Marry Well: The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Perfect Match

The most important thing is to marry well. A wealthy man means a happy life.

Charlotte was her parents’ only daughter. Her father was protective, her mother indulged her, and she always repeated the same advice:

“The most important thing is to marry well. A wealthy man means a happy life,” she would say, and Charlotte agreed.

But where was this wealthy man? There were nice lads at her university, of course. She even had a fiancé from a respectable family.

Yet her father kept a strict watchno late-night strolls, no student gatherings, no countryside trips. Everything was under his control.

Soon enough, her enviable fiancé found himself another girl, freer and more interesting than Charlotte.

But then came her degree defense, leaving no time for romance.

After that, with her fathers help, she secured a job, and with her mothers guidance, she set about arranging her personal life.

Her mother knew what she was doing. An only daughter must marry welland soon, a suitor appeared: the nephew of her mothers good friend.

“Darling, you ought to take a closer look at this man. Hes older than you, but thats an advantage, not a drawback. Why bother with a boy? Think about it. Oliver Whitmore is a serious man. He owns his own firm. You wont even need to work.”

“But hes been married before, Mum! He has a daughterthat means child support.”

“Dont let that trouble you. His ex-wife was rather foolish, and shes lived in another town for years with their daughter. Its not an issue.”

And so the meeting happened. Charlottes father remained silent, his expression ambiguous. Hed stopped interfering in womens affairs once his daughter graduated.

Let them sort it out themselves.

Surprisingly, Charlotte liked Oliver.

The ten-year age gap didnt bother her. With his looks, hed still be handsome in another decade.

Charming, well-mannered, impeccably dressed.

She made an impression on him too, and soon they married.

Charlottes mother sighed in relief, having fulfilled her maternal duty, and turned her attention fully to herselfsalons, shopping, trips abroad with her husband, now without her daughter.

Charlotte, following her mothers example, kept up.

Her husband encouraged her whims and needs, so she lived for her own pleasure.

Her only household duty was directing the housekeeper, who managed perfectly well without her input.

Then, out of the blue, disaster struck.

Olivers ex-wife passed away. The circumstances didnt interest Charlotte.

And now he was forced to take in his daughter!

Unthinkable. So much for “not an issue”! What were they to do now? Charlotte had postponed having her own child indefinitely, and suddenly, some girl would be living in her home, expecting her to play “stepmother”as Oliver put it.

But there was no choice.

He didnt seek her opinion, simply presenting it as fact and asking for kindness.

The girl wasnt to blame, after all.

Soon, he fetched his daughter himself, bringing her home with a shabby suitcase and a school backpack.

Emily was already in Year 4, tall, quietalmost unnervingly so, Charlotte noted.

She never spoke unnecessarily, always silent, always keeping to herself.

At least she resembled her father. No doubt she was hisnot some fling from that foolish ex-wife.

Life in the grand house with her father, stepmother, and the housekeeper weighed heavily on Emily.

She wasnt used to this!

After dinner, shed rush to wash dishes, ask where the broom was to sweep, try ironing her own clothes. It all irritated Charlotte.

Her father, buried in work and business, came home late, with little time for affection.

He spared none for his wife, but Emily only ever got a pat on the head and a half-hearted,

“Hows school?”

Still, Charlotte felt her freedom slip away. She couldnt come and go as she pleased, visit her favorite spots, or pamper herself.

She couldnt dash off to the gym at dawn!

She needed sleep, time at her computer, scrolling through social media.

Then Emily returned, and there was no escape: her husband asked her to oversee the girls studies and help with homework.

So Charlotte considered suggesting boarding school.

She didnt dare, but she did propose after-school club.

“You see, its difficult for me to keep up with her schoolwork. Im not a teacher. Look, shes getting Cs now. At school, shell do her work properly. Its for her own good.”

But Oliver was furious, making her regret the idea.

And so it dragged ona loveless arrangement, full of resentment and frustration.

Two years later, Charlotte gave birth to a boy. A nanny was discussed, but Emily, now nearly twelve, offered to help care for her brother.

And she was the best nanny imaginable!

Emily managed everythinghomework, playing with Daniel, ironing his clothes and hers.

Then the linens fell to her too, as the housekeeper, Margaret, now over sixty, was tiring.

Charlotte adjusted, growing used to Emily assisting Margaret while she devoted time to maintaining the poise expected of a society lady.

Daniel grew up adoring his older sister as much as she adored him.

When Emily finished school, Daniel was starting Year 1. Again, his education fell to his sister, whod grown up too fast.

Shed begun university, studying English, and now taught her brother.

“Dont you think, darling, youve handed all the housework and care of our son to Emily?” Oliver asked once, noticing his wife was rarely home afternoonssometimes even evenings.

Shed found a social circle, interests, meetings, cafés.

“What exactly bothers you, dear? Your daughter handles everything splendidly. Margaret only pretends to work. She cooks, and thats the extent of her duties.”

“Thats my point. The rest falls on Emily, doesnt it?”

Charlotte said nothing.

Yes, it fell on Emily! But did the girl complain? And Daniel sometimes went out with his motherjust last week, she took him to an exhibition, a museum, a childrens concert. Wasnt that enough?

When Emily graduated, her father hired her at his firm.

The business had long outgrown the local market, and a translator was just what they needed.

There, she met James, a sharp lad from sales.

They fell in love right under her fathers astonished gaze.

Hed never imagined his quiet, modest daughter would risk an office romance. At first, it upset him.

But Emily insisted theyd decided to marrythe first time shed ever stood her ground. He had no choice but to relent.

Charlotte was just as dismayed. Shed lose her household helper, and Margaret had already warned of retirement. Age. And her husband wasnt rushing to replace her.

Emily took initiative again.

“Ill still help, Mum,” she said cheerfully. “Ill come once a week, tidy up, do the ironing. Ive always done it.”

“Once a week isnt enough. Make it more,” her stepmother replied tersely.

Still, after a lavish wedding, Emily moved in with her husband and began building her own home.

James, however, grew complacent.

First, he spoke of starting his own business.

He quit his job and glued himself to his computer.

But nothing came of it. Starting from scratch wasnt easy.

His father-in-law, furious at his recklessness, refused to help, though he did give Emily a generous raise.

Unaccustomed to spending on herself, she poured all her earnings into their household, sometimes slipping money to her now-grown brother on the sly.

The rest barely covered their needs.

Jamess flat, it turned out, was mortgaged. He liked dressing well, dining out, holidays abroadall of which he enthusiastically endorsed.

And Emily? She juggled housework, finances, and still helped her mother. It was simply how things were.

Then, the family faced upheaval.

Olivers health faltered, and overseas business partners withdrew.

Everything declined sharply.

The firm barely stayed afloat.

When Oliver realized his health wouldnt let him continue, he had no choice but to sell.

Emily kept her jobher father persuaded the new owner not to dismiss her, though a translator was hardly needed now.

He agreed, but her salary was slashed.

James, idle and defeated, sank further, especially after his father-in-laws funeral.

Charlotte and Daniel struggled too, needing support. Emily moved back in, leaving her husband to his thoughts.

“Either you find proper work and contribute, or we divorce!” she told him.

But then, she discovered she was expecting.

Any woman might have rejoiced, but Jamess reaction stunned her.

“A baby? Be serious!” he snapped. “No job, no money. Your fathers bankrupt, left you with nothing. What nowraise a child in poverty?”

Emily sank onto a chair, speechless.