Perdita Gardiner
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| Portrayed by Reese Witherspoon | |
| Full Name | Perdita Grace Tichbourne Gardiner |
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| Associated Noble House(s) | Barony of Ackland |
| Date of Birth | August 6, 1784 |
| Father | Adam Tichbourne |
| Father's Rank | Baronet |
| Mother | Joanne Young Tichbourne |
| Mother's Rank | Gentry |
| Town Residence | Ackland House, 25 Bruton Street |
| Year of Debut | 1801 (married without debut) |
| Dowry | £15,000 |
| Year of Marriage | 1801 |
| Spouse | Samuel Gardiner |
| Spouse's Rank | Baron Ackland |
| Issue | Claire (1804), Andrew (1806), Diana (1808) |
Perdita, Lady Ackland is the daughter of Sir Adam Tichbourne and his wife, Lady Tichbourne. She is the wife of Baron Ackland and mother of Claire Gardiner, Andrew Gardiner, and Diana Gardiner. She is played by Liz.
Childhood (1784-1801)
Poppy was born the eldest of Sir Adam Tichbourne's four children in the small hamlet of Brookham Green, in Surrey. Her father was a wealthy sheep farmer who was made a baronet in 1783. Her parents welcomed her birth, though her father was mildly disappointed that his first child was not a son to whom he could pass his new baronetcy. Lady Tichbourne took to motherhood well and Poppy's earliest years were happy ones, punctuated by the arrival of sisters Hyacinth in 1786 and Sylvia in 1789 and brother Peter, born a mere eleven months after Sylvia in 1790.
At age twelve, Poppy's new governess Miss Gardiner joined the household. Poppy grew very close to Miss Gardiner and her warm feelings were returned. Of a good family fallen on hard times, Miss Gardiner was only too happy to introduce her charge to her brother, the baron, at Poppy's fifteenth birthday party. Poppy was smitten, and Lord Ackland, then a twenty-year-old set to graduate Oxford in a year's time, saw a biddable and pretty young girl with a sizable dowry. Sir Adam was thrilled to have a peer interested in his oldest and promised to pay off the barony's debts in addition to Poppy's £15,000 dowry. The contracts were signed and two years later, in May of 1801, Poppy became Lady Ackland.
Bath and Motherhood (1801-1809)
Lord Ackland and his new bride settled in Bath, where Poppy enjoyed the social season of 1801. She enjoyed herself immensely and made many friends. Her pretty features and kind demeanor made her a popular hostess, a role she enjoyed playing. In the fall of 1802, Poppy found herself with child, a revelation which was slightly disappointing considering how greatly she had been enjoying her present lifestyle. However, a few exchanges of letters with her mother had Poppy warming to the idea of motherhood. Unfortunately, over the Christmas holidays, Poppy miscarried. She took the loss hard and fell into a depression, taking to her bed for several weeks followed by several more weeks of moping and intermittent crying spells. Her sadness was uncharacteristic and only truly ended in June of 1803 when she found herself expecting once again. Daughter Claire arrived in February of 1804 to the great joy of her parents. Motherhood agreed with Poppy, filling her with joy once more. Her joy only increased with the birth of her son Andrew in August of 1806 and daughter Diana in March of 1808.
Chaperone (1808-Present)
Shortly after Diana's birth, Lord Ackland's youngest sister Caroline joined the household. Poppy was eager to return to society as a chaperone and took to the job like a fish to water. She sought out the best connections for her sister-in-law and thought she had secured a match with the brother of a friend, James Bellwood, a young midshipman who had recently passed his lieutenant examination and showed great promise. By autumn, however, he had not made a formal offer, and Poppy was torn between holding out hope and encouraging Caroline to look elsewhere, particularly when it became known that Mr. Bellwood had left town without notice. A series of letters to Caroline, however, suggested that naval business had called him away but reassured all parties of his continued affections. With Poppy's approval, the pair exchanged letters regularly, though as the months went on, Mr. Bellwood's replies grew increasingly infrequent.
In April of 1809, Poppy received a letter from a friend who had recently arrived to London, inquiring if she knew a particular naval officer recently of Bath who had taken to escorting the very rich daughter of a mutual acquaintance. To Poppy's horror, a conference with Mr. Bellwood's sister revealed that her brother had moved to London and was no longer planning to marry Caroline. Despite Poppy's attempts to handle the situation delicately, the news was broken to Caroline via a marriage announcement in the paper. After a few weeks of mourning, Poppy managed to convince Caroline to attend a few parties. Nevertheless, the rest of 1809 passed with little interest in Caroline, a circumstance to be repeated in 1810.
At the close of 1810 and Caroline's twenty-first birthday approaching, Poppy suggested the family relocated to London and give Caroline a fresh start for 1811.
Trivia
Poppy is right-handed.