He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 82

82. Two Lovers

◈ Butler Manor

After Theo, who had examined Elisa, left.

Breaking the heavy silence, Lord Butler spoke.

“Benjamin, since when… since when has Elisa been seeing Leonard?”

“I don’t know exactly. I found out by chance a while ago. I told her she shouldn’t, but it seems Elisa has liked Leonard for a long time.”

“You knew about it too?”

“I just… thought it was just a harmless infatuation. I didn’t know she liked him this much…”

Lord Butler sighed deeply.

“Haa-. So… she’s blinded by just one man? This doesn’t make any sense.”

Lady Butler pleaded, as if begging.

“But honey, all the symptoms are really happening as Lord Sanderson said, aren’t they? Whatever the circumstances, we have to save our child first, right? Shouldn’t we go to Lord Evans’ house quickly and ask for help?”

The family had been insulted, and the relationship with the Evans family had been completely ruined by the duel.

More than anything, as Lord Jacob Evans lived with a lifelong disability, even the servants of the two families had turned into enemies who growled at each other.

Lord Butler was at a loss as to how to solve this difficult problem.

Then the second son, Benjamin, carefully offered his opinion.

“Father, Lord Sanderson said it was urgent, right? So, shouldn’t we call for Leonard tomorrow? If we tell Jacob Evans, he will definitely refuse. We should call Leonard alone, quietly.”

The third son, Stephen, objected.

“No, brother. What if the Evans family retaliates later? Instead, let’s find another doctor…”

At the words of the third son, Lady Butler burst into anger.

“What are you talking about? What other doctor? The doctor who came to treat Elisa was the best doctor in Jamaica! Even he didn’t expect Elisa’s illness to turn out like this! But Lord Sanderson already knew it would turn out like this!”

“······.”

“This is Jamaica! It’s full of doctors who are worse than those in the rural villages of the home country. How can there be a doctor here who has the ability of Lord Sanderson? Even His Majesty the King begged him to be his personal physician!

And if it’s a mental illness… if something like what happened to that London Earl’s son, whom Lord Sanderson treated, happened, who else can we rely on but Lord Sanderson?”

Lady Butler, who had rebuked her son, now clung to her husband.

“Honey! Call for Leonard right away. Let him treat our Elisa as Lord Sanderson said! Please… If something happens to Elisa, I can’t live anymore either. Please… sob-”

Lord Butler put his hand on his throbbing forehead and let out a faint sigh.

◈ The next day, afternoon. Butler Manor.

As Theo entered Lord Butler’s living room, a young man jumped up from his seat.

It was Leonard Evans.

That morning, Lord Butler instructed his second son to bring Leonard home.

Benjamin, knowing which gathering Leonard attended, rushed there.

He explained the situation and asked him to come home with him.

Leonard hesitated at first, but when he heard that Elisa was very ill, he immediately agreed without complaint.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Theo Sanderson.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Leonard Evans.”

He was a young man with keen eyes and an aristocratic air.

Theo asked a few questions and had a conversation to understand Leonard’s basic tendencies and emotions.

Theo, who had heard bad stories about Jacob Evans, the eldest son and head of the Evans family, had some concerns about Leonard Evans’ personality.

But fortunately, Leonard’s character seemed quite excellent, resembling his late father, Lord Isaac Evans.

However, as was the reputation around him, the people of the Evans family had somewhat strong self-assertion, and Leonard also showed such a trait.

‘Hmm… Elisa is a cautious and meticulous young lady, but she is tender-hearted and overly careful, so she lacks decisiveness a lot.

On the other hand, the confident Leonard has excellent problem-solving and judgment skills, so he has good decisiveness, but he tends to overestimate his own judgment.’

The more similar the tendencies of two people who feel affection for each other, the more ideal a relationship they can maintain.

However, even if their tendencies are very different, if their strengths and weaknesses fit together like blocks, they form a strong relationship that is as good as a couple with matching tendencies.

In other words, there are couples who shine much more when they are together, and Elisa and Leonard were such a case.

If Leonard presented a clear direction to Elisa, who was unsure of her decisions, Elisa appropriately controlled Leonard, who could push too hard and miss important things, and the two fit together as if they had become one.

Having spent a lot of time together since childhood, the two were able to naturally fill each other’s shortcomings and unite, and it seemed that they had developed into a deep romantic relationship.

The emotions combined while filling each other like this are so strong in trust and affection that they cannot be easily separated.

Trying to forcibly turn their hearts away is likely to leave a big scar.

In particular, there was a high possibility that a bigger problem would occur on Elisa’s tender-hearted side.

After not being able to see each other for over a year due to family issues, Elisa’s mental anxiety, which was vulnerable to stress, reached its limit, and it was diagnosed that it had spread to physical illness.

Theo gave a few precautions and took Leonard into Elisa’s room.

Elisa, who had been in despair, showed an immediate reaction to the news that Leonard had come.

“Have you been well, Leonard?”

“…I think I just had a hard time.”

“Does my face look terrible now? I couldn’t even wash properly…”

“No, you’re just pretty. But you have to eat a lot and get healthy like before, right? You’ve lost too much weight. When you wake up, you have to take care of what you eat first.”

“I haven’t had much appetite lately. But don’t worry. I’ve been eating well again since yesterday.”

Theo was watching from the side as Leonard held Elisa’s hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes.

The two lovers continued to share stories they had not been able to share for a long time.

Leonard faithfully followed Theo’s advice.

He did not pay attention to Elisa’s symptoms but simply talked about personal matters comfortably and put Elisa’s mind at ease.

‘Hmm… Just by talking together, Elisa’s expression and emotions are coming alive and becoming richer. She was really a tender-hearted young lady. Still, it’s a relief that the relationship with Leonard is the direct cause of the conversion disorder [a mental condition where stress manifests as physical symptoms].’

The convulsions that had been seen on Elisa’s face also became noticeably smaller, and the movements of her body became much smoother.

*

Theo quietly came out to the living room so that Elisa and Leonard could have more time together.

Thump-

Lord Butler’s family, who had been pacing around the living room anxiously waiting for the results, rushed to Theo.

“Lord Sanderson? How is it? Is she really getting better because Leonard came?”

Lady Butler waited for Theo’s answer with her hands clasped tightly and a nervous face.

“Yes. She is definitely getting better. If we continue like this, and given that Elisa has no special internal diseases and has been healthy, her condition is expected to improve very quickly.”

Lord Butler asked.

“So, are you saying that our daughter became like that because of her love for Leonard?”

“Yes. That’s right. I’m even more convinced after watching the two of them just now. If Leonard continues to help with the treatment, a full recovery is possible.”

“Then will her eyesight recover soon?”

“Of course. Early treatment is most important for this disease. There is no special medicine, but if you stabilize your mind and body and Elisa herself feels comfortable, her eyes will return to normal within a few days.”

Lady Butler was moved by Theo’s words.

“Oh, God! Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“But you still have to be careful. Above all, it is essential for Lord Leonard to come often and reassure her. I will also stop by every day for the time being.”

Lord Butler was also very grateful for the hopeful results.

“Thank you so much, Lord Sanderson.”

While preparing to leave, Theo urged.

“I’ll say it again, the progress of the disease has only stopped temporarily, and it is by no means a complete recovery.

So, as I said, your family should just act as usual and create the most comfortable atmosphere by spending time with Leonard every day.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

***

As Theo said, Elisa’s condition improved remarkably after a few days.

Her eyesight had almost recovered, and the paralyzed areas had returned to normal, greatly delighting the family.

Leonard Evans also came every day to be with Elisa, and Theo also stopped by from time to time to check her health.

◈ Jamaica Blue Mountain, Theo’s Coffee Farm.

Early in the morning. Theo packed a lot of prepared items and headed to the coffee farm.

He had not been able to go up to the farm for nearly ten days because he was busy buying items needed for Elisa’s treatment and the farm.

Thankfully, Sebastian Martin, the general manager of Palmer Farm, had assigned four black slaves.

Thanks to this, he was able to carry the items up the mountain without difficulty.

The black slaves of Palmer Farm seemed very excited, perhaps because they could get out of the sugarcane farm work.

Past noon.

When he arrived in front of the coffee farm, Noah, who had discovered Theo, rushed over.

“Lord Sanderson!”

“Oh- Noah! How have you been?”

“Yes. I’ve been well. Haha.”

“Okay, nothing special happened?”

“Well, there were a lot of things. Mr. Spencer’s passion is so great… Hahaha.”

After checking the coffee farm’s fruits, Mr. Spencer visited Theo the very next day.

And he actively expressed his intention to participate in the business.

He said that he would be a partner but would only be involved in the technical aspects of coffee cultivation and processing and would not interfere with investment or management at all.

Instead, he would take all responsibility and authority related to cultivation and coffee processing.

He also proposed to draw up a contract stating that he would only take 1% of the net profit as a technology transfer fee if coffee sales were successful.

It was a ridiculously good condition for Theo.

When Theo asked if he should think about it more carefully, Mr. Spencer said that he did not want to waste time on unnecessary things while adjusting the contract terms.

He only wanted to produce the world’s best coffee as soon as possible.

Theo, who recognized his true desire for the best coffee, readily accepted his offer.

As soon as the contract was agreed upon, he packed his bags and entered the coffee farm.

Then, while staying with Noah in the manager’s quarters, he began working on building the coffee farm.

“Do you see that warehouse over there?”

Theo looked at the place Noah was pointing at.

There was a fairly large building that he had not seen before.

“No, when did you build that warehouse?”

“Don’t even mention it. Mr. Spencer urged me to build a raw bean processing facility quickly. So, under Samson’s direction, the other male black slaves cooperated to build it, and they really created a processing plant in an instant.

I had heard about Samson’s skills, but after seeing him build it myself, I could only say that he was amazing.”

“Huh- really? That’s great. By the way, Mr. Spencer didn’t treat the slaves harshly, did he?”

Theo was a little concerned that Mr. Spencer had urged the slaves.

Noah was fine because Theo had already picked him knowing his character, but the elderly Mr. Spencer was only trusted for his skills, so it was difficult to arbitrarily restrain his actions.

“Well… he does nag a bit, but compared to the managers of sugarcane farms, it’s like a lullaby, haha. He doesn’t whip them either.

We’re in the middle of finishing work now, so shall we go to the warehouse? Mr. Spencer will be there too.”

Mr. Spencer, who had been dealing with black slaves on colonial farms for a long time, had an attitude of treating slaves carelessly without realizing it.

Theo, who had the philosophy that good quality products start from having a good mind, hoped that he would not treat black slaves carelessly.

It may be a modern person’s point of view, but he thought it was the least respect for human beings, and he also thought it would help in making the best coffee.

However, contrary to Theo’s concerns, the black slaves on the coffee farm did not seem to care much about Mr. Spencer’s nagging.

Considering the violence and unreasonable treatment they had received from the previous farm owners and managers, Mr. Spencer’s urging seemed like affectionate nagging.

Moreover, the slaves knew better than anyone else that if this coffee farm failed, they could be sold again and live a hellish life.

And that became a strong driving force that united the black slaves of the coffee farm and made them work hard.

In this way, Mr. Spencer’s desire to make only the world’s best coffee and the black slaves’ desire to create their own precious paradise on the colonial island formed a strange ensemble, transforming Theo’s coffee farm day by day.