Lydia Ashbourne
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| Portrayed by Placeholder; Former character | |
| Full Name | Lydia Ashbourne |
|---|---|
| Associated Noble House(s) | Earldom of Fareweather |
| Date of Birth | 1788 |
| Father | Nathaniel Ashbourne |
| Father's Rank | Earl of Fareweather |
| Mother | Maryellen Ashbourne |
| Mother's Rank | Countess of Ashbourne |
| Town Residence | ? |
| Year of Debut | 1805 |
| Dowry | ? |
Lydia Ashbourne is a former character, created by Samantha
Family
- Mother: Maryellen Piper (deceased): May 11th 1768- September 23rd 1793
- Father: Nathaniel Ashbourne (deceased) 8th Earl of Fareweather August 11th 1761-November 7th 1808
Background
Lydia’s father, never being a faithful or honest man to his wife, met Lydia’s mother when she was employed as an “unfortunate” in the Whitechapel district. The earl was struck by her mother's golden beauty and immediately set her up as his mistress. Their love for each other blossomed at an overwhelmingly fast pace and for the next three years Lydia’s mother was never happier and her father, never so stressed. Day after day week after week Nathaniel had to make sure that no little “accidents” came into being. His efforts were to no avail as exactly three years after he started the affair with his beloved Maryellen, Lydia Alexis Piper was born. At first Nathaniel panicked, throwing Maryellen and Lydia out and declaring that he was so sure he was safe that there was no way he could have fathered this child, but as years went by and Lydia began looking more and more like her father he had no choice but to admit that she was indeed his daughter. Setting her and her mother up in a nice house in Cheapside, Nathaniel turned away and, for the moment, disappeared from her life. Her mother would disappear from her life only days after when her life would be taken by an angry beggar on the street.
The decision to bring Lydia into her fathers household came when she was five, the reason being that since his wife was unable to bear a child, the question of him being able to bear children was coming up more and more in society. So taking Lydia in they decided that they would move into the country and announce in a couple of years that they had already had a child but she had been in the country concentrating on becoming the perfect lady someday.
Lydia’s days in the country were miserable. Her stepmother was spiteful and found the most joy in following her around and remarking on how she would never marry a nobleman because they would find out what she was. Lydia however had her own retaliation on that saying that if indeed she was found out, so would her stepmother and she would be just as shunned as Lydia was.
So with a spiteful step-mother and with a father who cared little for her Lydia threw herself wholeheartedly into becoming a lady so that one day she could marry a respectable man and get away from her distant and uncaring father. So for the next eleven years until she was seventeen Lydia worked everyday to make sure that she could attract a suitable gentleman who she could give her heart to.
Her first season in society was a great disappointment. All of the gentleman who approached her were either dull, stupid or they were blubbering idiots. Halfway through the season, and just as Lydia was about to give up on finding someone she wanted to marry, her father became seriously ill and the family was rushed back to the country estate to help take care of him.
Her father died four years later and for mourning, her and her stepmother stayed in the country for three more years. Now twenty three and still as hopelessly romantic as she ever was Lydia has come back into society hoping to catch the one person who she could stand to live with for the rest of her life.
Notes
There is no known link between Lydia Ashbourne and Prudence Ashbourne, a character created by former player Jane