Bit of a random question but if the mc and their Ro ever had a kid, how would the ro react to the kid asking if they could date? ( At 15-16)
Considering this is would happen in 1757 at the earliest, courting is the term you would use, and it would only be asked if there was someone in mind. I'll be doing the non-masked ROs to avoid spoilers!
Edith/Edward:
They're reading all of their kids letters and have eyes on them at all times, so it wouldn't come as a surprise. They would ask a million annoying questions meant to tire their kid from the prospect (Are they respectable? Are they financially secure? Do they elevate the family’s status?) reasoning that if they are willing to put up with all of the nagging then maybe they mean it (they already know the answers). From there I can see it going one of three ways:
They'll be arranging their child's marriage anyway, but if it is a strategic advantage to have them seen with this person they will allow it.
If they think their kid has a chance of falling in love with this person they won't allow it. MC might be able to emotionally manipulate E into letting it happen if they are deep enough in love though.
They flat-out turn it down. They only put their kid through all those questions so they could get a taste for what would happen next time they asked.
Tamsin/Thomas:
They already noticed their kid acting a little different and picked up on the signs, so they would have paid more attention to where their kid's gaze was aimed. If it was someone they found unfit, they would have made comments in their kid's earshot about how they didn't trust them, planting that seed knowing it's far more effective for them to come to that conclusion themselves than forbid them entirely. I have a hard time imagining any of their kids would disregard T's opinion, so this would ultimately work.
All of that is to say that by the time the kid asks to court, it is with someone T already approves of, and they won't be able to contain how adorable they find it. They're already planning the perfect outing, and the MC will have to remind them that their kid needs to be included in the planning too. It would be bittersweet for T, because they are thrilled that their child has the chance to do what they were unable to, but they might have a stretch where they "court" the MC how they wished they were able to all those years ago.
