He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 73

73. Arrival in Jamaica

Early March 1777, Kingston, Jamaica.

Tae-oh arrived at the port of Kingston, Jamaica, after crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a merchant ship.

It was a long voyage, but fortunately, the weather was good, allowing them to cross the sea faster than expected.

Tae-oh was pleased with the voyage, as they didn’t encounter any pirate ships, which had been his biggest worry.

‘To think I would return to Jamaica, a place I thought I would never see again.’

Several ships were anchored offshore, some distance from the port, awaiting quarantine inspection.

Usually, merchant ships carrying enslaved Africans underwent long and thorough quarantine procedures.

This was a form of isolation to prevent the spread of any infectious or endemic diseases on board.

Thud.

Tae-oh placed the luggage he had brought from the ship on the ground and looked around.

He saw various merchant ships and sailors, as well as enslaved black people and white overseers who had come to trade, wandering around.

‘It seems not much has changed since I came here to get sugar a few years ago.’

Merchant ships from England were busily unloading various clothes, furniture, and household goods, and many carts were waiting nearby to receive the goods.

These goods were exchanged for sugar, rum, and molasses produced in Jamaica, or sometimes sold directly.

‘First, I need to find the manager of Baron Palmer’s plantation, but I only see luggage carts and no carriages in operation… Are they somewhere else?’

Thankfully, Baron Palmer had sent a letter to the plantation’s general manager in advance, asking him to assist Tae-oh.

In this place where he knew no one, Baron Palmer’s letter was expected to be of great help in preparing the coffee farm.

Creak- Creak-

Just then, an empty cart pulled by an old mule slowly passed in front of Tae-oh.

“Excuse me, sir. May I ask you something?”

“Whoa- Whoa-“

The person sitting on the cart, driving the mule, pulled the reins to stop the animal.

“Yes, sir.”

He took off his hat and answered. He was a young mulatto [a person of mixed white and black ancestry].

In the colonial islands, it was quite common for mixed-race children to be born between white plantation owners and enslaved black women, and these people were called ‘mulattos.’

White plantation owners often treated them better than ordinary enslaved black people because they had white blood and lighter skin.

Jamaican mulattos usually worked as plantation managers or supervised enslaved black people.

“Do you happen to know Baron Palmer? He runs several plantations here in Jamaica.”

“Baron Palmer… Are you talking about Hazel Palmer?”

He was in luck.

“Yes! That’s right. Hazel Palmer. Do you know him?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I’m looking for Baron Palmer’s plantation right now; could you help me?”

“Baron Palmer’s sugarcane plantation is that way, past the warehouse, but it’s quite a distance. It would be difficult to walk there carrying luggage, so I’ll give you a ride to the plantation. I was heading in that direction anyway.”

“Oh, I really appreciate that.”

Tae-oh put the luggage he had brought onto the cart, and the man got off the carriage and lifted the remaining luggage onto the cargo hold.

“Haha, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.”

The young mulatto’s name was Noah.

Clatter- Creak- Clatter-

The carriage driven by Noah was very creaky and shaky, as it was old.

Still, Tae-oh thought it was better to ride in a cart than to walk a long distance.

“How long has this road been here? I don’t think it was here when I came about three years ago.”

“Yes. It’s been about two years. If you build a road here, it’s a straight line…”

Noah had a somewhat cold impression, but when Tae-oh spoke to him, he turned out to be a friendly person.

Thanks to him, Tae-oh was able to obtain some useful information about Jamaican plantations.

After about an hour, farms and houses began to appear, and soon the cart stopped in front of a house.

Whoa- Whoa-

“Here we are, sir.”

Noah stopped the carriage at the entrance, which had a large fence.

Looking inside the entrance, he could see a large farm and a large house.

Noah helped unload the bags.

“Thank you so much for the ride here. I should give you some compensation…”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I was passing by anyway. Then, please go in carefully.”

After saying goodbye, he quickly disappeared into the bushes in his carriage.

*
The house at the end of the fence seemed farther away than he thought, perhaps because of the heavy luggage.

Thud.

“Hoo-”

When he reached the house, he put down his luggage for a moment and looked around.

‘Baron Palmer said there is a big house on the plantation, and the general manager lives in that house. Then, this must be the right house.’

The general manager’s house was far from matching the mansions of London’s nobles, but it was a well-built two-story house made of wood and stone.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

When he knocked on the small door knocker, a plump, middle-aged black woman wearing an apron appeared after a while.

She was wearing a loose cotton dress that reached down to her ankles, and she had a turban-like cloth made of a similar material on her head.

It was a very simple outfit with almost no frills or decorations, not even the simple ones usually seen on maids in English aristocratic families.

“Who… is it?”

Tae-oh could sense a strong wariness from the black woman.

“Is this the house of Sebastian Martin?”

Still with a cautious look, she nodded silently.

“Kubena! What’s going on?”

Another middle-aged woman’s voice was heard from behind.

“Yes, ma’am. Someone has come to see the master.”

“Really?”

Tap. Tap.

Light footsteps were heard, and this time a middle-aged white woman appeared.

“How can I help you?”

“Hello, madam? I’m Theo Sanderson, introduced by Baron Palmer.”

As soon as she heard Tae-oh’s name, she was startled.

And quickly bent her knees and greeted him politely.

“Oh, my! You’re Sir Sanderson! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah, yes, madam.”

“Please come in and wait a moment? I’ll go get my husband right away.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Tae-oh tilted his head at the sight of her hurrying away.

‘The initial wariness vanished as soon as she heard my name. It seems she knew I was coming through Baron Palmer’s letter… But, why is her reaction so surprised?’

It was an occasional occurrence in London, but this reaction in a distant place more than 7,000 km away was somewhat unexpected.

Even in Manchester, there were hardly any people who knew Tae-oh’s name.

Tae-oh put down his luggage and looked around the interior.

‘Hmm, it’s much wider than it looked from the outside.’

The farm manager’s house, which consisted of two floors, had a spacious living room with a fairly high ceiling, and it seemed to have several rooms.

In particular, the large arched window that occupied one entire wall was impressive.

It looked cool and refreshing, perhaps because it was made much larger than ordinary windows due to Jamaica’s hot weather.

Swish- Swish-

The young black maids who were cleaning the living room glanced at Tae-oh with curious eyes at the appearance of a white man they had never seen before.

Thump. Thump. Thump-

At that moment, a large man in his mid-40s with heavy footsteps came down from the second floor as if running.

He was a sturdy man with a thick beard, and his strong and grim impression was typical of a colonial plantation manager.

“Oh, Sir Sanderson! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Martin.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You must have had a hard time coming all the way here, haha.”

However, unlike his rough appearance, he behaved very politely to Tae-oh. He even seemed cautious.

Tae-oh took out the letter that Baron Palmer had written from his pocket.

“This is a letter that Baron Palmer wrote himself. Please take good care of me.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

He handed the received letter directly to his wife without even opening it.

‘It seems that the details about my arrival have already been discussed.’

Tae-oh felt grateful for Baron Palmer’s consideration.

“You must be tired from coming all the way here, so why don’t you rest here until dinner and then go to Sir Kennis Gray’s house on the next farm? I think you can unpack your luggage there.”

“What? To another house? I thought I was staying at Mr. Martin’s house?”

He waved his hand and said.

“Oh, no, no. You’re a precious guest from London; how can you stay in such a humble place? Sir Gray had been preparing a room especially after hearing that Sir Sanderson was coming. It would be much better for you to stay there while you’re looking after the farm work.”

“What? No, well… there’s no need to go that far…”

Then he revealed his almost toothless gums and continued.

“It’s all been discussed with Baron Palmer. Sir Gray wrote in the letter that he would take care of Sir Sanderson. He’s been preparing to welcome you for days, so please stay at his house for the time being, considering the effort he’s put in? Haha.”

Martin’s wife, who was next to him, repeatedly nodded in agreement with her husband’s words.

“Yes, Sir Sanderson. Please do so. Sir Gray’s house is really nice. You’ll be very comfortable there.”

“······.”

Tae-oh felt that something was strange.

The attitude of the manager and his wife was so polite that it was burdensome.

It wasn’t just an act of kindness because they were asked by Baron Palmer.

The emotions coming from their expressions and gestures even showed a kind of respect for Tae-oh.

Their eyes, as if looking at someone from a different world, were very submissive and cautious.

‘What is this…? It’s certain that they know me through Baron Palmer’s letter, but why are they so wary of me? Has my reputation spread this far? But what kind of rumors have spread and how…’

In this era, there was no way there could be proper communication in the barren Jamaican colony.

However, merchant ships coming and going from England were constantly arriving and departing, and the Royal Navy also established a base and traveled back and forth, so news and information from London were spreading faster than expected.

The unique atmosphere of the Jamaican colony, which was always on edge about news from the home country, also played a part.

Tae-oh’s name was initially famous among women because of the unique marriage brokerage news, and later it became widely known among men as well for saving Duke Manners and clearing Earl Burns of false charges.

In addition, the mental treatment of Earl Maxwell’s son and King George aroused great interest among people who were always caught up in the anxiety that they might go mad.

These interesting stories surrounding Tae-oh were mainly spread through pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines to every corner of the Jamaican colony.

Rumors are always exaggerated, but the extent was much more severe in this distant colony.

Thanks to this, not only the plantation owners and their families but also most of the managers on the island of Jamaica knew his name well, even though they didn’t know Tae-oh’s face.

Even the personal news that Tae-oh had been granted a baronetcy [a hereditary title] by the King was treated quite importantly here.

So, when a famous person from London, whom they had only seen in newspapers, suddenly appeared in the distant Jamaican colony, it was bound to become a big topic of conversation for the colonial British people who were living a boring life.

***
Tae-oh, who had rested at the house of the general manager Sebastian Martin during the afternoon, headed to Sir Kennis Gray’s house around dinner time.

While Tae-oh was resting, the general manager Martin had loaded all the luggage into a four-seater Landau carriage [a type of luxury carriage] with a folding cover.

“When did you load all the luggage? It must have been heavy. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, no, you’re welcome. It’s only natural.”

Throughout the journey, Mrs. Martin looked anxious to ask Tae-oh something, but she had to limit herself to a few words, mindful of her husband’s gaze.

Whoa-Whoa-

The carriage entered the courtyard of a quaint mansion in less than 20 minutes after departure.

‘Wow…’

Tae-oh thought that the house of Palmer Plantation’s general manager Martin was not bad, but Sir Kennis Gray’s house was as good as any large aristocratic house in London.

‘Were the materials for this stone building also imported from England? The shape is similar. Amazing. To be able to build such a building in such a remote place…’

However, more than 10 carriages were parked on one side of the mansion’s large yard. And next to them, the coachmen were gathering in groups of three or five, chatting.

‘Surely, these can’t all be the carriages of this Sir Gray… Then, does that mean other guests have come?’

While he was wondering, Sebastian Martin, who had entered the house first, announced Tae-oh’s arrival.

Soon the door opened and a gentleman with a bright smile greeted Tae-oh.

“Oh, Sir Sanderson! Welcome. I’m Kennis Gray.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Theo Sanderson.”

“Haha. You must have had a hard time coming all the way here from London. Tommy! Quickly take Sir Sanderson’s luggage to the room where he’ll be staying.”

A black youth who came out following Sir Gray lifted Tae-oh’s luggage and took it to the room on the second floor.

“Sir Sanderson, shall we go to the dining room?”

As Tae-oh followed him into the hallway, a pleasant aroma that stimulated his appetite wafted gently.

“I hurriedly prepared some food after receiving a call from Martin earlier in the day that you had arrived. It’s really terrible compared to London, but I hope you enjoy it.”

The excessive consideration of the general manager Sebastian Martin was also burdensome, but Sir Gray’s attitude was even more uncomfortable.

‘What kind of rumors have spread about me that everyone is acting like this? It seems to be more severely distorted because it’s a story from a distant place?’

Sir Gray, who had gone a few steps ahead, waited in front of the dining room for a moment, and when Tae-oh came closer, he opened the door himself.

“Please go in first, Sir Sanderson.”

“Ah… Yes. Thank you.”

Clunk-

As Tae-oh entered the dining room,

‘···!’

More than a dozen young ladies and women dressed to the nines all turned to the door at once.