He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 175

175. Meeting with Nelson

Mid-May 1789, London T&S Cafe Branch No. 4.

Having finished her Latin lesson, Princess Maria stopped by the T&S Cafe near the school and enjoyed a syrup-infused coffee with Theo.

“This cup of coffee after teaching the children is truly the best.”

The newly released sweet coffee at T&S Cafe was gaining immense popularity.

The syrup, made using sugar, water, and fruit extracts, played a significant role in this.

Created through Theo’s ideas and the twins’ research, the syrup harmonized perfectly with the bitter taste of coffee, captivating even those who disliked it.

The maids beside her, also enjoying the coffee, repeatedly exclaimed in Napoletano [a dialect of Italian spoken in Naples], a dialect of Italian.

“It seems the Count is at home again today?”

“Yes, haha—I think he must be very tired of following me around.”

Although Count Dominici was always with her, he often stayed home on days when Princess Maria had lessons, feigning illness.

Thanks to this, the two could have deep conversations without worrying about being watched.

“Isn’t teaching the students difficult?”

The princess widened her eyes at Theo’s question and shook her head vigorously.

“Difficult? How could it be! It’s so much fun and rewarding. If Lord Sanderson could see the children’s sparkling eyes, he would immediately understand how I feel, wouldn’t he?”

Theo’s heart warmed at her happy expression.

However, as their love deepened day by day, so did his anxiety.

Count Dominici had recently been openly expressing his displeasure, asking why he wasn’t being introduced to a suitable match, and emphasized that their time was running out.

As the Count had taken on this important role solely for the princess’s marriage, Theo understood his frustration to some extent.

But the more the Count acted that way, the more anxious the princess became.

“You’re… having bad thoughts again, aren’t you?”

Theo noticed Maria’s pensive expression and asked.

“…Yes, a little.”

Theo smiled and said,

“Let’s not think about anything, at least until May. Let’s just feel what our hearts tell us for now. And when June comes, let’s make whatever decision we need to then.”

June….

Strangely, Theo’s words felt as sweet as the coffee she was drinking.

The fear of a painful farewell vanished as if washed away by Theo’s suggestion to postpone the decision.

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

“Would you like to have dinner at the Italian restaurant later? I heard the new chef’s skills are exceptional.”

“Yes, I’d love to!”

Princess Maria wanted to forget everything for at least two weeks and enjoy this beautiful moment, which might never come again.

Early June 1789, near Grosvenor Square, London.

Late evening.

Theo headed to Admiral John Jervis’s house with Admiral Matthew Bentham.

A promotion celebration party was to be held at Admiral Jervis’s mansion in Grosvenor Square that day.

He had recently been promoted to ‘Vice Admiral of the White,’ the fifth highest rank in the navy.

Grosvenor Square, where Admiral Jervis lived, was a large square in the Mayfair area where Theo lived, and many luxury homes had been built there since its development as a residential area in the 18th century.

‘He lived right nearby….’

Theo had heard from Headmaster Spikio that Captain Nelson had returned to England to celebrate Admiral Jervis’s promotion.

Seeing him rush over from afar, one could guess how Nelson felt about Admiral John Jervis.

It was a golden opportunity to meet Nelson naturally.

Theo asked Admiral Matthew Bentham, who happened to be in London, to attend Admiral Jervis’s promotion celebration party.

* * *

“Congratulations, Admiral Jervis.”

As Admiral Bentham and Theo entered the house under the guidance of the butler, Admiral John Jervis rushed out with a bright smile.

His white hair, strong jawline, tanned skin, and serious eyes hinted at his experience and wisdom as a naval admiral.

“Oh, Admiral! To attend such a humble celebration… I don’t know how to thank you, haha.”

Naval officers everywhere rose to greet Bentham upon his arrival.

While receiving the greetings, Admiral Bentham pointed to Theo and introduced him to John Jervis and the other soldiers.

“Everyone, pay attention! This gentleman here is Lord Theo Sanderson. I’m sure you’ve all heard of him at least once, haven’t you?”

Some of the soldiers who frequented the palace already knew him, but many of the naval officers, who spent years abroad on ships, did not recognize Theo’s face.

However, they all seemed to know Theo’s reputation well.

Admiral Jervis grabbed Theo’s hand and thanked him.

“To visit such a humble place… It’s truly an honor to meet you, Lord Sanderson!”

“Thank you for welcoming me, Admiral. Congratulations on your promotion.”

“Oh—yes, yes! Thank you. Hahaha—”

Admiral Jervis couldn’t hide his joy that the famous Theo Sanderson had attended his celebration party.

The unexpected appearance of a celebrity caused the surrounding young officers and nobles to glance at Theo with curious eyes.

‘Could Horatio Nelson be among them?’

Admiral Nelson, as Theo remembered him from history books, was a man of great ambition.

Born into a commoner family, he was able to enter the naval academy with the help of a distant maternal relative who was a high-ranking naval officer, and he was able to advance quickly.

In the military atmosphere of the time, where promotion was strictly excluded without status, money, and a patron, the help of a high-ranking relative would have been an absolute force for Nelson.

But by now, he must be feeling the limits of his growth and struggling.

No matter how outstanding his abilities, the reality of the 18th-century British army was that all his achievements were obscured by numerous aristocratic families.

Moreover, as a commoner, Nelson’s promotion would have been limited to receiving help from a distant maternal relative without any special connections.

Nelson was more capable than anyone else, and he had a strong desire for achievement and fame.

According to one historian, Nelson is even recorded as being good at getting in line and flattering royalty or people of high rank.

Perhaps this is a historian’s personal opinion, finding the background for his success as a commoner there, but it was clear that he was a man with a different sense of inferiority and a desire for success from his low status.

Theo decided to lure Nelson in with his innate temperament as bait.

He thought that if he was talking to naval admirals, Nelson would try to reveal himself in some way.

In other words, if there were many high-ranking naval officers who could directly influence his personnel affairs, and even Theo, who was deeply favored by King George, was present, Nelson would not miss such an opportunity.

Adding one more thing here,

From a psychological point of view, if you go directly to Nelson and offer a hand, you will inevitably underestimate Theo’s value that much.

But, on the other hand, if you make him come to you out of necessity, he will regard it as a more precious opportunity and treat Theo accordingly.

“……Predicting these movements of France, the importance of our British Navy will inevitably be greater than ever. And His Majesty is also aware of this.”

Before he knew it, about half a dozen high-ranking naval officers had gathered around Theo, Admiral Bentham, and Admiral John Jervis.

“Oh—is that so? As expected, Lord Sanderson is very accurate in grasping the situation, as I’ve heard.”

A naval officer who was impressed chimed in.

“As I traveled abroad, it seems certain that the atmosphere in France is unusual, as you said, Lord. The Navy will have to strengthen its forces and make maritime defenses stronger than ever.”

Theo nodded.

“That’s right. It is certain that the French Navy is inferior to our British Navy, but considering that the current British Navy is dispersed all over the world, we cannot ignore the power of the assembled French Navy.”

Admiral Bentham, Admiral John Jervis, and other prominent high-ranking naval officers were gathered, and Theo Sanderson, the most powerful man among the powerhouses, was with them.

Young officers who were not high-ranking commanders simply stared at them with respectful eyes, and no one dared to approach them rashly.

But then.

“Congratulations, Admiral John Jervis!”

Admiral Jervis, who turned his head, identified the owner of the voice and responded with a bright smile.

“Oh—yes, Captain Nelson! Thank you. Haha—when did you come? It’s been a long time!”

Theo was inwardly surprised at the name Nelson, but he calmly examined him.

Finally, it was the moment to directly greet Horatio Nelson, the great admiral of world naval history, whom he had wanted to see so much.

‘…….’

Nelson, who was of medium height, slender build, sharp jawline, and light brown hair tied back, approached slowly, his blue eyes sparkling.

“I arrived a little while ago.”

Nelson, whom he faced directly, looked more like an artist than a soldier.

Frankly, he could not find the charisma of the British naval hero that he had vaguely had in modern times.

However, his sharp eyes flashed with ambition that would dominate the era.

Admiral Jervis patted Nelson on the shoulder and introduced him to Theo.

“Lord Sanderson. This friend became a captain at the young age of twenty.”

“Oh—that’s amazing. To have commanded a ship as a captain at the age of twenty….”

At Theo’s admiration, Nelson waved his hand as if embarrassed.

“No. It’s all thanks to my uncle’s help. I was just lucky.”

Horatio Nelson was appointed captain of the British frigate at the age of twenty, setting the record for the youngest captain in the history of the British Navy at the time.

Perhaps the influence of his uncle, who was a high-ranking officer at the time, played a major role.

Then a high-ranking officer asked Nelson in a sharp voice.

“So, how was it taking a break for a while? Do you want to be more faithful to your superiors’ orders now? Lord Suckling, who always had a hard time cleaning up after you, is now gone, so I think you’ll be a little more docile… or not? Hehe.”

Listening to the story, it seemed that Nelson’s strong supporter and high-ranking naval officer uncle had passed away.

Nelson looked back at the high-ranking officer and calmly countered without getting excited.

“It was very strange. After leaving my current position and taking a break for a while, I couldn’t find anything wrong with my actions at the time. While going back and forth between the courtroom rather than the ship, I carefully examined whether there was anything wrong with me, but I really couldn’t find anything.

Instead, it only became clearer how stupid the person who was my superior at the time was.”

Muffled laughter erupted here and there.

“Wh… what…?”

Looking at the high-ranking officer whose face turned red, it seemed that the superior who was stupid at the time was him.

Admiral Jervis laughed heartily and blocked the two’s war of nerves.

“Uh-huh—what are you doing coming to my party now? And Lord Sanderson, who specially visited, is here? Are we going to show that our Navy is so disorganized?”

“I’m sorry, Admiral.”

Unlike Nelson, who immediately apologized, the high-ranking officer, who was very angry, forcibly showed courtesy and then hurriedly left, saying that something had happened.

‘He used his own tactics even when he didn’t have command, even disobeying his superior’s orders, so he must be quite reckless and have a really great personality. Well, he has to be this good to torment the world’s Napoleon so much, haha.’

Theo smiled slightly at the immature appearance of Admiral Nelson, the immortal hero of British naval history.

◈ A few days later. St. James Street, London, Princess Maria’s residence.

Knock- knock-

Late evening.

Count Dominici carefully knocked on Princess Maria’s door.

“Princess, it’s Count Dominici. I forgot to tell you something earlier, so I stopped by like this.”

But for some reason, there was no sign of life in the room.

The Count tilted his head.

‘That’s strange? It hasn’t been 10 minutes since she went into the bedroom, so she couldn’t have fallen asleep already.’

Count Dominici knocked on the door again, then quietly called the maid who was serving the princess.

Knock- knock-

“Stefania? Is the princess asleep? Stefania? Open the door.”

Knock- knock-

“Stefania? I told you to open the door? What are you doing?”

It was a long time after Count Dominici knocked on the door that it opened.

Thump-

As soon as he saw the maid, Count Dominici rebuked her.

“Uh-huh—do you really want to lose your head? How can you fall so deeply asleep while guarding the princess!”

“Count, that’s… that’s not it….”

The Count stared down at the flustered maid and asked in a cold voice.

“What is the princess… what is the princess doing now?”

“She’s… she’s sleeping. She said she was tired and fell deeply… asleep….”

“She fell deeply asleep only 10 minutes after entering the bedroom? Come to think of it, your face is also vivid, so you weren’t sleeping either? Why did you open the door so late when you weren’t sleeping?”

“Th… that’s….”

The Count’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.

“Is the princess really sleeping inside?”

“Yes? Ah… yes, yes. Of course!”

The Count warned the restless maid in a stern voice.

“If the princess is not inside, I will immediately deport you to the kingdom and have you hanged.”

“Count… Count!”

“I’ll ask you one more time. Is she really inside?”

The maid, who was just rolling her eyes around, bowed her head again and answered as if sobbing.

“Yes… yes… the princess is… sleeping… sleeping…”

“Get out of the way! You impudent thing, where did you dare to lie!”

Pak-

“Oh my!”

Thump-

The Count roughly pushed the maid away and threw the door open, shouting loudly as he approached the bed.

“Princess? Princess!”

When there was no movement at his call, the Count clenched the end of the blanket tightly with his hand.

Then, holding the blanket, he politely asked for forgiveness.

“Princess! Forgive my rudeness….”

Swish-

As the Count lowered the blanket, several pillows were stacked in the shape of a person.

“Th… this…!”

Confirming that the princess was not there, Count Dominici glared fiercely at the maid.