Avreya Voronstova
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| Portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen | |
| Full Name | Avreya Nikolaevna Voronstova |
|---|---|
| Associated Noble House(s) | Voronstova |
| Date of Birth | February 21, 1791 |
| Father | Nikolai Petrovich Voronstov |
| Father's Rank | Count |
| Mother | Svetlana Ivanova Voronstova |
| Mother's Rank | Countess |
| Town Residence | |
| Year of Debut | 1811 |
| Dowry | |
Lady Avreya Voronstova is the daughter of a Russian Count and Countess. Rejected in 1809 by the man she had been betrothed to for five years, she has come to London instead of remaining in St. Petersburg.
Avreya is played by Kristie
Family
- Father: Nikolai Petrovich Voronstov
- Mother: Svetlana Ivanova Voronstova
- Brother: Pyotr Nikolaevich Voronstov
- Sister-in-law: Anna Mikhailevich Voronstova
- Brother: Dimitri Nikolaevich Voronstov
- Brother: Alexei Nikolaevich Voronstov
- Brother: Grigori Nikolaevich Voronstov
- Sister: Valeriya Nikolaevna Voronstova
- Brother-in-law: Dimitri Lobanov
Background
Svetlana Rostova married into the Voronstov family at the age of fourteen, to Nikolai Voronstov, a Count serving in the Romanov Court, fifteen years her senior. Upon her marriage, she was immediately enrolled as a Lady-in-Waiting to one of the young Romanov princesses until she fell pregnant with her first child. By the time she was 25, she had given birth to four sons. That year the Lord smiled down on her and finally gave her a little girl. Nikolai was happy with his sons, he didn’t mind that Svetlana wanted a daughter. Daughters made good vehicles for political marriages.
Avreya was born in the cold Russian winter; they said it was why her colouring was almost like that of the winter wolves. Her hair was a rich crown, just the colour of warm melted chocolate, and her eyes, blue like the winter Baltic sea. Her mother cosseted and protected her, loved her and delighted when Ava proved to be both lovely and obedient. At the age of thirteen, her father arranged her betrothal by proxy to Dimitri Lobanov, the son of a Russian diplomat. Dimitri was eight years her senior, and came from a princely family that was a minor branch of the ruling Romanovs. Once the betrothal was agreed upon, her mother expended all efforts to groom her into the perfect wife. It was expected that she not only learn to run her own household, but also please her husband in and out of the bedroom.
But under all of the expectations and strictures, Avreya held no dreams about her marriage. The reign of Nicholas I was glamorous and vibrant. Funded by the extensive Romanov coffers and their corrupt dealings, the court was simultaneously frivolous and traditional. Strictures, rules and autocratic dictates hid a world that was largely promiscuous, avaricious and egotistical. In the world she was raised in, there was no love, no affection. Her life was duty-bound, and her performance, was key. Avreya, from her youth, was taught to please her future husband, but never to expect faithfulness in return.
Her education continued until the week of her eighteenth birthday, the agreed time for Dimitri to finally meet her, and the wedding to occur the following week. With the betrothal more of a political alliance than anything else, the parents saw no need for the two to meet. As arranged marriages went, they had all assumed it to be a rather straightforward event. Dimitri had focused on his studies, and then his work in service of the King, and had just returned to St Petersburg two days before. Arriving at the Voronstov’s St Petersburg mansion, Dimitri was erroneously greeted first by Avreya’s only sister, Avreya had gone out, but that was all Valeriya needed to change Dimitri’s mind. Where Avreya was quiet, Valeriya was insistent. Where Avreya was self-aware, Valeriya was seductive. The younger Voronstova daughter did not understand, nor agree, why she, so much more beautiful, so much more buxom, so much more alive than her older sister, should be made to wait while Avreya made such an excellent match. By the time Avreya returned home, anxious and excited to meet the man she had been promised to, Dimitri had made his decision.
He wanted Valeriya instead.
There was nothing her parents could do. To the count, it remained unchanged. The familial link was still there, and frankly, he had no issue which daughter Dimitri chose. But Avreya, Avreya could not be allowed to remain in St Petersburg, not when her betrothal had been announced and anticipated for years. To avoid scandal, her parents announced to the court that Avreya was ill and her sister would take her place in the marriage. Avreya was cloistered in the country for two years until Valeriya was married on her eighteen birthday.
Current Season
Now, at twenty, she refuses to return to St Petersburg, and instead arrives in London to stay with her mother’s distant cousin, Lady Annaliese (Ana-Elizaveta) von Albrecht, who had married to Germany in her youth. Armed with her parents’ wealth, the promises of luxury, and her own charms to recommend her, Avreya is ready to begin living her life, her way.