Love Among the Lions: A Matrimonial Experience

In the bustling world of late‑Victorian London, a modest tea‑taster named Theodore finds himself lodged above a dairy in Highbury, his days marked by the steady rhythm of commerce. A casual stroll through the tidy gardens of Canonbury Square changes everything when he spots a striking young woman peering from a lace‑trimmed window, her expression a mixture of ennui and defiant allure. Compelled by an instant obsession, he hatches a flimsy plan—knocking on the professor’s door for a prospectus—to bridge the gap between his ordinary life and the mysterious Miss Polkinghorne.

Now, years later, Theodore decides to set the record straight amid a torrent of scandalous gossip that has swirled through the city for nine days. His narration blends witty self‑reflection with vivid snapshots of Islington’s streets, offering a candid glimpse into the social etiquette and private longings of the era. Listeners are invited to share his earnest, slightly comic chronicle of love at first sight, before the story even leaves the first act.