He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 140

140. Where Is My Daughter!

October 1779, Leadenhall Street, London.

“I should have kicked that guy out the moment he started spouting nonsense about being from a Duke’s family. Not doing so is the biggest regret of my life!”

Inside a carriage heading from Leadenhall Street to Covent Garden.

A middle-aged man was complaining to his friend, seething with anger.

He was Hugo Robinson, who had arrived in London this morning after a long voyage.

He was Laura’s father and the owner of the Jamaican sugarcane plantation where Rio had worked.

So urgent was his mission that he rushed to Jeffrey Edwards’ house, where his daughter was staying, as soon as he arrived in London from Jamaica.

The affair between Garrett Edwards and Rio had caused quite a stir in London, making it easy to find out where his daughter was through a friend living in London.

“I’ll never forgive that swindler Jeffrey! How dare he entice my daughter away. If he had to take someone, why not that crazy Rio, instead of my precious daughter…”

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were shocked to find a single letter left behind by their daughter.

Soon, they learned that she had left with Rio, and after rushing to the port, they discovered that it was all orchestrated by a swindler named Jeffrey Edwards from London.

His friend clicked his tongue, feeling sorry for him.

“Tsk, tsk… Of all people, it had to be Jeffrey Edwards… That guy has been a notorious wastrel in London for a long time. He’s like a parasite who only squanders the family fortune.

By the way, when did that Rio start spreading those ridiculous rumors about being from a Duke’s family?”

“From the first time I saw him, his attitude was somewhat stiff, and he used formal language that only the upper class would use. I just thought he was imitating the manner of his previous owner and didn’t pay much attention.

But now that I think about it, I suspect he was using that aristocratic pretense to flirt with the ladies.

But other than that, he looked decent enough, was good at his job, and had a sharp mind, so I just thought it was harmless boasting and ignored it. I never imagined he would take my daughter all the way to London and commit fraud.”

“Didn’t you know that Laura felt that way about him?”

Mr. Robinson sighed deeply.

“Well, I knew they were close. I saw him secretly bringing her food a few times when he was too busy with work to eat dinner.

But I just thought it was a common friendship between people of that age and ignored it, never imagining they would be so bold as to run away together. How could she do this to her mother, driving a stake through her parents’ hearts like this?”

When Mr. Robinson arrived in London, Rio was known as a stooge used by the swindler Jeffrey.

Moreover, rumors were rife that he would soon face great trouble for trying to defraud Duke Garrett.

The problem was that the fact that Rio had run away with the plantation owner’s daughter was so famous that there was no one in London who didn’t know about it.

The disgrace was beyond words.

But that didn’t mean he could give up on his daughter.

Mr. Robinson always felt sorry for and grateful to his daughter, who had suffered while settling in Jamaica.

She was also a great support to the Robinson couple, always helping with household chores and taking care of her younger siblings.

He had been dreaming of marrying off his kind daughter to a young man from a noble family, so that she could live comfortably and be respected with a noble status.

He had made so much money that he was now as wealthy as most nobles in London, so he believed that if he offered a high dowry, he could form a connection with a decent noble family, even if it wasn’t the upper class.

And in the end, negotiations with a young nobleman with a knighthood were in the final stages.

But unexpectedly, this incident happened.

Mr. Robinson had a small hope that if he found his daughter quickly and offered a high dowry, he might be able to marry her off to a decent man, even if he wasn’t a nobleman.

That was why he had chased after her to London, even though the most important sugarcane harvest season had begun on the plantation.

“If she had just waited a little longer, she could have married a wonderful nobleman with a knighthood and lived a respected life! Thinking that she was being enticed and dragged into a fraudulent scheme made me so angry that I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why wouldn’t you be? I would have felt the same.”

Based on what many people had said, Jeffrey Edwards was at the center of this situation.

“Jeffrey! I’m not going to let that guy get away with it! Even if I’m imprisoned and can’t return to Jamaica, I’m going to make sure that swindler is finished!”

“Hey! Prison! Don’t even think about it. Do you even know how notorious London prisons are to be saying such things carelessly? Of course, you’re angry, but calm down a bit. The more you do, the more calmly you have to deal with it.”

His friend watched Mr. Robinson, who was beside himself with anger, with anxious eyes.

* * *

The carriage passed through the Leadenhall area and stopped on one side of the bustling Covent Garden market street.

Mr. Robinson got out of the carriage and followed his friend, who was leading the way.

After walking for about ten minutes through smelly and narrow alleys, his friend raised his hand and pointed to a house.

“Hugo! That’s the house! That’s Sir Jeffrey Edwards’ house.”

Jeffrey’s house, located at the end of the market, was small and shabby at first glance.

It was too shabby and unsightly to be called the home of a Duke’s family descendant. It looked no better than the manager’s house on a large Jamaican plantation.

Mr. Robinson felt even more enraged and about to explode, thinking that his daughter was being held in such a terrible place.

Almost running ahead of his friend, Mr. Robinson pounded on the front door with all his might.

Bang- Bang- Bang-

“Jeffrey! Open the door, you swindler!”

Bang- Bang-

“Jeffrey! Come out right now, you dirty bastard!”

The sound of him banging on the door as if to break it down made passersby glance over, wondering what was going on.

“Rio! You son of a bitch, you come out too! Is this how you repay kindness? Come out right now and give me back my daughter! Give her back right now!”

The neighbors in the front and next houses also parted their curtains and peeked at the scene.

Clunk-

Soon, the door opened and a middle-aged man appeared.

“Well, who is making such a fuss at someone else’s house from the crack of dawn?”

It was Jeffrey, who came out wearing worn-out pajamas with a look that he hadn’t fully woken up from sleep.

Mr. Robinson grabbed Jeffrey’s collar and lifted him up roughly.

Tuck-

“You’re the one! You’re the Jeffrey who enticed my daughter away, aren’t you?”

Jeffrey, who was flustered, changed his expression and shouted.

“Cough, cough- Uh- You! Can’t you let go of this hand? Who are you to dare do this?”

“Stop talking nonsense and give me back my daughter! I know you have her in this house, so I came here!”

“My daughter? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Where are you pretending not to know? You enticed a Jamaican bumpkin named Rio and brought him here! And you brought my daughter, who doesn’t know anything, along with you!”

“What? Rio? Then are you Laura’s father?”

“Yes! You bastard! I’m Laura’s father! Where’s my daughter? Bring her out right now, you bastard! I know you’re hiding her in your house, so I came here!”

“Uh- This person? I’m not hiding a grown woman. If you’re Laura’s father, you should greet me politely first, but how dare you act so rude to me, a member of the Duke’s family?”

“What? Duke’s family? Hah- Is that great Duke’s family living in such a 거지 같은 [beggarly] house in the corner of the market? Oh, right. I heard you’re from a noble family. But so what? Everyone in that great family is pointing fingers at you and turning their backs on you, saying you’re a swindler, right? That’s why you live in a place like this and entice other people’s precious children, right, huh?”

The friend who had run up from behind barely pulled Mr. Robinson’s arm, which was grabbing his collar, away.

“Why are you doing this! No matter how angry you are, you can’t do this here! Keep your dignity! People are all watching!”

As he said, many people had gathered in front of the house and were watching the fight.

Jeffrey, his face reddened, straightened his clothes and said, suppressing his anger.

“Hum- Hum-. Stop doing things you’ll regret and quietly follow me inside.”

* * *

Jeffrey’s wife, startled by the commotion, quickly hid behind the door and peeked at the strange men.

Her eyes were full of fear, wondering if they were debt collectors who had come to collect money again.

Hugo Robinson, who couldn’t calm down his anger, shouted again as soon as he sat down in the living room.

“Bring our Laura right now! Right now!”

The friend watched Jeffrey’s reaction. No matter how fallen he was, wasn’t he a member of the Duke’s family?

The friend quietly persuaded Mr. Robinson as if scolding him.

“Hugo! Now ask Sir Jeffrey calmly. Don’t just start shouting.”

But Mr. Robinson paid no attention and raised his voice even more.

“Laura! Laura! Dad’s here! If you hear my voice, come out quickly! I know you’re here! Laura! Laura!”

The resounding voice shook the entire house.

“Huh- Geez. She’s nothing like her daughter. He’s a very ignorant man who hasn’t learned any manners at all… Hum, hum.”

When Mr. Robinson glared at Jeffrey, who was giving him a reproach, he slyly avoided his gaze.

The friend next to him asked with as much courtesy as possible.

“Sir Jeffrey. This friend has just arrived from Jamaica and has come to find his daughter without even resting his tired body properly. Please understand the father’s desperate heart. …Where is Laura now?”

“Laura Robinson is not in this house right now.”

At the words that his daughter was not there, Mr. Robinson slammed the table with his fist and shouted.

Bang- Bang-

“She’s not in this house? Then where did you take my daughter? Why don’t you tell me quickly? Where is she!”

He looked like he was about to kill him right away if he didn’t answer quickly.

It was too much for the elderly Jeffrey to deal with Mr. Robinson’s rough personality, which had become rough from dealing with black slaves for many years.

But Jeffrey retorted in a voice that tried to maintain the dignity of the Duke’s family.

“I swear on the honor of my family! If I had known that Laura was on the ship from Jamaica to London without her father’s permission, I would have stopped her first.

I naturally thought that the two were about to get married and that she was following her husband, who was about to do something big. Thanks to that, I had to pay twice as much for the boat fare, and I suffered quite a loss!”

Mr. Robinson sneered.

“Something big? Haha, what something big? Ah- You’re talking about the scheme to cheat Rio and rip off your family’s money in one fell swoop, right?”

Despite Mr. Robinson’s criticism, Jeffrey continued to speak without flinching.

“Geez, you’re really a person who can’t communicate. Just you wait and see. You’ll have to thank me later! Because right now, the fact that Rio is the legitimate grandson of our Duke’s family is being revealed!”

Mr. Robinson couldn’t help but laugh at Jeffrey’s brazen claim.

“No, who is this guy trying to pull such a ridiculous scam in front of right now? Do you think I’ll fall for your words as easily as that dimwit Rio?”

“Huh- This man really came here without knowing anything? Do you know who revealed Rio’s true identity right now?”

“……?”

“The person who revealed that Rio Edwards is the legitimate grandson of the Edwards Duke’s family is none other than the famous Sir Theo Sanderson! Even if you lived in the backwoods of Jamaica, you must have heard of Sir Sanderson’s name at least once, right?”

A moment of silence flowed.

Robinson and his friend looked at each other’s faces with expressions that seemed to say, “What is this all about?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Mr. Robinson’s friend asked.

“Sir Jeffrey? Sir Sanderson revealed Rio Edwards’ identity… What does that mean? I live in London, but I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Feeling that the atmosphere had shifted a bit, Jeffrey replied in a more dignified voice than before.

“Hum- Sir Sanderson, who is favored by His Majesty the King, has recognized Rio Edwards as the real eldest son of our family after a very thorough investigation! That’s why Sir Sanderson took Rio and Laura to his house directly a while ago.”

“Sir Sanderson took our Laura? No, why?”

“That’s because Garrett might do something stupid. From Garrett’s point of view, how uneasy would he be if the rightful heir [the eldest legitimate son] who would receive the real Duke title appeared?”

Mr. Robinson’s friend, with a bewildered expression, confirmed once again.

“Really? That young man named Rio is the rightful heir of the Edwards family? I’ve never heard of such a thing?”

If it was this kind of story, it should have already spread in London. But Rio and Jeffrey were still known as swindlers among Londoners.

“Isn’t that obvious? Do you think it’s easy to deal with the cunning Garrett? We have to gather evidence and come up with a strategy, so we’re keeping it a secret, and it takes that much time.

Well, even if you don’t believe me, everyone knows Sir Sanderson, and everyone in the world believes in him, right? If Sir Sanderson took Rio and Laura and is protecting them especially, even a fool should be able to roughly guess how the situation is going, right?”

Mr. Robinson shook his head greatly and protested.

“No, no! That’s all a blatant lie! How can I believe your words? You’re clearly lying and trying to deceive me to get out of this situation!”

Restraining the excited Mr. Robinson, his friend asked again.

“Sir Jeffrey? I know Sir Sanderson’s house is right around here. If we go and check now, it will be revealed soon. Is it true? If this is also a lie, this friend might do something to Sir Jeffrey today. I can’t stop him anymore either.”

At his words, Jeffrey snorted.

“Humph! You’ll probably come to me soon and apologize greatly for today’s rudeness. Anyway, I have nothing more to say! I’ll give you the address, so you can go to Sir Sanderson’s house and see if your daughter is there or not, right? Sir Sanderson will be home at this time, so you can check with Sir Sanderson whether what I’ve said so far is true or not.”

Mr. Robinson and his friend were speechless at Sir Jeffrey Edwards’ confident attitude.