A young widow of means is left alone to face the stark reality of life after the loss of her third husband. Though she has her faithful staff at her side, she has been left in a precarious position as a woman alone in a time when women’s rights were few and the dangers many. Fending off fortune hunters, stone walling a greedy family, avoiding con-artists and navigating the social scene while ignoring nasty rumors are her way of life now. It was a challenge and she was looking forward to seeing how the game played out.
Nadine Astor
The soul of an explorer in the body of a debutante. Deenie is the kind of person who prefers the company of animals to people, the fresh air of the countryside to the stink of the city, and fierce independence to the confines of marriage. Though she was sent to London with the purpose of having her cousin help find her a husband, she has no intention of completing that mission.
Moira Appleton
Moira is a well respected member of high society and married to a well-loved and respected man, the Director of the London Opera. How involved she is in that work is up to you. Her background before marrying is up to you. Her age within that range is up to you. What’s important is that she has been pursuing an affair with Giovanni for the last year. The passion as well as the tension and jealousy that is brewing is threatening to spill over and both have a lot to lose if anyone ever finds out.
Moira can’t leave her husband but can’t accept her toy moving on. Giovanni thinks he might be in love but wants to move up in society and can’t if he is entangled in an affair that goes nowhere. Both are using the other, both know better but neither can’t resist the intensity.
Much of Moira and the dynamic with Giovanni is open for discussion since this is going to be an…intimate relationship, we should form it together. The complete dynamics are up for discussion and your input is encouraged.
Elizabeth “Birdie” Alrich
Daughter of Lousia Alrich, Lee’s first cousin – Quiet, introspective, and a little intense, Birdie has experimented in just about every manner of artistic expression conceivable, from poetry to painting to sculpture and everything in between. Secretly, she yearns for the stage, but her parents would ever allow such a thing.
Nadine “Deenie” Astor
Daughter of Peter Astor, Lee’s first cousin – Grand lover of animals and nature, who never feels entirely at home in the city or in the confines of a corset. An amazing horsewoman. Only 20, she has nevertheless made an attempt to prepare her parents for the likelihood of her spinsterhood; the thought marriage seems terrible.
Edie Ward
Daughter of Carolina Ward, Lee’s older sister – Lydia’s younger sister and secretly her Uncle Lee’s favorite of his sibling’s children. Sweet, intuitive, and more bookish than she lets on, Edie is forever struggling in her older sister’s shadow. Her most fervent interest is social work, particularly civil rights, although her parents limit her activity.
Lydia Ward
Daughter of Carolina Ward, Lee’s older sister – A renowned beauty who would rather have fun than be tethered to a husband and family. She has lost count of how many proposals she has turned down. The natural ringleader of her fellow familial debutantes, full of American confidence and sass that hides insecurities about her future.
Estelle King
Estelle has her brothers completely wrapped around her little finger, delighting in the chaos they create, especially when it comes to her impulsive twin, Lucien. With a confident flair and a clever wit, she navigates her world with the ease of being the one and only to have been spoiled by their father, basking in the knowledge that she can do no wrong in his eyes. This adoration has only fueled her ambitions, as she sets her sights on a grand career in the arts—be it singing, dancing, or playing music. After all, with a name that means “Star,” it’s only fitting that she shines brightly in whatever endeavor she chooses.
An extrovert at heart, Estelle possesses a playful deviousness that adds a touch of mischief to her charm, making her the life of any gathering. Her brother Darius, in particular, finds himself at most ease around her out of his siblings, and the two share a bond that is both teasing and supportive. Estelle has been raised by governesses her whole life, but that’s never stopped her from asking and learning about the woman her mother had been, and perhaps that’s what sparked her passion from an early age.
Leola Holroyd
Widely known as an eccentric, the Viscountess Pevensey married well, produced her elderly husband no heirs for his failing line, and reaped the benefits of a doting spouse upon his death. With the exception of a manor house and land belonging to the crown, she got everything: Multiple expensive residences, generations’ worth of antiques, a massive yearly income, and maybe most saliently, The London Review, a weekly newspaper she has turned into her pet project.
Beatrice Frell
Beatrice’s upbringing was mostly beneath the care of her mother, Annabella. And yet, where her mother pushed Beatrice to look to advancement and proper etiquette, her father (David) often tried to splinter the relationship so his first born daughter may look elsewhere for fulfillment. As such, her relationship with her mother is strained yet the one with her father is forgiving. Afforded a fine education, Beatrice is known for her inherited beauty and quick wit, which indeed led her into the arms of a charming politician. Now known widely as the wife of a powerful man, Beatrice resides in London (where? Entirely UTP, as long as it is befitted of an Upper-Middle class household) and practises her well tuned act of hosting and socialising as a prim socialite of the season. Her own advancement has led the Paulets, her maternal relations, to even extend invitations to their social balls and has as such given rise to Beatrice’s place in the world. It is UTP if she has children, or if she is still married and what that relationship is like. She is celebrated for her Resourceful, Witty and Ambitious characteristics. Though it is to be minded that she can be Non-Committal, Compulsive and Money-Minded above all else.