HOMA18CL 06

Episode 6: Who Was That Perfect Man Again?

Tae-oh politely requested the Baroness.

“Madam, could you step out for a moment? I need to have a private consultation with Miss Godwin.”

“Excuse me? A private consultation?”

A private consultation without the parents was a very unfamiliar concept in marriage during this era.

“It’s just my method. When I determine the inclinations of the parties involved through a private consultation and pair them, it leads to much better results. Of course, I will also consider other environmental factors to find the most suitable gentleman for her.”

“Ah… I see.”

The reluctant Baroness left the study, and the one-on-one consultation with Lydia Godwin began.

“Miss Godwin, it must not have been an easy decision to come all the way here to see me about your marriage, was it?”

Lydia smiled shyly and began to speak.

“No… I jumped up and flatly refused my mother’s suggestion to see a matchmaker again. It would have been the fifth one. But when I heard that the person doing the matchmaking was Theo Sanderson, I was truly surprised. And after confirming through Lord Wellesley that Mr. Sanderson was indeed the person I knew, I immediately decided to meet you without hesitation.”

“I see. Thank you for thinking highly of me.”

“Actually, a month ago, I was deeply moved and secretly respected Mr. Sanderson after hearing your lecture on the marriage system at the Almack’s Club. I was also a little curious about what would happen if such a person became a matchmaker.”

Fortunately, she seemed to have gotten a good impression from Tae-oh’s lecture at the Almack’s Club. Thanks to this, he was able to proceed with the conversation with the trust that was most important in a consultation.

“Thank you again for feeling that way. Now, could you be honest with me about your current situation and feelings? The background to your delayed marriage, your feelings about marriage, your personal ideal type for a man, and so on. That would be a great help in achieving a good result.”

At Tae-oh’s words, Lydia nodded, her eyes showing that she found him different.

The countless marriage brokers she had met before only exchanged words about her parents and her dowry. Not a single one had ever asked her, the person getting married, about her feelings or ideal type for a spouse. Theo Sanderson was definitely different from them.

“Yes. Then, as you requested, I will now reveal everything honestly.”

The higher the relationship of trust between the counselor and the client, the better the consultation results will be. Lydia not only trusted Tae-oh completely but showed belief bordering on respect. A good outcome was to be expected.

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Finding the Client’s True Self

“I was the editor-in-chief of a women’s reading club called ‘Women in London.’“

Miss Lydia Godwin, 28 years old this year and the daughter of Baron Alexander Godwin, was a member of ‘Women in London.’ ‘Women in London’ was a gathering of young women deeply interested in academics and the arts, and Lydia had been heavily involved as its editor-in-chief for years. She had also become deeply engrossed in philosophy, delving into the nature and thought of humanity.

As a result, marriage—where she would have to live as a good wife and wise mother—felt like a bondage and a terrible prison that would constrict her life. She even pitied the women who frequented social clubs with marriage as their goal, viewing them as pathetic individuals who didn’t know the true value of life.

However, as the members, who had been united by camaraderie and seemed destined to be together forever, began to marry one by one, and even her younger sister got married, she suddenly began to fear her own position as an older woman left alone.

“One day, the friends who supported me started leaving, one by one, as they got married. Then, the only friend left, with whom I had truly promised to stay together forever, got married last winter. I felt completely isolated. On top of that, the publication of my book, on which I had poured all my passion throughout my twenties, was canceled amid harsh criticism, and I completely lost my confidence.”

A person’s expression reveals their emotions. No matter how hard they try to hide it, if a comfortable atmosphere is created and the wound is gently touched, the emotion they want to hide is clearly reflected in their face.

The corners of her mouth were slightly downturned, and her upper and lower eyelids were subtly relaxed and lacking tension.

‘A psychological state of deep anxiety and sadness…’

Lydia’s expression subtly revealed her current depressed feelings, even though she had been trying hard to hide them. She suppressed the momentary changes in her subtle expressions with strong willpower. She was a woman who controlled herself so well that it would be difficult for anyone who wasn’t a trained psychological professional to detect it.

‘She’s a very intellectual and rational woman. But she believed that if she married, she wouldn’t be able to pursue the philosophy she loved and would have to live her life as if imprisoned, with her entire life mortgaged to a man. But now that all her friends have married and left, she is so severely withdrawn that she envies even that confinement.’

If her situation were in modern society, it might be lonely, but it wouldn’t be agonizing. However, the situation was completely different in 18th-century Britain. For a woman to live as an unmarried older woman in this era carried a high potential for her life to descend into misery.

It would be somewhat better if she didn’t have to worry about money, but under 18th-century British inheritance law, an unmarried woman had practically no property to inherit. Miss Lydia Godwin’s younger brother owned all the assets. While she could somehow earn a living as a governess or a nanny, these were looked down upon during that time, making it very difficult for a noblewoman to choose such work. Therefore, it was common for most noble spinsters to give up job-seeking, remain in their family home, and live a life in silence amid the coldness and neglect of their families.

Occasionally, if they were truly lucky, they might marry a man of poor standing whom they would have never looked at before and start a family late, but such a choice might well be a much better life than one spent being abused at home.

Tae-oh carefully scrutinized Lydia’s appearance. Her intelligent and clear eyes, which seemed to show a strong sense of self, her proudly and beautifully raised nose, her slender face, and her long neck all exuded a subtle elegance without any need for exaggeration.

‘She has a very attractive and beautiful face. She just doesn’t know it herself. Moreover, she is a very bold woman, knowledgeable and articulate. I can tell she is an intellectually superior person just by exchanging a few words.’

If she married, she could become unhappy, as she feared. This was especially likely for an intellectual and bold woman like Lydia in this era. However, if she was paired with a man whose tastes, interests, and way of thinking matched hers well, she could live a much happier life. Tae-oh knew from experience that finding a connection can be difficult, but once the optimal partner is found, a spark can ignite instantly.

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The First Matchmaking Target

The one-on-one consultation ended, and the Baroness Godwin re-entered the study.

The Baroness spoke with a worried face.

“Our daughter… is marriage possible for her? She is so old, and we don’t have a large dowry because our finances are tight due to her younger brother’s wedding next year…”

Several things could be read from the Baroness’s voice trailing off. During her speech, her upper lip slightly lifted, and wrinkles instantly formed and disappeared around her nose.

‘Disgust.’

When one is disgusted by someone, the upper lip subconsciously lifts, and this expression momentarily appeared and disappeared on the Baroness Godwin’s lips. The Baroness seemed to place more importance on the family’s honor than her daughter’s unhappiness.

‘Well, in most 18th-century British households, the family’s honor was far more precious than the child, so it’s understandable.’

That was likely why the mother and daughter kept a certain distance when they first entered the study. An invisible psychological barrier seemed to have been created between them because of the marriage issue.

Fortunately, it was a weak psychological state of disgust. If her daughter found a good match, the disgust clouding the mother’s emotions would surely disappear, and their relationship would improve again.

The problem seemed to be money. The small dowry.

This era was a much more materialistic society than the modern one. Just like men without fortune, women with small dowries did not find marriage easy. Especially as the era where nobility alone granted financial privilege was fading, there was a growing tendency to prefer women with dowries that matched their own wealth, whether they were nobles of similar standing or even Gentry (emerging capitalists) without a noble title.

However, given Lydia’s appearance, there seemed to be no need for such worry. Although it might be somewhat unfair to women with ordinary looks, a woman this attractive could be connected with a wealthy noble or a prosperous man from the Gentry class who wouldn’t be overly concerned about the dowry.

But her age was an obstacle. It was common at this time for men to refuse to even see the face of a woman who was well past her mid-twenties.

‘A kind of first-round paper rejection? At just 28? But this problem is entirely solvable. We just need to find a man who values a connecting attraction. Matchmakers don’t understand this and arbitrarily cut based on age, so the opportunity to meet never arises.’

Due to poor medical technology, the average lifespan was short, and the marriage age was early. Furthermore, the anxiety over when the family heir might die made the marriage age progressively younger, in a rush to bear descendants as soon as possible. However, a little later, upon entering the Victorian Era (1837–1901), social problems arising from early marriage would lead to the legal marriageable age for both men and women being raised to 21. Thanks to this, the average age of marriage for women soared to 23–24, and the number of women marrying in their late twenties increased significantly.

However, since this was an era before such laws or awareness had taken hold, Lydia’s age was bound to be an obstacle. Therefore, he needed to find a man who didn’t care much about age.

Additionally, given Lydia’s personality, careful consideration was needed to choose the most suitable man. If the match was wrong, even if they married, they could be embroiled in major conflicts during their marriage and spend a lifetime of suffering as if in a prison. No matter how well-matched a man and woman are in terms of conditions, if there is no emotional connection between them, disharmony will easily arise, and their remaining lives will inevitably be unhappy.

‘Preventing unhappiness and giving the gift of a happy life. That was why I dedicated my youth to the marriage information business. Right, I’ll put my heart into this. I can’t let a beautiful and intelligent young lady who is only 28 years old already despair about her life, can I?’

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The Perfect Match

After Lydia and the Baroness Godwin left, Tae-oh held the notebook detailing her temperament and behavioral characteristics and pondered for a long time. Tae-oh had intentionally posed various questions, carefully observing what habits and inclinations Lydia possessed. Through these questions, he was able to gain a considerably deep understanding of her personality traits.

A trained clinical psychologist can largely grasp a person’s tendencies and characteristics with only about ten minutes of conversation.

‘The distinctive traits seem almost entirely separated now. Ah, but there was definitely someone among the club members who would perfectly match Miss Lydia’s temperament… Who was it again?’

Although he had been consistently observing the unmarried male members of the Intelligence Club, he hadn’t organized his data systematically yet, so the name didn’t immediately come to mind.

But then, it happened.

After racking his memory for a long time, someone suddenly flashed into Tae-oh’s mind.

‘Ah, yes! That’s right. Viscount Edward Monson!‘

Tae-oh quickly opened his notebook and began writing down the basic characteristics of Viscount Edward Monson’s personality and behavior as they came to him.

While he hadn’t talked with him for a long time, based on Tae-oh’s many past matching experiences, he felt a strong conviction that Monson’s unique temperament would align exceptionally well with Lydia’s.

‘The utterly haughty Viscount Edward Monson.’

As he wrote down his traits one by one, the content of the conversation Tae-oh had with Monson came back vividly. Despite being a wealthy noble with a handsome appearance and an annual income of over 10,000 pounds (about 1.5–2 billion KRW), the Viscount had declared a bachelor life, another distinct personality type like Lydia.

‘He complained that he had met many women, but he felt a woman who satisfied him wouldn’t exist in this world.’

He had even said that even if Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, appeared before him, he wouldn’t be particularly impressed unless she also possessed the wisdom of the goddess Athena. His self-assured tone and behavior subtly provoked Tae-oh, allowing him to remember more of his characteristics than expected.

While he seemed to have strong self-esteem, there didn’t seem to be any particular flaw in his character. On the contrary, his vast knowledge and progressive consciousness made him seem like a person with a sense ahead of his time. Possessing a good family, striking looks, and wealth, he garnered attention from countless women, but, for a noble, he seemed to have too much intellectual curiosity and felt considerable boredom in conversation with typical women.

‘Wow, these two seem like they’d be a fantastic match! Now, if only the emotional concordance probability is high…’

He plugged the emotional characteristics of both individuals into the matching model he was actively developing and calculated the matching probability. The result would have taken a second with a computer program, but in this era, he had no choice but to manually count and calculate.

Tae-oh’s eyes widened as he hurriedly tallied the matching results.

‘My goodness… 91 out of 100 items match!‘

The concordance was over 90%. Even though the matching program was a highly simplified version, a score over 90% was undoubtedly excellent.

A subtle smile appeared on Tae-oh’s lips.

‘Bingo! Miss Lydia Godwin, I think I’ve finally found your partner, ha ha.’

It seems a person’s fate truly cannot be seen one step ahead. It looks like the cold, self-satisfied Viscount Monson has finally met his match.