Rueful laugh. You could be right: the author himself might have a predilection.
But the people who think, oh heck, my grandmother married at 15 (mine did at 16) are missing the point. Grandpa asked for her father’s permission. Anyone committing sex with a young teen today KNOWS it’s wrong yet chose to indulge himself at her expense.
And the example I gave, very true and current, is that the lust for the forbidden youngster can GROW. Grow worse. Sex with a 14 year old can be a gateway to sex with a 9 year old. And on down the ages.
You mention the marriages between 14 and 15 year old brides 100+ years ago. These were never about sex, or in many cases even love. They were about family, the preservation/expansion of wealth/land and the benefit to the children that such marriages created.
An experienced/accomplished/wealthy man of 30+ years would court and marry the 14 or 15 year old daughter of another prominent/wealthy family. They would have children who had wealth, land, and social stature.
In these cases these are just perverts....execute them.