He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 84

84. To the Evans Estate

Theo requested a visit to the Evans estate through Mr. Martin, the chief manager of Baron Palmer.

Because Mr. Martin was well-known in Jamaica, he was able to easily convey Theo’s intentions to Lady Evans.

Mr. Martin sent a message indicating that Theo wished to discuss a matter regarding marriage.

Lady Evans immediately invited Theo for dinner the following day.

According to Mr. Martin, Lady Evans readily granted the visit as soon as she heard the name Sanderson.

‘It’s a relief, but…’

Mediating between families that have become enemies is never easy.

Moreover, in the 18th century, conflicts between families could be life-threatening.

However, Elisa’s condition was too concerning to ignore.

It seemed necessary to first assess the atmosphere of the Evans family and then decide how to approach them.

◈ The next day, at the mansion of Sir Jacob Evans.

The Evans family showed their sincerity by sending a carriage to pick up Theo.

It seemed Lady Evans was expecting Theo to come for marriage counseling.

Clop. Clop.

Sir Evans’ house was located in a remote area, quite far from other farms in the vicinity.

After an hour’s ride in the carriage, a large mansion appeared before them at the top of a long, narrow hill.

‘Wow, they really live well.’

Sir Evans’ mansion was a modern stone building, much larger and more magnificent than the homes of Lord Grey or Lord Butler.

It wasn’t just the mansion. The size of the farm stretching beside it was also vast.

The scale of the farm could be guessed from the piles of farming equipment stacked in the warehouse.

There were several carriages of different types parked on one side of the front yard.

‘Impressive. They must be one of the wealthiest in all of Jamaica.’

However, as they entered the entrance, a slightly strange atmosphere was detected.

The young black slave driving the carriage, as well as the black slaves around the farm organizing and moving things, had unusual looks in their eyes.

‘The slaves’ emotions don’t seem good at all.’

The expressions of the black slaves carrying things across the garden were not just dark but even felt savage.

A palpable tension flowed from their hostile gazes, flashing the whites of their eyes as they glanced at Theo, and their tightly closed lips.

Just then.

A sharp whip sound cut through the air from somewhere.

Swish- Crack-

“Kuaaak-”

Startled by the scream, Theo reflexively looked for the source of the sound.

It was in front of a large warehouse in the distance.

Shwaeek- Crack-

“Kwak!”

A young black slave was lying on the ground.

And nearby, a large white overseer was mercilessly wielding a long whip.

The slave, who had fallen with the sack he was carrying, writhed in pain, curling up like a shrimp.

Flick – Crack-

The faces of the fellow slaves watching were full of hatred.

The depth of their anger was so intense that Theo could feel it immediately.

‘It’s not the kind of fear or dread they had when they first arrived on the trade ship…’

Their emotions were so overwhelmed with resentment and anger that they seemed beyond control.

Theo wanted to stop the white overseer’s actions right away, but in fact, such scenes were all too common in 18th-century Jamaica, which was known for its high labor intensity.

‘Sir Jacob Evans’ personality is so violent that he treats the slaves too harshly… That must be why even the overseers are like that.’

Theo hurried up to the front door as if fleeing from the distressing scene.

*

“Welcome, Lord Sanderson.”

“Thank you very much for the invitation, Lady Evans.”

When a nobleman with a noble title dies and his eldest son inherits the title, the deceased husband’s wife also passes the title to her daughter-in-law.

However, if the eldest son does not yet have a spouse, the mother can continue to use her deceased husband’s noble title.

Lady Evans was still called Lady Evans because her eldest son, Sir Jacob Evans, was not yet married.

“Not at all. I was so happy to hear that Lord Sanderson wanted to come to our house.”

“I’m even more grateful that you say so.”

In the house were Lady Evans, her second son Leonard, her third son Henry, and her youngest daughter Grace.

Leonard seemed nervous about Theo’s visit. He seemed to suspect that he had come because of Elisa.

“Sir Jacob Evans doesn’t seem to be here?”

“Yes, he left because there was an important decision to be made at the Jamaican Aristocratic Council. Jacob is the chairman there, so he must attend. Hoho.”

Many of the plantation owners in Jamaica were commoners. For this reason, the title of Baron was treated like a Duke’s family here.

Lady Evans believed that the reason Theo, a famous person, had contacted them first was because of their good status and wealth.

After exchanging greetings, Theo headed with them to the dining room, which was directly connected to the living room.

There, a variety of dishes were already laid out in abundance.

As the meal began, Lady Evans opened her mouth.

“Our eldest daughter has been staying with relatives in London since last year. And she boasted so much about seeing Lord Sanderson a few times at a club there.

If she knew that Lord Sanderson had come to our house like this, she would probably faint from surprise. Hoho.”

If it was a club frequented by women, it would be Almack’s Club.

“If it’s a club… is it perhaps Almack’s Club? Then I might recognize her.”

“Ah! That’s right, that’s right. Almack’s Club. But Lord Sanderson probably wouldn’t remember her. She’s so shy that she couldn’t even dare to approach you, hoho.”

Lady Evans was excited.

She had been boasting to the surrounding ladies about the stories of London high society that she had heard through her daughter’s letters.

The ladies of Jamaica, who were very interested in London high society, were very interested in Lady Evans’ unusual stories and listened attentively.

Then, when her husband suddenly passed away and her eldest son was injured in the leg due to a reckless duel, Lady Evans became disheartened.

She even felt that the people around her were subtly looking down on and ignoring her family.

Lady Evans wanted to marry her daughters off to promising noble families in London and make the Jamaican ladies’ noses flat [humiliate them].

But then Sanderson, the best matchmaker in London, came to her, so Lady Evans felt like she had won the lottery.

“The mansion is truly magnificent.”

“Yes. We originally lived elsewhere, but my husband completed it here just before he passed away. He worked so hard to build this house, but he didn’t even get to enjoy it properly before he left.”

“Ah… yes.”

As the atmosphere sank, Lady Evans turned the topic to food.

“Lord Sanderson, please try this. It’s lobster caught in the Caribbean, and it’s freshly caught, so it tastes excellent.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Lady Evans. The food is really neat and delicious.”

“Really? Hoho. I’m so glad it suits your taste. I paid special attention to it, so please eat a lot.”

As the meal was coming to an end, the third son, Henry Evans, asked.

“Lord Sanderson, I heard that you are planning to start a coffee farm here?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s amazing. You were doing business in London, and now you’re starting a coffee farm here.”

“An opportunity arose by chance, haha.”

The people of the Evans family were not as unusual as I thought.

They had the arrogance typical of the nobility of this era, but they did not ignore others or have excessively selfish tendencies. The energy of the emotions that flowed out naturally was not bad either.

In many ways, they were personalities that could get along quite well with the Butler family.

It was easy to understand that the two families had been close when Sir Isaac Evans was alive.

‘Hmm, so Sir Jacob Evans, who is not here now, is the main culprit for creating this bad situation…’

If even one person in the family spreads negative emotions, it can have a big impact on the whole family.

Moreover, if that person is the head of the family, the possibility is even greater.

‘Now that Sir Isaac Evans has passed away, the only person who can keep Jacob in check is Lady Evans…’

First of all, persuading Lady Evans seemed to be the top priority.

Theo waited for an opportunity and brought up Elisa’s story to Lady Evans.

“Madam. Actually, I am treating Lord Butler’s youngest daughter at his request.”

“Lord Butler’s youngest daughter…”

“Yes. It’s Miss Elisa Butler. She hasn’t been feeling well recently.”

At the mention of Elisa being sick, the expressions of Lady Evans and the other family members changed slightly.

‘They already know. And they’re worried…’

Worrying about someone is also a sign that you are thinking about them and regarding them favorably.

“I heard about it from my second son. But she was a healthy child, so what’s wrong with her?”

“In fact, the reason I asked Mr. Martin to come to your house was also because of Miss Elisa Butler’s problem.”

For a moment, a look of bewilderment appeared and disappeared on Lady Evans’ face.

“You came to our house because of that child’s problem? I don’t quite understand what you mean?”

“I am the one who had Lord Leonard called to Lord Butler’s house to treat Elisa. But I heard that Sir Evans told him not to call Lord Leonard anymore.”

Lady Evans’ voice became cold.

“I thought you came to register our children as members [of London high society] and connect them with noble families in London. I guess that wasn’t the case.”

However, unlike her cold energy, she seemed to know about the relationship between Elisa and Leonard to some extent and acknowledge their affection.

Moreover, the anger that seemed about to explode due to Jacob’s disability had now subsided a lot over time.

In the end, the antipathy she was showing now was a disappointment about the affection she had, not a feeling of hatred towards Miss Elisa.

‘It’s clear that Miss Elisa is being viewed quite favorably in the Baron’s house as well. If I do well, I might be able to persuade them?’

The good feelings that Lady Evans and the other family members had for Elisa gave Theo the confidence to push forward.

“When I was matchmaking in London, the most important thing I considered was the tendencies of the parties involved and the degree of compatibility between the two people when they actually met.

And in fact, couples who were formed as a result of that had a very high probability of living happily together even after marriage.”

Theo took a sip of tea and continued.

“Lady Evans. The world has really changed a lot. In the past, a large dowry and high status would have made a good spouse, but now it’s clearly different.”

Theo looked at Leonard for a moment, then turned his head towards Lady Evans and said directly.

“In that respect, Miss Elisa and Lord Leonard are a better match for each other than any couple I have ever made. Of course, they will maintain a good relationship even after marriage.”

“But…”

Lady Evans was slurring her words.

Theo nodded as if he understood.

“I know to some extent about the problems between the two families. But even countries that were at war and fighting like enemies reconcile through marriage and become more cordial than before. That is the way of the world.

Moreover, Miss Elisa and Lord Leonard are not in a relationship that was formed strategically, but rather they strongly desire each other from the beginning, so if their union closes the gap and harmonizes the conflicts, how good would it be for both families?”

As Theo said, when they were on good terms, they supplemented each other’s labor shortages and exchanged materials needed for farming, and the two families prospered greatly while maintaining a good relationship.

The newly built mansion would not have been completed so quickly without the help of Lord Butler.

Lady Evans, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Actually, we also considered Elisa as a daughter-in-law at one time.”

Indeed, there was a reason why they were feeling sorry when they heard about Elisa’s condition.

“Our late husband also cherished Elisa, whom he had known since she was a child, very much. He always told me that it would be great if Elisa became Leonard’s partner.”

They wanted to send their daughters to London to get married, but they wanted their sons to continue the family business of large farms in Jamaica.

But there was a suitable bride in a nearby farm that they liked very much, so they couldn’t help but be happy.

“Lady Evans. Did you know that the direct cause of Miss Elisa’s illness is that she can’t see Lord Leonard?”

“Yes? Surely not.”

Lady Evans didn’t seem to know that far.

“What happens when a person is forcibly prevented from seeing and eating what they want? They become difficult and unbearable. That burden of the mind becomes a disease and manifests in the body. In severe cases, they can even lose their sight or hearing. I have actually seen such patients. That’s what Miss Elisa is like now.”

“······.”

Lady Evans had a pitiful expression on her face, saying that she loved her son so much that she had such a big illness.

“I’m not asking you to consider the marriage of Miss Elisa and Lord Leonard right now.

The most urgent thing right now is Miss Elisa’s recovery. So, I would like you to allow Lord Leonard to visit Lord Butler’s house for now. You can think about marriage after that. So, as soon as possible, Lord Leonard…”

It was then.

Bang-

A strange man with a bear-like physique suddenly entered the dining room.

With an angry expression, he slammed the cane he was holding hard on the floor and shouted.

Bang- Bang-

“Send Leonard to the dirty Butler family? What kind of strange sound is that?”

It was Sir Jacob Evans.