He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 6

6. Who Was That Perfect Man?

Theo politely asked the Baroness,

“Madam, could you please step out for a moment? I need to speak with Miss Godwin privately.”

“What? Private consultation?”

Private consultations, excluding parents, were quite uncommon in marriage arrangements of this era.

“It’s simply my approach. Matching marriage partners by understanding their individual inclinations leads to much better outcomes. Naturally, I’ll also consider other relevant factors to find the most suitable gentleman.”

“Ah… I see.”

The Baroness, looking reluctant, left the study, and the private consultation with Lydia Godwin began.

“Miss Godwin, it couldn’t have been an easy decision to come all the way here to see me about marriage, could it? Or am I mistaken?”

Lydia smiled shyly and began to speak.

“Indeed… I strongly resisted when my mother suggested meeting another matchmaker. It was already the fifth time. But when I heard that the matchmaker was Mr. Theo Sanders, I was genuinely surprised. And after learning through Lord Wellesley that Mr. Sanders was indeed the person I knew, I decided to meet you without hesitation.”

“I see. Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”

“Actually, a month ago, I was deeply moved by Mr. Sanders’ lecture on the marriage system at the Almax Club, and I had been admiring you. I was also a little curious about what would happen if someone like you were to act as a matchmaker.”

Fortunately, she seemed to have formed a positive impression from Theo’s lecture at the Almax Club. Because of that, they were able to proceed with the conversation with the most important element of a consultation: trust.

“I thank you again for your kind words. Then, would you be willing to honestly share your current situation and feelings? The reasons behind your delayed marriage, your feelings about marriage, your personal ideal type of partner, and so on. That would be a great help in achieving a favorable outcome.”

At Theo’s words, Lydia nodded, acknowledging that he was different.

The numerous marriage brokers she had met so far had only discussed dowries with her parents, never once asking her, the person actually getting married, about her feelings or ideal partner.

But Theo Sanderson was definitely different from them.

“Yes. Then, as you suggested, I will now honestly reveal everything about myself.”

The higher the level of trust with the consultant, the better the consultation results will inevitably be.

Lydia not only trusted Theo completely but also showed him a near-reverential faith. A good outcome was anticipated.

“I was the editor of a women’s book club called ‘Women in London.'”

This year, 28-year-old Miss Lydia Godwin, daughter of Baron Alexander Godwin, said she was a member of ‘Women in London.’

‘Women in London’ was a group of young women with a strong interest in academics and the arts. Lydia had been actively working there as an editor for several years, deeply immersed in philosophy, which explores the essence and ideas of humanity.

As a result, she thought of marriage, which required her to live as a wise mother and good wife, as a constraint and a terrible prison that confined her life. She even pitied the women who frequented social clubs with the goal of marriage, considering them pathetic individuals who did not know the true value of life.

However, as the members, who seemed to be united by camaraderie and would be together forever, got married one by one, and even her younger sisters got married, she suddenly began to fear her own situation as an aging woman left alone.

“One by one, the friends who had supported me began to leave to get married. Then, even the last remaining friend, whom I had promised to be with forever, got married last winter.

I felt completely alone. Moreover, the publication of my book, to which I had devoted all my passion for my entire twenties, was canceled amidst harsh criticism, and I completely lost confidence.”

Expressions reveal a person’s emotions. No matter how hard you try to hide it, if you create a comfortable atmosphere and touch the wound even slightly, the emotions you want to hide will be reflected in your expression.

The corners of her mouth drooped slightly, and the upper and lower eyelids were somewhat relaxed and listless.

‘A psychological state of deep anxiety and sadness…’

She had been trying not to show it all along, but Lydia’s expression subtly revealed her current gloomy emotions. She was suppressing the subtle changes in her expression with a strong will, and she was a woman who was so skilled at controlling herself that it was difficult for anyone other than a trained psychological expert to catch it.

‘She’s a very intelligent and rational woman. But she believes that if she gets married, she won’t be able to pursue her beloved philosophy and will have to live her life mortgaged to a man, as if trapped in a prison for the rest of her life.

But now that all her friends around her have gotten married and left, she is so intimidated that she envies even that confinement.’

If her situation were in modern society, she might be lonely, but it wouldn’t be so painful.

But 18th-century England was a completely different story.

In this era, a woman living as an unmarried spinster had a high potential to descend into a miserable life.

If she didn’t have to worry about money, it would be much better, but under the inheritance laws of 18th-century England, an unmarried woman was as good as having no property to inherit.

Even Miss Lydia Godwin’s entire fortune belonged to her youngest brother.

She could somehow make a living by working as a tutor or nanny, but because these jobs were looked down upon at the time, it was very difficult for her, who was of noble birth, to choose them.

Therefore, most unmarried noblewomen gave up their job search and stayed at their parents’ home, living a life of suppressed breath amidst the coldness and neglect of their families.

Occasionally, in really lucky cases, they could marry a man who was not even worth looking at before, and start a family late in life, but perhaps that choice would be a much better life than living a life of abuse at home.

Theo carefully examined Lydia’s appearance.

Her intelligent and clear eyes, which seemed to reflect a strong sense of self, her proud and beautifully shaped nose, her slender face, and her long neckline exuded a subtle elegance without being ostentatious.

‘She has a very attractive and beautiful face. It’s just that she doesn’t realize it. Moreover, she is knowledgeable and speaks very articulately. You can tell that she is an intellectually outstanding person just by talking to her for a few minutes.’

If she gets married, she may be unhappy, as she says. Especially in an era like now, if she is a woman with an intellectual and assertive disposition like Lydia, the possibility was even greater.

But if she is matched with a man who shares her tastes, interests, and way of thinking, she can live a much happier life.

Theo knew from experience that compatible relationships are difficult to find, but once you find the right partner, things can ignite in an instant.

*

After the private consultation, Baron Godwin’s wife re-entered the study.

The Baroness opened her mouth with a worried look.

“Will our daughter… be able to marry? She’s getting on in years, and our financial situation is strained due to my younger brother’s marriage next year, so we don’t have much of a dowry…”

Several things could be gleaned from the Baroness’s trailing words.

The upper lip was slightly raised in the middle of speaking, and wrinkles briefly appeared and disappeared around the nose.

‘Disgust.’

When you feel disgusted with someone, your upper lip rises involuntarily, and that fleeting expression appeared on the lips of Baron Godwin’s wife.

The Baroness seemed to place more importance on the family’s reputation than on her daughter’s happiness.

‘Well, most mothers in 18th-century British families valued the honor of their family far more than their children, so it’s understandable that she’s like that.’

That’s why it seemed like the mother and daughter were keeping a certain distance when they first entered the study. It seemed that an invisible psychological barrier had been created between the two due to the marriage issue.

Fortunately, it was a mild form of disgust. If her daughter finds a good match, the disgust that had clouded her mother’s emotions would disappear, and the relationship would surely improve again.

The problem seemed to be money.

A small dowry.

This era was a much more materialistic society than the modern era. Women with small dowries were as difficult to marry as men without property.

In particular, as the era when only the status of an aristocrat enjoyed the privileges of wealth, like in the past, was coming to an end, there was a clear tendency to prefer aristocrats with at least a similar level of wealth to themselves, or even gentry [landowners below the nobility] (newly emerging capitalists) without aristocratic titles, but with large dowries.

However, with Lydia’s appearance, there seemed to be no need to worry about that.

It may be somewhat unfair to women with ordinary appearances, but if she is this attractive, she can be connected with wealthy aristocrats or gentry who do not care much about the dowry.

But age was an obstacle. It was common in this period to dismiss someone who was well over their mid-20s.

‘Is this a kind of automatic disqualification? At just 28 years old? But this problem can be overcome. All you have to do is find a man who values mutual attraction. Matchmakers don’t realize this and automatically reject them based on age, so there’s not even a chance to meet.’

Because medical technology was limited, the average life expectancy was short, and the marriage age was young.

In addition, the age of marriage was lowered as much as possible due to the urgency to have children as soon as possible in a situation where it was not known when the family’s successor would die.

However, a little later, in the Victorian era (1837-1901), social problems caused by early marriage emerged, and the legal marriageable age was raised to 21 for both men and women.

Thanks to this, the average age of marriage for women jumped to 23-24, and the number of women marrying in their late 20s also increased significantly.

However, since it was an era before such laws or perceptions were established, Lydia’s age was bound to be an obstacle.

Therefore, I had to find a man who didn’t care much about age.

In addition, it seemed necessary to put a lot of effort into choosing the most suitable man for Lydia’s disposition.

If something goes wrong, even if they get married, they may be caught up in a big fight during their marriage and spend a lifetime of painful days like a prison.

No matter how good the conditions are for men and women, if there is no emotional connection between them, discord can easily arise, and the rest of their lives will inevitably be unhappy.

‘Preventing unhappiness and gifting a happy life. That’s why I jumped into the marriage information business and devoted my youth. Okay, let’s work hard. I can’t let such a pretty and smart young lady, who is only 28 years old, give up on her life already, can I?’

*

After Lydia and Baron Godwin’s wife returned, Theo pondered for a long time, holding a note recording her tendencies and behavioral characteristics.

Theo intentionally asked several questions and carefully observed what habits and tendencies Lydia had as a woman.

Through these questions, he was able to find out her personality traits in quite some depth.

A trained clinical psychologist can grasp a significant portion of the other person’s tendencies and characteristics with just about 10 minutes of conversation.

‘It seems like the general characteristic tendencies are mostly clear. Ah, but there was definitely someone among the club members who was a perfect match for Miss Lydia’s tendencies… Who was it?’

He had been constantly observing the unmarried male members of the Intelligence Club, but he couldn’t immediately recall them because he hadn’t systematically organized them yet.

But then.

Someone suddenly flashed through Theo’s mind as he racked his brains for a long time.

‘Ah, that’s right! That’s right. Viscount Edward Monson!’

Theo hurriedly opened his notebook and began to write down the basic characteristics of Viscount Edward Monson’s personality and behavior as he remembered them.

He hadn’t talked to him for a long time, but based on Theo’s many experiences, he had a strong conviction that Monson’s special tendencies would be a very good match for Lydia’s tendencies.

‘The extremely haughty Viscount Edward Monson.’

As he wrote down his tendencies one by one, the conversations he had with Monson came to mind vividly.

Despite being a wealthy aristocrat with a handsome appearance and an annual income of over 10,000 pounds (approximately 1.5 to 2 billion won [Korean currency]), this viscount was declaring bachelorhood with a different reason from Lydia.

‘He said he had met many women, but he didn’t think there was a woman in this world who met his standards.’

He even said that even if Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty in Greek and Roman mythology, appeared before him, he would not be impressed unless she had the wisdom of the goddess Athena [goddess of wisdom].

His confident tone and actions subtly intrigued Theo, and because of that, he was able to remember more of his characteristics than he thought.

He seemed to have a strong sense of self-esteem, but it didn’t seem like there were any particular flaws in his personality.

Rather, his extensive knowledge and enlightened consciousness made him appear to be a person with a sense ahead of the times.

Because he had a good family, good looks, and wealth, he received a lot of attention from many women, but he seemed to feel quite bored in conversations with ordinary women because his intellectual desires were too great for an aristocrat.

‘Wow, these two seem to be a really good match? Now, if the probability of emotional agreement is high…’

He put the emotional characteristics of the two people into the matching model he was creating one by one and calculated the matching probability.

The results would have come out in 1 second if he had run it through a computer program, but in this era, he had no choice but to count and calculate them manually.

Theo’s eyes widened as he hurriedly counted the matching results.

‘Oh my god… 91 out of 100 items match!’

The consistency was over 90%.

It was a very simplified form of the matching program, but still, over 90% was definitely a pretty good score.

A faint smile spread across Theo’s lips.

‘Bingo! Miss Lydia Godwin, it seems you’ve finally found your match, hehe.’

Perhaps a person’s destiny is something that cannot be foreseen.

It seems that a proper partner has now appeared for the discerning and self-possessed Viscount Monson.