He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 86

86. Gambling

Theo’s eyes widened as he exited Elisa’s room.

‘What’s this? Why are so many people gathered here at this hour?’

The living room was bustling with men, creating a chaotic atmosphere.

Feeling the tense emotions emanating from the men, Theo sat on one side of the living room sofa.

His eyes caught sight of a middle-aged man sitting on the opposite sofa, looking utterly exhausted.

He was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were covered in mud, as if he had been rolling in it.

Behind him, about a dozen men, who appeared to be farm managers from Butler’s estate, were looking down at the middle-aged man with grave expressions.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Theo asked Butler.

“Lord Butler? What’s going on?”

Only then did Butler notice Theo and began to speak in a subdued voice.

“Ah, yes. Lord Sanderson. It seems… a major incident has occurred at Lord Evans’s estate.”

“A major incident?”

“The black laborers on Lord Evans’s farm… they started a major rebellion a few hours ago.”

“A rebellion?”

Butler glanced at the mud-covered man and said.

“Yes. This man is the farm manager of Lord Evans’s estate. The laborers at Evans’s farm started a large-scale riot, and he barely escaped and ran to our house. He used to work on our farm, so we know him well.”

In that moment, Theo vividly recalled the hateful gazes and emotions he had felt from the black slaves at Lord Evans’s house.

The negative emotions were so strong that it wouldn’t have been surprising if a riot broke out immediately, and his feeling had been right.

A manager named ‘Murphy’ from Lord Evans’s farm shuddered as he described the situation.

“I’ve witnessed slave rebellions on other farms from a distance a few years ago, but I don’t think there has ever been a rebellion as fierce as this one.

Dozens of fellow managers were beheaded on the spot, and some were burned alive. I barely managed to escape from that carnage.”

Lord Butler turned to his second son, Benjamin, and said.

“Benjamin! Our farm could be in danger soon, so go and check if the farm managers and able-bodied slaves are gathered in front of the warehouse. We need to prepare!”

“Yes, Father!”

Rebellious slaves often took over their own farms and then gradually moved to other farms, inciting the slaves there to increase the scale of the rebellion.

Although Lord Evans’s farm was quite far away, it was a large-scale rebellion, and no one could predict how far its impact would spread.

Therefore, it took quite some time for the British army to arrive and suppress the rebellion, so nearby farmers had to prepare in advance with guns before receiving help from the army.

Small farms could take all their black slaves and flee to a safe place, but in situations like Lord Butler’s farm, where there were hundreds of slaves and a lot of property to preserve, it was difficult to evacuate elsewhere.

In the end, the best option was to defend the farm until the nearby British army arrived.

Fortunately, Lord Evans’s farm, where the rebellion took place, was quite far from Lord Butler’s farm, and the roads were narrow and rough, making it difficult to invade in the dark night.

A farm manager with a long beard said.

“I sent someone to the nearby British army right away, so they should arrive by tomorrow morning. We just need to hold out until then.”

Lady Butler asked Murphy, who had survived, in a trembling voice.

“Mr. Murphy. What about Lord Leonard… I mean, are all the members of the Lord’s family… safe? They must have escaped before the slaves stormed the house, right?”

At her question, the manager Murphy lowered his head as if he had committed a crime.

“The situation was really urgent. Hundreds of blacks rose up like a wildfire. I was so out of my mind that I couldn’t properly check what happened to the Lord’s family.”

Lord Butler said with a dark face.

“Lord Evans’s newly built mansion is inside the farm. Now that the farm has been completely taken over by the blacks… they must all be dead.”

His cold words made the atmosphere even more gloomy.

But,

“Maybe not!”

Everyone looked at Murphy at his words.

“What do you mean? Maybe not. Then did they escape?”

“It must have been difficult to escape because the blacks occupied the farm and the mansion in the blink of an eye. But all the managers and everyone else were dragged out to the front yard of the mansion and killed.

The blacks seemed to enjoy dragging them around and killing them, or dragging them around after killing them, as if they were venting their anger. It seemed like they were doing it on purpose.

But I don’t think I saw any of the Lord’s family members. Not even the butler or the housekeeper.”

“But, even if they escaped, they would be inside the house. You may not have seen them because you were escaping, but wouldn’t they have been discovered soon?”

Murphy shook his head.

“I hid for over an hour before barely escaping. Until then, I hadn’t seen any of the Evans family members. If they were there, they would have found them by now. But considering that I hadn’t seen them until I escaped, I don’t think they’ve found them yet.”

“But, no matter how big Lord Evans’s mansion is, is it possible that they couldn’t find them for an hour?”

“That’s the thing. When Lord Isaac Evans built the new house a few years ago, he prepared a secret space inside the house where the family could hide, anticipating a slave rebellion.”

Lord Butler slapped his knee.

“Ah! That’s right. That’s right. I vaguely remember hearing about that!”

“Yes. But no one knows about that space except the Lord’s family. Even I and the managers only know about its existence.

I think they all evacuated there as soon as they heard about the blacks’ riot. But since many slaves know about the existence of such a secret space, it will only be a matter of time before they find it.”

In Jamaica, there were large and small slave rebellions every few years.

In particular, the rebellion that a slave named ‘Tacky’ caused on Easter ten years ago was so notorious that it shook Jamaica.

In this rebellion, over a hundred whites, including farm owners, their families, and managers, were beheaded, and buildings and crops within a few kilometers were burned down.

Shocked, Isaac Evans built a secret space in his new house where his family could hide in case of an emergency. It was to buy time until the army arrived.

However, it was only a temporary measure, as Murphy said.

Usually, rebellious slaves looked for the white owner’s family first, so there was a high possibility that they would eventually be discovered over time.

Lord Butler asked the manager Murphy.

“Murphy, how many blacks do you think are currently rebelling on the farm?”

“Out of about a thousand slaves, I think about 300 are involved in the rebellion.”

“Wow- 300 people?”

It was too many.

If about 300 young and energetic black slaves participated in the rebellion, it would be impossible to suppress them with only a few dozen guns on the farm.

However, it would take at least a day to get help from the British army stationed at the nearby port.

The eldest son, Jonathan, opened his mouth with a firm expression.

“As Mr. Murphy said, the Evans family is likely hiding in a secret place.

The late Lord Isaac Evans was usually meticulous and prudent. He would never have prepared a hiding place that could be easily discovered.

But from what I’ve heard so far, the owner’s family is the number one target for the rebellious blacks. They will never leave the farm unless they find the Lord’s family. They will definitely try to find and kill all the Evans family members. So we have to go and help them somehow before that happens.”

Then the third son, Stephen Butler, strongly opposed.

“Brother! Are you crazy? Going to Lord Evans’s house to save them now is no different from going to die! It’s too reckless. It’s already overwhelming just to protect our farm until the British army arrives! And unfortunately, the Lord’s family must have already been killed by the blacks!”

“You son of a bitch! They were once like family! If they’re really hiding, how desperately do you think they’re waiting for our help? Put yourself in their shoes!”

“What do you mean, put myself in their shoes? Jacob was eager to get his hands on us! And what about the Elisa incident? And even if they’re hiding in a hiding place, what are you going to do in the middle of the blacks running wild? Brother, are you really in your right mind?”

“You’re such a heartless bastard!”

“Why are you talking like that! It’s not about being heartless right now!”

Lord Butler shouted.

“Both of you stop it! Is this the time for you to be arguing?”

When the two sons closed their mouths, Lord Butler continued in a solemn voice.

“Jonathan is right. Considering our relationship with the late Lord Isaac Evans, we can’t easily turn a blind eye to his family.

Think about the slave rebellion that took place near our farm a few years ago.

At that time, Lord Isaac sent dozens of armed managers to our farm in case the rebellion spread to our farm. He gave us that help even though we weren’t in direct danger.”

Stephen tried to refute his father’s words, but when his brother Jonathan frowned and shook his head, he stopped talking.

“If we, who received such help, ignore the Evans family in danger, we will be known as a family that doesn’t know gratitude, which is a shameful thing to hear.

Moreover, after this night passes, the chances of survival will become slim.”

When a slave rebellion broke out in the nearby area, Isaac Evans had sent dozens of armed managers to Lord Butler’s farm.

Because of that, Isaac was greatly praised by the surrounding farmers.

In this way, the two families cared for each other whenever there were difficulties, and they had a close relationship, helping each other in various ways.

“That’s right, Father. We should help even if another farm is being attacked, but isn’t the Evans family, with whom we have built up affection for a long time, in danger? If Lord Isaac were alive, we would have rushed over without saying a word. If we don’t take any action like this, we will be pointed out as a shameful and dishonorable family forever.”

In an era that valued honor above all else, everyone was in agreement with the eldest son Jonathan’s words.

However, Stephen was still frustrated.

“Father! I want to help, but what can we do? We only have 30-40 people at best. If we go with this small number, we will all be mercilessly slaughtered by the blacks’ axes!

And the Evans family is already dead! It’s obvious! Who are we going to save when everyone is dead? Why are you all doing this? Please come to your senses!”

No one could refute Stephen’s words, and they hesitated.

But then.

Theo, who had been listening all along, opened his mouth.

“If the rebellious slaves haven’t set fire to Lord Evans’s mansion yet… there’s a high chance they’re still alive.”

“What do you mean?”

“Usually, rebellious slaves find all the people in the owner’s house, kill them brutally, and then immediately set fire to the house. This is a ritualistic behavior pattern for them, who are from African tribes.

But if the mansion hasn’t caught fire yet, it means they still haven’t found the owner’s family.”

At Theo’s words, Murphy clapped his hands in agreement.

“Oh! Now that you mention it, that’s right. They set fire to the manager’s quarters and the farm equipment warehouse right next to it. They dragged out all the managers and killed them before setting them on fire. But the blacks with torches kept going in and out of the Lord’s house, but they hadn’t set it on fire until I escaped.”

Theo asked the manager Murphy.

“Mr. Murphy?”

“Yes?”

“When I went to Lord Evans’s house a few days ago, I saw that many of the black slaves were very young and didn’t seem to have been in Jamaica for long, is that right?”

Murphy nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. More than half of them were bought last year and this year. Most of the older slaves were sold off by Lord Jacob.

When I glanced at them while escaping, most of the rebellious blacks were young ones who hadn’t been here for long.”

Theo looked around at the people gathered and said.

“Opposing about 300 black slaves recklessly would be too reckless, as Lord Stephen said. Moreover, if the Evans family is already dead, it could be a foolish act of risking our lives for nothing.

But if they still haven’t set fire to the mansion, it’s worth taking a gamble.”

“A gamble?”

“As I said before, if the rebellious slaves still haven’t set fire to it, it could be evidence that they haven’t found the Evans family yet. If so, it’s worth betting on.

Moreover, if the rebellious slaves fail to find the Evans family by tomorrow morning, they will be afraid of the British army that will come and give up searching and try to set a big fire to the house. If they pour oil and set fire to it, even the safest hiding place can be dangerous due to the enormous heat and smoke spreading throughout the building. The rebellious slaves will aim for that.

Therefore, considering all of this, if Lord Evans’s mansion is already engulfed in flames, we shouldn’t approach it rashly, but if it hasn’t caught fire yet, it’s worth going to save them.”

Lord Butler was greatly impressed by Theo’s logic.

But his face soon turned frustrated.

“But… even if Lord Evans’s mansion hasn’t caught fire, what power do we have to save them? Lord Sanderson, do you have any good ideas?”

“To win against the enemy, you must become the opponent that the enemy fears the most. In other words, we must appear to be the opponent that the rebellious slaves fear the most to have a chance of winning.”

Lord Butler tilted his head at Theo’s incomprehensible words.

“The opponent they fear the most? Why would the blacks fear us?”

“Yes. Of course, they will. To them, white farmers and managers are targets to be killed, so they are not fearful opponents, but rather the most desired opponents.”

“But how do you make them look like fearful opponents?”

“Think about it easily. Who would the rebellious slaves fear the most?”

“?”

“To the rebellious slaves, British soldiers armed with guns would be the most fearful opponents.”

“Well, we know that, but the British army will only be able to reach our farm by tomorrow morning. And it will take even more time to get to Lord Evans’s farm, which is located deep inside.

By the time the soldiers arrive, they will all have fled into the mountains. And the Evans family will all have been massacred.”

“That’s right. It will take time for the British army to come. So until the army comes, we have to save Lord Evans’s family on behalf of the British army.”

It was getting more and more incomprehensible.

“We’re replacing the British army?”

“Replacing the British army means… we’re going to act like we’re the British army.”

“What?”