HOMA18CL 11

Chapter 11: The Woman Who Stole His Heart

The man, Thomas Clarke, the Baron’s closest nephew and heir, had a generous physique and a mild-mannered impression.

“Uncle. You look much better than the last time I saw you.”

“Yes, yes. I feel a little better these days. My cough isn’t as bad.”

“Oh, that’s truly a relief! Ha ha ha.”

Thomas glanced at Tae-oh and asked in a low voice.

“…And who is that gentleman?”

“Ah, that gentleman is my guest. I invited him here to discuss something urgent. He was just about to leave.”

Tae-oh greeted Thomas.

“Hello. I am Theo Sanderson.”

“Ah… yes. Thomas Clarke.”

Thomas nodded dismissively in acknowledgment. However, his expression when facing Tae-oh was distinctly different from when he addressed the Baron. His face, stripped of its smile, was cold, even vile.

It seemed he had already heard from Butler Brown who Tae-oh was.

‘He’s reacting this way because he heard I’m a matchmaker, not a noble. He’s very accustomed to changing his expression depending on the person. He’s quite a two-faced person.’

As Tae-oh bowed to the Baron and left the room, Thomas spoke loudly enough for him to hear.

“Uncle. You really must be careful with those unscrupulous matchmakers. Haven’t you heard that all London matchmakers are swindlers? And for a man to have nothing better to do than to peddle matches, tsk, tsk… Isn’t it just a transparent trick to collude with the groom’s side to extort a large dowry, taking advantage of your illness? Are you worried that I won’t look after Sarah and the children once everything is bequeathed to me? Though it should never happen, if something unfortunate were to happen to you, I will take good care of the children until the end, so please don’t worry. Rushing Sarah into marriage by asking that kind of low-class matchmaker will only encourage greater disaster.”

“Thomas! I know, just lower your voice. Mr. Sanderson will hear you.”

◈ Two Days Later, Theo Sanderson’s House.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

A maid entered Tae-oh’s study. She held a letter in her hand.

“A letter from Baron Robert Clarke.”

Tae-oh unfolded the letter he received; it contained the Baron’s acceptance of his introduction proposal. Tae-oh wrote a short reply, handed the letter back to the maid, and said.

“Deliver this today.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tae-oh was planning the meeting between Sir Daniel Burke and Sarah Clarke. The venue was the problem. The London Tea Garden where he had met Sir Burke before was excessively noisy and crowded. He searched for a more atmospheric and quiet location and finally settled on the Richmond Tea Garden near the River Thames.

‘The atmosphere needs to be as good as I remember checking before.’

The atmosphere is extremely important during a first meeting between a man and a woman. Their voices, in a state of nervousness, tend to become thinner and less clear than usual. If the surroundings are disorderly and noisy at such a time, the subtle emotional transmission from the change in vocal tone will be lost, inevitably degrading the quality of communication. The first meeting, where they explore each other, requires focus on the other person, and a cluttered environment can significantly reduce concentration, making it difficult to discover the other person’s appeal.

‘It’s still the 18th century, so meetings and courtship mostly happen at balls or at home. There are hardly any atmospheric café streets or nice restaurants for lovers. So, most places are distracting and make it hard to focus on the other person.’

It was frustrating. People who are naturally compatible can quickly build intimacy if the atmosphere is good, as conversation flows easily. However, given the environment in London at the time, this was by no means easy. Though it was only the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, many factories were springing up like mushrooms, causing severe environmental pollution. The smoke from the factories degraded the air quality, resulting in black, muddy sediment, or “black mud,” accumulating messily all over the streets. Furthermore, the sewage system couldn’t cope with the rapidly growing population, causing overflowing wastewater, and areas near cemeteries reeked with unpleasant odors from improperly dealt with corpses. Given this basic environment, finding clean, atmospheric streets or cafes like in a modern city was impossible from the outset.

‘Richmond has a court and the Thames nearby, so the environment was somewhat managed compared to other places. I just hope the weather is warm and it’s not too noisy that day.’

He could only hope for a pleasant atmosphere on the day of the meeting.

◈ A Few Days Later, Richmond Tea Garden.

The area around the River Thames in Richmond was lined with quite luxurious mansions, and the trees and landscaping were reasonably well-maintained, making the environment better than in other places. Moreover, the weather was fine, making everything satisfactory.

Tae-oh was seated with Sir Daniel Burke at the Tea Garden, actively exchanging various stories.

“I’m truly grateful that you so readily invested in my business, Mr. Sanderson. Now, even others from the club are inquiring about investment.”

“Not at all. I would like to invest more, but my circumstances… Haha. Anyway, I know you will succeed, so work hard.”

It was definitely less noisy than the London Tea Garden, and the surrounding view wasn’t bad. However, compared to an atmospheric 21st-century café or restaurant, the standard was still significantly lower.

‘The situation and development of the times are different, but too many aspects are lacking. The perception of romantic marriage is gradually changing, so it would be wonderful if good atmospheric cafes were to appear.’

As he looked around with a sense of regret, Sir Burke asked with curious eyes.

“Mr. Sanderson? Does the friend who is joining us today also live in London?”

Sir Burke thought that Tae-oh’s friend was coming. It seemed time to inform him that a woman would be joining them.

“Yes, that’s right. She lives in London. She is the eldest daughter of a gentleman named Baron Robert Clarke.”

“What?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“A daughter… you mean a woman is coming?”

“If you underestimate her because she is a woman, you will be sorely mistaken. If you talk to her, you will quickly understand why I invited her.”

Sir Burke could not hide his bewildered expression. Though he didn’t openly show it, he didn’t seem particularly pleased that the person joining them was a woman.

Tae-oh had considered informing him in advance that a woman was coming, but he felt that a more natural encounter was necessary for Sir Burke. If a forced introduction is made for someone who is mentally resisting marriage, a much more negative emotion will prevail over the actual feeling they experience. In that case, the meeting cannot even begin. Therefore, he judged that a light meeting, focused on getting to know each other rather than a formal marriage arrangement, would be better.

He had, of course, informed Miss Sarah Clarke of this situation beforehand.

“Ah, she’s arriving now.”

Sarah Clarke, who was looking around after climbing up to the Tea Garden, spotted Tae-oh and walked towards them with a bright smile. As she walked, the hem of her dark green, French-style long coat fluttered, drawing the attention of those around her with her dignified and elegant demeanor.

When she arrived, Tae-oh bowed, and Sarah also curtsied.

“Miss Clarke, this is Sir Daniel Burke.”

With Tae-oh’s introduction, the two faced each other and greeted one another for the first time. Sir Burke, who had been staring blankly for a moment, hastily put his heels together and paid his respects to Sarah’s greeting.

Men are sensitive to visual cues and tend to react immediately to what they see. Therefore, they can be more sensitive to immediate appearance than women, who prioritize emotional connection.

Having matched countless men and women, Tae-oh knew empirically that ideal types varied greatly depending on a person’s personality. He had seen countless cases where faces that were objectively beautiful and handsome, and that everyone seemed to like, appeared merely ordinary or failed to strongly appeal to certain individuals. By connecting various personalities and observing the outcomes, Tae-oh had accumulated a significant amount of data in his mind. Thanks to this, once a person’s disposition was accurately identified, he could naturally envision not only the perfect partner’s personality but also their preferred appearance.

Sir Daniel Burke was one such case. The analysis suggested that Sir Burke preferred a clean, intelligent-looking partner over a flashy or cute appearance, and it seemed to have hit the mark.

Furthermore, Sarah possessed wisdom, emotional regulation skills, and excellent empathy. With the knowledge gained from long periods of reading and discussion, combined with logical thinking, she was a person with not only a great understanding of herself but also outstanding situational coping skills.

The person who came to mind while conversing with Sarah was Sir Daniel Burke. Sir Burke, with his strong academic curiosity, adventurous and proactive nature, and high self-awareness, was a very compatible match for Sarah.

If a woman with poor emotional regulation meets a man in business, the stress will be much more severe, deepening the eventual marital conflict. Conversely, if a woman manages her emotions well and is good at handling situations, she can respond calmly even if her husband’s business faces fluctuations. This, in turn, provides the husband with psychological stability and the strength to navigate business challenges successfully.

‘The conversation is flowing well as expected. That’s a relief.’

With Tae-oh’s skillful guidance, the two naturally fell into conversation from their initial awkwardness. When emotions are exchanged smoothly like this at the beginning, intimacy rises quickly, greatly reducing the unnecessary time spent on guarded exploration of each other.

As Tae-oh had anticipated, as time passed, Sir Burke’s signals of interest began to be strongly detected. Sir Burke’s typical comfortable distance with close acquaintances was about one meter. When Tae-oh had deliberately sat closer before, he had subconsciously backed away several times. But now, Sir Burke and Sarah were sitting less than 80 cm apart. And Sir Burke’s body wasn’t pulling back; instead, his body was leaning toward Sarah, getting closer. Moreover, his orbicularis oculi muscle was subtly elevated, and the time his gaze lingered on Sarah was noticeably longer than with anyone else.

However, unlike Sir Burke, no special signal of interest was yet detected from Sarah. Women’s movements are smaller than men’s, making their signals of interest often harder to spot.

As Tae-oh busily assessed their emotional cues, the conversation topic ended, and a brief silence fell. When the level of intimacy increases, the reaction to potentially awkward situations also quickens. Tae-oh deliberately stayed out of it, silently observing how they would cope.

At that moment, Sarah quickly opened her mouth to prompt a change of topic.

“I thought coal was mainly extracted from coastal areas by the sea.”

Indeed, Sarah was a wise woman. In a potentially awkward moment, she cleverly brought up a subject that Sir Daniel Burke knew best and was most confident about.

“Haha, yes, you’re right. In the past, it was often mined from coastal areas as ‘seacoal.’ But these days, we bore vertical shafts into the ground to extract it.”

“Ah, so since you’re mining it in places closer to the city, like mountains, rather than out at sea, the transportation distance is shorter, which must make it much more economical?”

“Oh—that’s right! Wow, that’s surprising. You are the first person I’ve met who immediately grasps that economic advantage.”

At Sir Burke’s genuine compliment, Sarah’s cheeks momentarily flushed, and her right hand brushed her hair back by her ear. And Tae-oh caught her eyes looking at Daniel’s eyes for about two seconds.

‘Ah…’

It was a clear signal of interest.

The first time he met Sarah, a ‘displacement behavior’ of touching her hair by her ear was a noticeable deviation from her usual behavior. Women unconsciously develop their own peculiar ‘displacement behaviors’ to manage suddenly changing emotions, and the action Sarah displayed of brushing her hair up or down is a typical example. Since Tae-oh had already confirmed that this was not her usual habit, he easily recognized it as a signal of interest.

And Sarah’s gaze sealed Tae-oh’s certainty. Initially, women sometimes intentionally avoid eye contact for fear of revealing their feelings. However, once a certain level of intimacy is built, they become bolder, maintaining steady eye contact for two to three seconds, which can be interpreted as a strong signal of interest.

Furthermore, the feet of the two, visible under the table, were pointing toward each other.

‘Good. I don’t need to intervene anymore, hehe.’

The two young people, sitting and chatting in the Tea Garden with the long shadows of the red sunset stretching across it, looked like a very good match even to Tae-oh. Sir Burke’s gray eyes, which usually appeared somewhat melancholy and steeped in contemplation, were now sparkling brightly like jewels upon meeting the beautiful and thoughtful Sarah Clarke.

When you find a person you are attracted to and the conversation flows, time truly flies by in an instant. The meeting, which was expected to last about an hour, had already stretched well past three hours.