Residence of rich crazy early 20th century woman?

[tamtrible]

Years are 1915-1923, location is probably near New York. No idea how to search this, though--it's more of a social feel thing.

Sorry about all the posts lately, Phillipa is *insisting* on being figured out.

Comments

[shadefell]

At that time, single women were starting to live on their own (or with other single women) as they left their homes to work In The Big City as typewriters, stenographers, etc. It wasn't enormously common, I don't think, but had been going on (at least in Chicago) since the late 1800s. There were boarding houses and apartment buildings that only rented to women (and some that only rented to men).

If she goes far enough from home, couldn't she just say she's Tragically Widowed? People within X distance from where she grew up would know, but further afield she might be able to hide her terribleness. He might even ship her off to Europe, or say she's in Europe if people ask.

[curtana]

To go with the Tragically Widowed idea, what if they made up a fiancé killed in the war? He would have to be non-USian for it to be plausible since the baby is born in 1915, but if the family have connections to Europe it might not be impossible, and would be fairly difficult for nosy folks to disprove. It would probably quiet some of the gossip, at least, if he has the granddaughter living with the family.

[shadefell]

And her crazy could be partially explained as her being Mad With Grief. So tragic!

If she insists that she wasn't married, etc that can also be chalked up to Tragic Grief Insanity.

[tamtrible]

actually, what she does insist would fit nicely with Tragic Fiance... because, as she told her daughter many times before her death, and even on her deathbed:
"He's going to come back for me, and he'll marry me, and we'll live in a house by the lake, and have 3 more children--2 fine, strong sons, and another beautiful daughter." (often with further elaborations)

All her parents would have to insist (if the subject ever came up) is that she refuses to believe that he's dead.

[nuranar]

4 sounds pretty likely to me. Location would likely be a small establishment in or around a small town/village somewhere upstate. He (or his man of business or someone) would find a good property and rent or purchase it specifically for that purpose.

Victoria (who concealed her pregnancy in the early stages) publicly reveals herself to be very pregnantI'm a little curious how this would happen and/or how it affects John's choices more than the mere fact of pregnancy would

[tamtrible]

Well, Victoria wouldn't put up with being *separated* from Phillipa either.

As for how the pregnancy was concealed, then revealed... Phillipa was conceived in fall. Victoria, who was already kind of secretive and strange, wore loose outer clothes and/or a corset, and stayed in her room a lot, until she really couldn't hide the pregnancy any more; then, she snuck out of the house wearing clothing snug enough to clearly show the impending kid, and wandered around town a bit. (she's a skinny little thing, so by the time she was "showing" significantly, it looked like she was smuggling a beachball in her shirt...) Her thinking being, if she was quite visibly pregnant in public, her family couldn't just do the "visiting her aunt" thing and pretend the pregnancy never happened (and take her baby away from her)...

[nuranar]

True, of course. I just meant to clarify the difference, in case the possibility was discussed or mentioned actually in the writing.

Hmm... Okay. The time frame is probably as good as you'll get for hiding a pregnancy, with slightly raised waists and roomy skirts. Early 1920s is better than 1910s. I just have a hard time believing that she could successfully conceal it from the *servants* as well as her family. Servants pretty much knew everything. Victoria must be on pretty bad terms with her family for her to assume they'd be horrible to her!

[tamtrible]

Actually... it's backstory for a roleplaying character who is *insisting* on having a full life story...

she probably wouldn't be able to conceal it from *all* of the servants, but it's entirely plausible that she swore her personal maid (or whatever) to Absolute Secrecy, and she liked Victoria enough to agree...

and it's not that she believes they'd be horrible to her... it's that she believes they'd take the kid away from her For Her Own Good, and she will *not* let them do that. She genuinely believes that her lover (Odin, or some other god) is going to come back and marry her, but that *certainly* won't happen if she hasn't been taking the best possible care of his child, right?...

The year can't change, I'm pushing it a bit with 1915, as Phillipa needs to be 25 or so at the start of WW2.

[gjules]

Another possibility: Tell the friends that she has consumption, poor dear, we're so worried about her, and send her out West to take the cure. She can set herself up in a hotel or something and pass herself off as a widow. Trains are good enough that her parents can come out to visit her, if not super-often. Consumption was rampant, so having a daughter head west for that reason wouldn't be surprising.

[tamtrible]

I'd prefer to have them close enough that Phillipa can find out about her grandfather's philandering, and have at least vaguely positive memories of her grandmother. Explaining further why she believes that All Men Are Lying Scum Who Only Want One Thing.

[duckodeath]

Is John married to anyone? Because if he is, another possiblity is the child could be passed off as their child. Yes, 18 years is a bit of a gap, but it was not unheard of for that to happen (just ask Jack Nicholson).

[tamtrible]

John is, in fact, married. Passing the kid off as theirs would be a bit of a stretch, however... not only is there an 18-year gap, but Victoria was the youngest of several children. His wife would be a bit old to believably claim that she was pregnant again.

Also, there's the fact (mentioned in the post, and clarified in one of the comments) that Victoria made her pregnancy rather a matter of public record. She, after hiding her pregnancy all winter, went for a stroll around the neighborhood while quite visibly pregnant (and clothed so that it showed), including deliberately chatting with the neighbors and such.

[duckodeath]

Well, if you went with the first part (and I'm not saying you should at all, I'm just saying if) the second part can quite easily be explained away especially if Victoria is known to be a bit touched in the head: if the neighbors wondered what the hell was going on her parents could just say she was acting out a delusion brought on when she found out Mother was so unexpectedly in the family way. Essentially, an hysterical pregnancy by an hysterical girl. Everyone was reading Freud back then so it would be an easy sell to make

[tamtrible]

as to abortion... it's my understanding that abortions are progressively more dangerous later in pregnancy. Which is part of why she hides it until she's at least 4 or 5 months along.

I didn't realize that 18 was considered underage at the time, I might possibly make Victoria a bit older, then.