Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 470 This stage is precisely the rising period of your career!
It was a Tuesday afternoon in mid-January 1882.

The sky over Paris was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, and the air was damp and chilly, as if it were about to rain at any moment.

In his apartment at 117 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Lionel had just finished typing a section of the manuscript for "The Legend of 1900" and rubbed his aching wrists.

He has been suffering from tenosynovitis for some time now, ever since he started using his own typewriter.

Due to technological limitations, the tactile force of buttons in this era cannot be made too light, and the overall structure is complex, so it is impossible to make them too short.

Just then, Sophie's voice came from the living room: "Leon, Mr. De La Ruwak has sent a message."

Lionel looked up: "Oh? What is it?"

Sophie walked into the study with a letter sealed with red wax: "The letter was delivered by someone from his firm. He asked the two of us to come over at 10 a.m. tomorrow, saying that there are 'important matters that need to be discussed together'."

Lionel took the letter and glanced at it.

The letter was written on thick paper used by the De La Ruwak firm, with an exquisite family crest printed at the top, and the content was indeed written in De La Ruwak's own handwriting.

Lionel placed the letter on the table: "It's strange, he rarely invites both of us to the office so formally at the same time."

Usually, I'm the one who goes to him to discuss business, or he sends someone to deliver documents.

Sophie sat down in the chair opposite him: "I also find it unusual. And the wording is very formal—'important matter,' 'to discuss together.'"

The two remained silent for a while, each thinking about the possible reasons.

Lionel spoke first: "Could it be a problem with the bicycle factory's contract? Or is there some dispute over the typewriter's patent?"

Sophie shook her head: "If it's a technical matter, he'll come directly to you; if it's a business matter, he'll ask me first."

The letter specifically included both of our names.

There was another moment of silence.

Then, almost simultaneously, the two looked up and their eyes met.

Lionel's lips slowly curved into a smile.

A faint blush rose on Sophie's cheeks, but she didn't look away from his gaze, and a smile flickered in her eyes.

“I guessed it,” Lionel said.

“I guessed it too,” Sophie said softly.

Lionel stood up, walked around the desk, went to Sophie, and took her hand: "It's been three whole years, from January 1879 until now."

Sophie nodded: "Yes, it's been three years."

Lionel laughed: "In Paris, we're probably the only couple who've been dating for three years and still haven't gotten married."

It was an exception that Mr. Zola and Ms. Alexandrine dated for ten years before getting married.

Maupassant… never mind, let's not talk about him. A normal person would be engaged within a few months.”

Sophie looked up at him: "Do you think we're 'normal people'?"

Lionel bent down and kissed her on the forehead: "Of course not. We are Lionel Sorel and Sophie Deneuve."

Sophie laughed: "So Mr. De La Ruwak finally couldn't hold back anymore? He's going to urge us to get married?"

Lionel shrugged: "One of the notaries' duties is to certify marriages. He probably felt it was time to remind us to get down to business."

Sophie asked, "Do you think he acted as your notary public or as a friend?"

Lionel walked back to his desk and put the letter in the drawer: "I think it's both. Well, it was probably time to put this on the agenda anyway."

Let's go hear what he has to say tomorrow.

Sophie looked at him: "You...have you thought it through?"

Lionel turned around, his expression serious: "Sophie, when I met you three years ago, you were a poor student with only a few dozen francs in your pocket."

You helped me, not only because of your kindness, but also because you are smart and can see what kind of person I am.

Now that we're together, whether I'm writing novels or doing business, you're always by my side, my assistant, and my partner.

Marriage is a natural progression; I've already thought it through.

Sophie's eyes were a little moist, but she didn't cry. She just nodded vigorously and said, "Yes."

Lionel walked over and pulled her into his arms: "Tomorrow we'll go see De La Ruwak and hear what advice this 'elder' has to offer."

Then, we started preparing for the wedding.

Sophie buried her face in his chest and whispered, "Okay."

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"What? We'd better not get married anytime soon?"

The office fell silent instantly, save for the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace.

Lionel's smile froze.

He blinked, as if he hadn't heard him clearly: "What did you say?"

Sophie's face turned pale instantly, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt, almost trembling. Draruwak, observing their reaction, remained expressionless, his gentle demeanor unchanged: "I say, you two should probably not get married anytime soon."

At least under the current circumstances, marriage is not the best option for you—especially for your shared business.

Lionel stared at De La Ruwak for several seconds before slowly speaking, "Mr. De La Ruwak, what do you mean by this?"

His voice was relatively calm, but Sophie could hear the suppressed anger within it.

De La Ruwak didn't answer, but instead took a document from the drawer and placed it on the table: "This is an excerpt from the Civil Code, the section on the rights of married women."

You can take a look first.

Lionel didn't move. He was angry, his chin slightly raised: "I don't need to see it, just explain it directly!"
Do you think that Sophie's background isn't good enough, that she's an orphan with no dowry, and therefore not good enough for me?

He said this in a very harsh tone.

Sophie's body trembled slightly. She lowered her head, looked at her hands, and pursed her lips tightly.

De La Ruwak shook his head: "Leonard, you've misunderstood. I've known you for two years, and I know you're not the kind of person who values ​​family background and dowry."

If you care about these things, now almost every noblewoman in Paris would be lining up with a hefty dowry, waiting for you to choose them.

Lionel's expression softened a little, but his brows were still furrowed: "Then why are you against our marriage?"

De La Ruwak corrected, "I'm not against it. I'm saying that, from a practical standpoint, now is not the best time to get married."

The reason isn't Sophie's background, but the law.

He proactively opened the documents on the table: "According to the Civil Code, the civil rights of married women are strictly restricted."

Simply put, a single woman—whether unmarried or widowed—can independently conduct business, sign contracts, manage assets, and sue or be sued.

But once married, these rights are lost. Legally speaking, a married woman belongs to her husband 'both physically and mentally, as well as in terms of property'.

She cannot work or do business freely, cannot sign contracts independently, cannot apply for loans, and cannot sue or be sued.

All of these had to be handled by her husband on her behalf. She couldn't even freely manage her own property, that is, her dowry.

Lionel understood, but he didn't understand what this had to do with them: "So what? Sophie can continue working, I agree."

De La Ruwak smiled. "That's the problem. Ms. Sophie is now 'Sophie Deneuve,' unmarried, and has full civil rights."

You can confidently entrust your business to her; she can independently sign contracts, negotiate with banks, manage accounts, make decisions, and so on.

People in business respected her because she was an independent individual. But once she became 'Mrs. Sorel,' the situation changed completely.

He paused, then continued, "Theoretically, you can authorize her as your full agent and let her continue doing what she's doing now."

But in practice, it will be very difficult. Because what we're doing now isn't a small business—it's not a tailor shop, a flower shop, or a guesthouse.

We deal with large transactions, involving banks, trading companies, and manufacturers; a single contract can cost at least tens of thousands of francs.

In the business world, people instinctively doubt whether Mrs. Sorel has the authority to handle such expensive business when dealing with her.

She didn't have the family background of Mrs. Rothschild, nor did she have a large dowry, and legally, married women are not independent individuals...

Over time, banks and customers will begin to refuse to speak with her directly; they will demand to see her in person or sign more complex authorization documents.

Perhaps in the future, even a small contract will require your signature on an authorization document, which will make business very slow and inefficient.

Lionel understood, and then fell silent.

Sophie looked up; her face was still pale, but she had calmed down.

She looked at De La Ruvak: "So, you mean that as long as I remain unmarried, I can continue to help Lionel manage the business?"

"Once I get married, my legal status changes, and there are many things I can no longer do?"

De La Ruwak nodded: "Yes. Once married, Leon will have to dedicate a lot of time to running these businesses now."

He can no longer delegate most things to you and focus on writing as he does now; he has to go to the bank, sign contracts, and meet clients himself.

Just think about it, he has a bunch of novels under contract to write, and he frequently has to attend salons and give speeches. If he gets bogged down in business on top of that…

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Lionel leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

After a long while, he opened his eyes: "So, if I marry Sophie, I'll have to take over everything she's doing now?"

De La Ruvak's answer was concise: "Yes! Unless you appoint another man or a single woman to replace her."

But if you replace her with someone else, you have to start all over again. And where can you find someone like her who is both business-savvy and trustworthy?

This is the peak of your career, how can she possibly leave? Therefore, I believe that your recent marriage would be a 'fatal' crisis.

It was my fault for not foreseen this sooner—I never imagined that a writer's business could develop to the point where I would consider this.

Sophie's eyes were a little red, but she didn't cry. She reached out and gently patted the back of his hand.

Her voice was calm: "Leon, in that case, let's postpone the wedding for now."

Lionel shook his head violently: "No way!"

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(End of this chapter)