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.
Johnny Brown
Johnny Brown has recently been promoted to become the Head Gardener of Somerset House, for though the House itself has very little garden to tend to, there are manicured lawns stretched out against the Thames fringed by seasonal blooms and scents — alongside a large greenhouse that sports rare flowers given by travelling dignitaries. All in all, Johnny spends most of his time around the House in order to keep an eye on those in his care and those treasured persons in his life. But isn’t there more to life than work?
Ulysses Laughton
An artist, a Casanova and a little bit of an escape artist. Ulysses is bold and outspoken, an individual always on the prowl for his next subject, his muse. He prioritizes his art over most of his relationships and is downright fanatical when it comes to subjects or people that manage to catch his fancy. People know a great deal about him, but does anyone know him really? His secrets are abundant, though they hide quite easily behind an easy smile and a brilliant demeanor. Ulysses is enigmatic, though it is almost as if he had appeared from nowhere. With no family, and only some very close friends, Ulysses’ background is shrouded in mystery and, if one was to delve in further, full of fire as well. Rumors surround Ulysses and he wears them proudly, like a badge of honor. He is charismatic, he is inflammatory and his goal is to explore the world until eventually, he is lit ablaze, where he then wants to go out in glory.
Xiao Walker Yu
Resourceful and persistent, Walker is a jobbing immigrant from China that arrived in England to support his family. The mysterious tag-along to the newly inherited Duke of Argyll, in name he is the man’s personal secretary. In practice though… The title is far from all-encompassing.
A trained fighter from a military family with a smooth tongue, Xiao is eager to put his skills to use. An immigrant from the east is not the most welcomed companion, and the adjustment in lifestyle has Xiao desperate to earn. Nothing is impossible if the price is right.
Nellie Jones
Nellie Jones likes to think of herself as the greatest actress that was to ever dance across the stages of Drury Lane, Marylebone Theatre and the Old Vic, – she’s also the greatest fuck of London! Alas, whatever goes up must come down, and with her reputation straddling the line of titillating and downright scandalous she dares to run out of time to correct all that was lost. Still, at least she’s having fun.
Felicité Findley
Felicité Findley is an aspiring artist (and sometimes, stunner licked upon the canvas) who hopes to find her own path to life through living beneath her older sister and her inherited house. With her sister having succumbed with grief for the sudden death of her sailor husband, Felicité ventured to London from Oxford in order to act as confidante and well meaning aid. But, as always, the life to adulthood is never quite so simple, and as the future begins to dawn on this aspiring young woman, Felicité worries that all she has worked toward has been done for nothing.
Skye McDaniels
Skye is driven, sharp, and uncompromising, shaped by a harsh childhood in Dublin and a rough start in London. Raised without the safety net of a solid family, she learned quickly that the world wasn’t kind to those without power. By sixteen, she’d started making her place in London’s underbelly, first as a worker and eventually as a savvy businesswoman. Now the owner of The Moth & Lantern, Skye has turned her brothel into more than just a means of survival — it’s a stepping stone to bigger things. She values loyalty above all, especially from those closest to her, like her brother Eoin, though their relationship is complex. Skye doesn’t leave room for weakness or sentimentality; everything she does is calculated, and she’s determined to climb higher in the world, no matter the cost.
Lisette Berwald
Site Canon Character
Star Soprano
24 · Female
FC: Kate Winslet
The famed “Swedish nightingale” Lisette Berwald is a star soprano opera singer. She resides in London, and will do so for at least the next two seasons. Her performances at the Royal Italian Opera have been met with rave reviews and much acclaim by critics and laypeople alike. Born in Sweden, she was discovered for her extraordinary voice and has been a court singer in Sweden and Norway, followed by engagements in Berlin and Vienna, where she was mobbed by admirers and received by royals. Now in London, she has secured the most lucrative deal of her career – but fate is capricious and past struggles with vocal damage may (or may not) come back to haunt her.
Jacob Smith
More widely known as Mr Forsythe, Jacob Smith is an illegitimate son of the late Marquess of Sligo, a medium, a performer, and a charlatan. Utilising his knack for acting, he targets wealthier relatives of recently departed and strives to make them depart with their fortunes as well. A person of dubious morality, he is out for himself and his closest associates. Jacob is determined to make his séances more popular while not getting caught.
Madeline Wheeler
Site Canon Character
Thief
20 – 25 · Female
FC: Tanya Roberts
One of the newest Lambs, Madeline is the daughter of Irish immigrants who came to London seeking a better life. Instead, they found rampant discrimination, crime, and disappointment. Madeline had little intention of following her mother into the career of a washerwoman, and so turned to petty theft. One of the people she tried to steal from ended up being Lila Scriven, who took a liking to the firebrand of a young woman. Under Lila’s tutelage, Madeline has begun to blossom into a very promising thief indeed. She is wholly devoted to the gang and its leaders. Recently her parents have begun to question the source of her suddenly much greater income, and she can only lie for so long. Right now she claims to have a wealthy beau who grants her all sorts of gifts and allowance, but how long that particular lie will last is anyone’s guess.