A Lord to Love

This is a short novella set in an alternative Britain where same sex relationships have been legal and accepted for generations. It seems just a way for the author to minimize the angst and allow a more public relationship and eventual marriage between the characters as it otherwise doesn't really add much to the story, as no other aspect of society is changed (that we see in this short of story).
The main character is an older gentleman who fell for a young lord when he was still a teenager and, now that he is of age and his father has died, the main character feels it's time to ask for the lord's hand in marriage. There isn't really a courtship in the story and the lord was only 16 when the gentleman “twice his age” fell in love so it's a bit in creep territory.
Without further information into the other changes in this society or for us the really get to know these characters, this story seems rather pointless and almost uncomfortable to read, but it is a different idea than one I've seen previously.