In this novel a wealthy man falls in love with the governess. Based on the novels, I’ve read, apparently this used to happen all the time in the old days. I don’t know what these governesses had going on but it was REAL effective.
Of course the other option is that this is all wish fulfilment, and that in the past, just as today, people typically ended up with someone who was in the same income, same age, and same level of attractiveness. Also, and this is very important, same level of willingness to settle and decide they can’t do any better.
Definitely I prefer the wish fulfilment.