.

Therefore, merchants who had to work hard to earn money were not recognized as having a noble status and still had to endure the subtle disregard and discrimination from the aristocracy.

In the end, no matter how much money a wealthy merchant earned, unless they became a representative of a large overseas trading company or received a title from the king to become a legal aristocrat, it was difficult to expect treatment as a noble.

However, the situation was different for the children and grandchildren of merchants who had accumulated great wealth.

As wealthy merchants passed on large sums of money through inheritance, their children and grandchildren, who no longer needed to work and sweat, increasingly married into prestigious families.

They created a new change in status through the strategic institution of marriage.

In a way, great wealth played a role in reconciling the aristocracy and the commoners.

The late 18th century, as it rapidly transitioned to capitalism, was a time of great change for the existing social classes.

Paul Osborne, though he had lived being looked down upon, hoped that his daughter would marry into a prestigious aristocratic family and live a respected life with a noble status.

Moreover, Catherine was his only remaining blood relative, so his desire for his daughter’s rise in status was stronger than anyone else’s.

Mr. Osborne took out three documents and placed them on the table, saying,

“These three young men have been introduced through many matchmakers and acquaintances, and I have carefully selected them.”

“You haven’t met them in person, have you?”

“No. There were so many applicants and even scammers that it was impossible to determine whether they were genuine aristocrats or unmarried based solely on the documents. So, I carefully conducted thorough investigations and selected only those with confirmed status. One is the eldest son of a count’s family that has fallen on hard times but is still prestigious, and the other two are nobles from families with some standing in the region.”

Catherine grumbled with a displeased expression.

“Father? Do I really have to get married like this? Can’t I just live with you forever?”

“Are you saying that again? You shouldn’t say such things carelessly. If you really end up missing your chance and not getting married, how could I face your mother in the afterlife?”

Although Mr. Osborne was scolding her, his words were filled with affection and sincere concern for his daughter.

Tae-oh suddenly wondered what Mr. Osborne’s feelings must be, having to send away a daughter he loved so much.

‘I want to choose the right one for her… Will there be a man among these three candidates who suits Catherine?’

Tae-oh asked Mr. Osborne,

“Are all the candidates young men who live nearby?”

“Yes, they live no more than three to four hours away from here.”

Mr. Osborne, being in his sixties, seemed to want his daughter to be connected with a noble who lived near Manchester rather than one who lived far away.

Tae-oh chatted with Mr. Osborne about the potential son-in-law’s background and then turned to Catherine.

“When I arrived in Manchester, I felt so good seeing the open canal. It seemed so vibrant with all the boats coming and going.”

When meeting someone for the first time or in an awkward situation, it’s better to start a conversation with the feeling of exchanging emotions rather than trying to dig up information about them.

Asking about their age, education, or occupation can often create a negative atmosphere.

Catherine responded with a bright smile.

“That’s right! When I went to London, I felt that the canals there were narrow and shallow, which made me feel a bit suffocated.”

“Yes, haha, that’s right. It’s very stifling. The air quality isn’t good either, which makes it even worse.”

After exchanging small sentiments, many stories naturally flowed back and forth.

Catherine’s expressions and emotions during the conversation were full of satisfaction and happiness.

The fact that she seemed brighter than her actual appearance seemed to be because she was able to maintain such a good emotional state.

‘Her father may have given her a lot of love, but he must have been very busy, leaving home for months at a time for his business… And she doesn’t have any siblings. How could she have grown up so bright?’

Living in 18th-century England, Tae-oh was often surprised when he saw young people of Catherine’s age, especially those from aristocratic or wealthy families.

Most of them had considerable depression and loneliness stemming from emotional insecurity.

Anxiety about the future was a feeling that many young people felt in modern times, but the emotions felt by the young people of this era were a bit more gloomy and dark.

Because information sharing was not properly done, and values and perceptions were very closed off in society, the frustration that came from that seemed to create emotional stress and direct emotions negatively.

However, Catherine’s case was unique in that she showed almost no dark emotions coming from such depression or loneliness.

Rather, she was full of joy and happiness coming from a very satisfying life.

‘Her father’s strength alone wouldn’t have been enough to form such a personality during her growth process…’

But it wasn’t long before he could solve the mystery.

Knock, knock-

“Come in.”

Clunk-

A plump, kind-looking middle-aged woman entered the room carrying a tray.

On the tray was a delicious-looking cake on a pretty plate.

“Master, the cake is baked very nicely. Please try it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Marie.”

Seeing the cake, Catherine’s eyebrows lifted, and the corners of her mouth turned up as she changed to a very happy expression.

“Oh, Auntie Marie! It looks so delicious!”

“It is very delicious, Miss. Please try it quickly.”

From Mrs. Marie, who looked old, came a warm and kind feeling as delicious as the smell coming from the bread.

Tae-oh momentarily met the eyes of Mrs. Marie, who was looking at him with curious eyes, and the two exchanged a light greeting.

‘She seems to have a consistently cheerful and kind personality without emotional ups and downs. A loyal butler and a housekeeper who exudes a warm and affectionate feeling like a mother…’

In 18th-century England, a male ‘butler’ managed and supervised male servants, and a female ‘housekeeper’ supervised female servants.

There was a strict hierarchy even among these servants, and naturally, the atmosphere and stability of the house depended on the butler and housekeeper, who were the heads of the servants.

Perhaps Mrs. Marie, as the head of the female servants, had taken good care of Catherine like a mother since she was a baby.

Tae-oh could fully guess without asking, feeling the affectionate emotions that Catherine showed towards her like she was treating her mother.

‘The butler and Mrs. Marie have spent a long time with Catherine, showing her deep love and trust like parents. Mr. Osborne is very fortunate to have such good people.’

Instead of Mr. Osborne, who had to be busy running his trading business and textile factory, the two seemed to have played the role of parents, giving Catherine a lot of stability.

Now, Tae-oh seemed to know why Ricardo showed a bright expression and good emotions when talking about Miss Catherine.

However, after talking to and observing Miss Catherine, she showed outstanding artistic talents and sensitivities, such as in art and music, rather than logical thinking or debate.

It seemed that her happy emotions had doubled while studying art, which she was interested in, with the full support of her father.

If a woman with such a tendency were to meet and marry a man who valued logic and liked to discuss philosophy, the two would have little in common, and it would be easy for them to have an uninteresting life with accumulating dissatisfaction.

After talking for a while, Mr. Osborne asked the butler,

“What time are those friends supposed to arrive?”

He was asking about the potential sons-in-law who were scheduled to visit the next day.

“Mr. Alec Parker will arrive at 1 p.m. tomorrow, and Mr. John Lauder will arrive at 3 p.m. And Mr. Colin Peterson is scheduled to come at 2 p.m. the day after tomorrow.”

In this era, it was common for an interested man to visit a woman’s house, have tea, and talk.

If a man and woman who were not even engaged were to meet alone outside, there was a risk of being caught up in a major scandal.

Mr. Osborne nodded and stood up, saying,

“Mr. Sanderson, then let’s talk about the rest during dinner later and go out together? I was planning to tour all the factories today.”

Mr. Osborne remembered Tae-oh’s earlier words that he wanted to see the factory.

“Ah, that would be great.”

Paul Osborne said that he operated three textile factories nearby.

It seemed that it would take quite a while to tour the textile factories and warehouses together.

*

Mr. Osborne’s water-powered factory, where many textiles were being woven tirelessly, was impressive in scale at a glance.

Thump-thump- Whirr-

The inside of the factory was filled with the unique smell of cotton, which heavily weighed down the air, and the noise of the constantly moving machines was enough to make the ears tingle.

In one corner, woven fabrics were piled precariously up to the ceiling.

‘That’s a lot. This is the smallest of the three factories, and it’s this big…’

Even though the machines still required a lot of human hands, the amount being produced was enormous.

But soon, the introduction of steam engines using coal and mule spinning machines will bring about a major revolution, and the production volume will be dozens of times greater than the current scale.

‘Coming here in person really makes me understand why England’s textile industry became so famous.’

It was the Industrial Revolution that led the island nation of England on the outskirts of Europe to the center of world history, and its main industry was the textile industry.

Around this time when Tae-oh was active, the textile industry would become England’s nationally important industry to the point where people would say, ‘England’s bread depends on Lancashire’s yarn,’ and it would make England stand tall at the forefront of the world.

Coming to the scene just before this historical event took place, Tae-oh could feel the wriggling changes in his skin.

‘This is a really good opportunity. In just a few years, England’s textile industry will become a global industry, not just in England. The profits from exports will be enormous.’

To establish the matchmaking company that Tae-oh was planning in London, a considerable amount of capital would be needed, and investment in the textile industry could be a reliable source of funding.

The problem was money.

After coming out of the factory, Tae-oh carefully asked Mr. Osborne,

“How much does it usually cost to build and operate a factory like this?”

Mr. Osborne, lost in thought for a moment, replied,

“In the case of a small-scale factory like this one, you can expect to pay around 10,000 to 20,000 pounds (approximately 1.5 to 3 billion won), including the machines. For the large-scale factory you see over there, you should expect to pay around 50,000 pounds (approximately 7.5 to 10 billion won). Considering the weekly labor costs, various operating expenses, and raw materials, an additional 1,000 pounds per month is spent.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was a bigger cost than he thought.

Compared to the fact that renting a house with eight rooms in London at the end of the 18th century cost about 200 pounds per year, it seemed that a huge amount of money was needed to purchase and operate a factory.

***

The next day at 1 p.m.

Tae-oh finished breakfast with the Osborne family and waited for the first son-in-law candidate, Mr. Alec Parker, while talking.

He was said to be the eldest son of Earl Henry Parker, a man with a handsome appearance and a generous personality.

In the 21st century, it would be very strange for parents and acquaintances to be together when a man and woman meet for the first time, but in 18th-century England, this was a natural sight.

Thanks to this, Tae-oh was able to properly examine the son-in-law as Mr. Osborne’s acquaintance.

A little after 1 p.m.

Just as Mr. Osborne’s nervousness was growing, a knock was heard.

Knock, knock.

Butler John Blake knocked on the living room door.

“Master, Mr. Alec Parker has arrived.”

“Yes, bring him in quickly.”

Finally, the first son-in-law candidate entered the living room.