Suddenly the Housekeeper of an upper-class London home in a period of unmatched upheaval, Tess Newman is determined to draw on her practical nature to see her way through. What she does not know is that yet more tragedy lays upon the horizon, which will test her fortitude to its extremes.
Zelda Rhodes
There are two Zeldas: The public-facing academic, known for her depth of knowledge, fierce independence, and dedication to feminism; and the meticulously-private sexual “deviant” who would rather spend her free time at a masked bacchanal than pursue the more traditional forms of romance. Sharp, confident and more than a little stubborn, she’s never felt the need to reconcile these two parts of her identity, nor to prove the worth of either. To know her is to love her, but good luck in getting to know her, or in getting her to acknowledge more than friendship.
Tansy Robarts
The daughter of a wealthy gentry banker and bright in every sense of the word, Tansy skewered her own reputation to save her younger sister’s and embarked upon a chapter she never could have fathomed. After traveling the world as a companion and being encouraged toward independent thinking, she finds herself now back in the mire of polite society. Well over the bridge into spinsterhood, her family refuses to allow her to live alone. Is the answer to find a man desperate enough to marry her, remain with her parents, or some other, less-obvious option?
Philippa Carrington
The lucky bride in a love match that lasted over ten years, Philippa now finds herself a single mother to two girls and adrift without the steadying influence of her husband. The strictures of society and reality of their circumstances have placed her and her girls back in London, where Pippa will try to find her footing and discover herself anew.
Nikolaas van Lynden
The queer son of a Dutch count exiled into the ostensibly strict hands of his English relatives, Nik is a natural romantic attempting to wrest himself back from the control of addiction. He longs for connection and creativity, but fears this bleak country may provide very little of either.
Hepzibah Innes-Ker
A bluestocking through and through, Her Grace the Duchess of Roxburghe is considered an eccentric by some, and a disgrace by others. Married to her father’s best friend, who rescued her from a life of obscurity and destitution, she’s never had a lover of any kind, including the man she married. He wishes she would find one, thinks it would make her happy in a way Eppie has never fathomed, but with talents that lie more in the realm of science and medicine than social savvy, it remains to be seen if she shall ever catch the eye of someone she can care about in turn.
Augustus Kinkade
The Premier Viscount of England and known rake, Gust Kinkade is a man of contradictions. He is conscientious about his finances and role in Parliament, and kind to his tenants. He also tumbles through beds with aplomb, and has a reputation for carousing. Loyal to a fault, and shy of commitment. A bright and charming light with a dark and troubled history.
Arthur Beckwith
The valet to the Duke of Somerset, as matchless in his dedication to his work as he’s been in the quantity of his sexual exploits. From uncertain parentage he’s risen to nearly the highest realm of service, careful to keep his professional and private lives separate.
Ambrose Wilkes
Owner of The Gun Brothel, Leader of the Black Powder Gang
40s · Male
Played by Keaton
FC: Richard Armitage
FC: Richard Armitage
Gender: Male, Class: Working, Nationality: English, Group: Black Powder Gang, Group: The Gun, Site Canon
The ambitious long-time leader of the Black Powder Gang, known as “The Earl of the East End.” From the seat of his popular brothel, the Gun, Rosie oversees a myriad of criminal operations, while spreading his success throughout the neighborhood as a bulwark against rival factions. Quiet and intense, with a soft spot for children and whores, he rules with a velvet fist and keeps his personal life strictly personal.