You have clearly never spent any time around seriously rich people, especially the British ones. If someone came running in shooting, the old stiff upper lip comes into play and everyone stands there chatting over canapes about how 'frightfully dreadful that gentleman is' and asking one another questions about golf and cricket. It is unseemly to show emotion at any time.

Obviously our main character is one of the 'Nouvous Rich' who probably got his money through industry, whereas his wife comes from a much higher moral and social background and has been trained since birth to never display emotion under any circumstances!