The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1633: Chapter 36: Darling of the Ladies

The gossip among family members spreads internally within the family, the gossip among colleagues spreads within the company, while celebrity gossip spreads across society. To achieve anything in life, you must first withstand the test of rumors.

——Arthur Hastings

Whether in Britain, France, Germany, or Russia, Arthur’s schedule is always filled with social parties and cultural salons. But frankly, he doesn’t particularly enjoy these mundane social activities of the upper class.

On one hand, maintaining cordial relationships in front of everyone with insincere pleasantries and cautious diplomacy is a task that drains one’s energy and enthusiasm for life. On the other hand, due to his changed status, he always encounters matchmakers at these gatherings who volunteer to pair him with some young lady.

According to the current average marriage age in Britain, Arthur, at 25, is far from being considered old.

Even in the lower classes, where marriage is relatively free and occurs earlier, it is not particularly unusual for men to marry at twenty-eight or twenty-nine and women at twenty-six or twenty-seven.

Moreover, even though the marriage age is already so high, about one-third of newlywed couples still marry due to pregnancy before marriage, according to British traditions.

As for why the marriage age is generally higher in Britain?

That’s naturally because it is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

Starting from the 17th century, almost every twenty or thirty years, the age of first marriage among the English would be delayed by a year.

The criteria for selecting a spouse for young women have actually remained unchanged; most are mainly concerned about whether their future spouse can shoulder the responsibility of raising a family.

In the pre-Industrial Revolution agrarian society, the criteria that matched this were being strong and robust, hardworking, willing to work, and honest. If the husband’s family also had a few acres of land or some fixed assets, it would be even better.

But nowadays, with the rapid pace of urbanization, these abstract requirements have gradually become more concrete.

For instance, having a decent job in a railway company or postal department, or being a craftsman, at the very least, should guarantee a certain amount of income each month.

Even if some young women are willing to lower their standards for the boy they love, the fortunate lad who could have embraced beauty actually absurdly rejects her hints, and might even avoid his love because of this.

And the reason, in most cases, is because they believe they haven’t reached the social status they expect and have no confidence in raising a wife and children.

Arthur can very well understand his lower-class male peers of the same age because when he was running patrols with stinky shoes in Greenwich, he basically viewed marriage with the same mindset.

With an annual income of just over thirty pounds, after paying rent for a small apartment and daily expenses, and occasionally indulging in a bit of ’luxury’ at the second-hand bookstore, he managed to save ten pounds after nearly two years on the streets.

That life was barely passable for himself, but if he added a wife and children to it, my God, he might as well just give him a shot under the Tower of London.

Now, although Arthur is somewhat successful, marriage isn’t particularly out of reach, but at this stage, he begins to worry about other matters.

He is a Knight and also a researcher in Natural Philosophy. Indeed, in this society, he is considered a respected level.

But above his rank, there are levels even more respected than his.

This difference in rank is not implicit; it is explicit and blatantly displayed.

For example, a certain Earl in the House of Lords explicitly stipulated in his will:

If his daughter marries a Duke or a Noble of equal or higher rank, or their heir, then she would receive a dowry of 5000 pounds.

If she marries a Baron or the heir of a Baron, the dowry would shrink to 3000 pounds.

If she marries a Baronet or their heir, or even a Knight, then she is only fit for a dowry of 1000 pounds.

What? You’re asking what happens if the daughter marries a commoner?

Ha, such a disobedient daughter does not deserve anything, and he would even disown her, severing the bloodline.

Of course, this noble isn’t entirely old-fashioned.

If his daughter marries a civilian political rising star like Mr. Gladstone of the Tory Party, considering Gladstone’s potential to become the Prime Minister, he’d probably reluctantly forgive his daughter’s momentary willfulness.

And presently, Arthur’s awkwardness lies here.

He is indeed a Knight, but a Knight without any official rank is worth even less than the ”Lumberjack” who continuously persuades harlots to reform.

France’s ”Little Giant” Mr. Thiers took advantage of his appointment as Home Secretary, and with a marriage certificate, traded himself for the father-in-law’s dowry and inheritance rights worth 200,000 Francs from the real estate tycoon.

As for Sir Arthur Hastings, this former potential stock that people scrambled for on the ”London Stock Exchange” a few years ago, has, in recent years, seen its ”profit growth” fall short of expectations, with the company’s main business growth sluggish; the transition to the diplomacy market unstable, and its Russian district business deeply mired in the ”Caucasus financial fraud scandal,” was recently even ordered to delist by the Foreign Office.

So since Arthur Hastings resumed trading at St Martin’s Church, his stock price has halved compared to its peak, and in the past month, has consistently fallen at the limit; last Sunday, the closing price at the social dance was a mere 650 pounds.