Freya Lindsay
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| Portrayed by Sophie Skelton | |
| Full Name | Freya Catherine Lindsay |
|---|---|
| Associated Noble House(s) | |
| Date of Birth | May 1st 1788 |
| Father | Edward Lindsay |
| Father's Rank | Baron Wyndham |
| Mother | Catherine Lindsay |
| Mother's Rank | Baroness Wyndham |
| Town Residence | Audley Park |
| Year of Debut | 1800 |
| Dowry | £20,000 |
Freya Lindsay is the oldest child of the 6th Baron Wyndham and his wife. Twenty-eight years old, she debuted in 1800 but despite receiving a few offers did not marry. When she was twenty-one her great aunt left her a small estate, Audley Park, in Derbyshire, giving her an independent income. She is returned to London now to act as company for her cousin, Lady Stokesay, who is currently both pregnant and in mourning and therefore unable to take part in the social season.
Freya is played by Sarah.
Family
- Edward Lindsay, 6th Baron Wyndham - b. 1754 (father)
- Catherine Lindsay, Baroness Wyndam, née Hayward, daughter of Viscount Hartfield - b. 1760 (mother)
- The Hon. Andrew Lindsay - b. 1785 (brother)
- The Hon. Jonathan Lindsay - b. 1789 (brother)
- Lucille Rutherford-Booth, Baroness Stokesay, née Stanhope - b. 1787 (maternal cousin)
- Lady Mary Stanhope, née Hayward, daughter of Viscount Hartfield - b.1765 (maternal aunt)
- Sir Ralph Stanhope - b. 1760 (maternal uncle-in-law)
Background
Early Years and Childhood
Growing up on her father’s estate in Suffolk, Freya Lindsay thoroughly enjoyed being the eldest child in her family. When her younger brothers followed a few years after her, she took to bossing them around like a duck to water - and unknowingly gave an early indication of the independent streak she would develop later in life, much to her family’s bemusement. After her brothers her closest playmate was her cousin Lucille, the daughter of her maternal aunt, whose family were settled only a few miles from their own.
She was educated at a seminary school for young ladies and proved a quick, capable learner, though she very rarely appeared to take her lessons at all seriously. Nevertheless, by the time she left she was a competent speaker of French and Italian, could perform passably on the violin, embroider prettily and dance lightly on her feet. With all the accomplishments a young lady could possibly need, Freya was ready to make her debut into London Society.
Debut and Inheritance
Being both a pretty, vivacious girl and the granddaughter of a Viscount and the daughter of a Baron who could afford to bestow on her a dowry of £20,000, short of a disaster Freya was bound to do well. And indeed she had several suitors that Season and even a couple of proposals, but she found the gentlemen themselves rather uninspiring and, with no urgency to wed, declined in the hopes of meeting someone who even if they did not make her heart race might at least take it beyond the pace of a sedate walk.
No such man appeared in her second or even her third season, so it was looking increasingly likely that Freya would simply have to choose the least boring man she could find; but just as she was on the verge of choosing, news came that her great-aunt had died. Her grandfather’s elder sister, Lady Edith, had always been fond of Freya, seeing in her a kindred spirit. Widowed, childless and wealthy, she had made the decision to leave her great-niece not just her money, but also a modest estate in Derbyshire that had not been entailed away to her late husband’s cousin.
Suddenly very rich and with her own property, which gave a decent income for its size, Freya found herself in the most unexpected of circumstances: not needing to marry at all. Instead she travelled up to inspect her new property and learn how to properly manage it, and found she rather liked the freedom of independence.
Recent Years
For the last several years she has spent most of her time in Derbyshire, though she still occasionally attends the Season in London - including acting as her cousin Lucy’s companion when she was a debutante, eventually marrying (to many’s surprise) the older and rather infirm Baron Stokesay. Most of the ton have written Freya off as a permanent spinster at this point, and since she has yet to meet a man that sets her heart racing she’s not entirely sure they’re wrong.
She wasn’t intending to come to London this year, but a few weeks ago she received a letter from her cousin. Pregnant with her late husband’s child and waiting anxiously to see if it will be a boy to inherit the title, Lucy has removed to Greenwich where her parents are staying to escape the harassment of her in-laws - so naturally Freya immediately packed up her things and arrived on her aunt and uncle’s doorstep.
Personality
Since she was a child Freya has been gregarious and outgoing, always free with a smile and easily making friends wherever she goes. Having two younger brothers and a cousin to boss around (and who let her boss them around without much resistance) instilled a sense of self-confidence in her when she was very young that has only increased with her financial independence in adulthood and Freya today is forthright, assertive and seemingly fearless.
At first impression it is easy to mistake Freya for being rather empty-headed, if affable; she has a tendency to talk a mile a minute, has a love of gossip and laughter, and generally expects people to follow her train of thought. But although she doesn’t always make an effort to use it, she does possess a relatively sharp mind and over the last few years has, with the aid of a capable steward, proven herself adept at managing the estate she has inherited and so retained a steady and plentiful income.
Being the eldest, Freya has developed a protective streak with her brothers and Lucy that veers into mothering them, occasionally to their exasperation, and she does have a decent sense of responsibility to ground a nature that might otherwise have been far flightier. She can also be as stubborn a mule, and is far too fond of being right: once she has made her mind up about something it is not easily changed - no matter what new facts or evidence might come her way.
On the surface, she is thoroughly contented with her life as it is, but each time she meets with old friends and sees their growing families, Freya is uncomfortably aware of a growing sense that as proud as she is of all she has done with her estate it can sometimes be very lonely. She is not by nature a solitary person, and the dreams she had as a deb of finding love and companionship, and making her own family have not vanished. But quite apart from her age, to marry now would mean giving up the freedom and independence she has come to cherish - and what could be worth that trade?
Thread Tracking
Thursday 6th June
- Curious she left, curiouser she returned: Freya calls on her old friend Lady Harlow and they are joined by the Duke of Henley [1]
Saturday 8th June
- I do my hair toss, check my nails: While accompanying her cousin Lucy to a dress fitting, Freya runs into her acquaintance the Duke of Leighton [2]
- Madam Machiavelli: Freya and her cousin Lucy join Abby Shaw for tea, unaware it's a ploy to introduce matchmake Freya with the Duke of Oxford [3]
Sunday 9th June
- They're like ponies on a carousel: Freya accompanies the Duke of Henley and the Earl of Valebridge as they attempt to teach Amelia Harcourt to ride[4]
Tuesday 11th June
- I'll find a new place to be from: Freya calls on Blanche Carey but finds instead the new Lady Greyton [5]
- Here, where the sky's falling, here I am: Freya attends a dinner thrown by Lady Harlow [6]