ladyivytaylor

[ladyivytaylor]

Having grown tired of the same collection of books she had managed to accumulate over the years, Ivy had managed to sneak an excursion out to Hatchards onto her calendar in between social engagements. The upcoming Season was rapidly approaching and with it, the number of appearances and parties and balls she was to attend was increasing. All of that, in combination with the teas and suppers scheduled with her parents, who were all too eager to hear of her progress once the Season began. They weren’t the most subtle of folks, Ivy’s Mama and Papa. In fact, they were being all too obvious with their intentions. Ivy’s Mama had already told her, in no uncertain times, that she would pray each and every night before bed that this would be the year Ivy would find herself a husband. 

Ivy, on the other hand, was not so taken with the idea. 

The carriage ride to Hatchards was not all that long or tedious, and with the end destination, Ivy found herself near giddy to finally arrive at the book store. She chatted excitedly with her ladies maid, Olive, the entire way there; wondering aloud what books she would find herself taken with today. It always differed, depending on the day, which aisle or genre Ivy would find herself intrigued by. Some days (and most days, if she were being honest), she gravitated towards the romance novels, tucked away in a smaller section near the back, as if that was meant to discourage the ladies from perusing through them. 

After arriving at the store and biding adieu to Olive, who took her rightful place with the rest of the ladies maids closer to the entrance, Ivy began to make her way through the tall stacks of novels. She inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering shut for just a moment as she let the scent of new novels fill her senses; there was just something calming about it to her. Her fingertips ran across the many spines as she walked along, eyes moving at a rapid pace between this book and that book. Some that she recognized, some that she didn’t– but she was interested in them all. Re-discovering an old favourite couldn’t be overlooked. 

Unsurprisingly, Ivy was a little too taken by the books, and managed to forget that watching her step was just as important– if not more important. The collision with another came as a shock to Ivy and she gasped aloud, a hand rising to her throat as she reared back, barely able to catch herself on the nearby shelf before she tumbled backwards. She immediately turned towards the stranger with which she had collided and reached a hand towards them, worried she may have hurt them with her lack of care. 

“Please,” Ivy rushed, giving her head a gentle shake. “This is most certainly my fault; apparently I’ve managed to forget I am not the only woman who might be walking these aisles. Are you well, Miss? Please, accept my most sincerest of apologies.” 

Ah, a fellow bookworm. Ivy managed a gentle, kind smile at the woman’s words and she nodded her head in agreement. “Hatchards does certainly have a wonderful selection. Allow me to purchase a book for you to make up for my rather unfortunate manners. I insist.”

{10 February 1800 · London · Hatchards, Piccadilly}

Sarah had not thought it was possible to be intimidated by books, but the sheer number of them, all beautifully bound and perched upon shelves going nigh up to the heavens, would quail even the staunchest soul. The effect was quite magnified by the hushed, almost reverent atmosphere, a sort of respectful silence she had not encountered even in the church-pews during a sermon. 

She cast an uncertain look over her shoulder, as if to confirm she was indeed in the right place, but oh! Tom the footman, having learned from her prior trips around Town, had taken himself off for fortification once she was delivered to the bookstore; Hetty had quickly ingratiated herself with the other maids dutifully tailing their ladies at the doorway and was paying her no mind.

Leaving her, Sarah, facing down the silently judging rows of tomes all by herself. 

“You can do this,” she told herself, straightening up as her Cousin the Countess instructed, “You will do better than the last shop; you will be cultured and elegant; you will learn Fre – oh!”

So determined was her progress, and so fix’d was she upon what she had hoped was the French section, that she had almost stepped headlong into another browser of books, likely one far more comfortable with all these pages than she was. 

“Oh!” she said again, then bobbed, “Oh, I am ever so sorry; I was simply summoning up my nerve; it is only – there are so many books here, such that I’ve never seen before! Why, there is more here than in my Papa’s study and the rectory combined!” 

@ladyivytaylor​

[ladyivytaylor]

🙊 + ⧱

⧱ what really is my muse’s biggest flaw:

Ivy is entitled, though she'd liked to think she isn't. Her very way of life showcases just how entitled she truly is; an unmarried woman with a townhome of her own, a title of her own, money of her own. She lives a charmed life that not many are fortunate enough to experience in this time and yet she still longs for more.

Also editing to add she’s also very naïve. She has next to no life experience and seems to think there is some great adventure out there that will fulfill her. 

(C'mon Ives, check your privilege sis!)

[ladyivytaylor]

🤳 name three physical imperfections my muse has (birthmarks, gray hairs, muscular definition, etc)

Ivy is insecure about a few things having to do with her appearance, including the size and shape of her eyes (too large), the great many moles and freckles adorning her skin (especially her face and neck, which are often shown when she's wearing her gowns), and the athletic shape of her body (not feminine enough).

[ladyivytaylor]

🎒 what was my muse’s worst subject in school?

Etiquette and manners, full stop.

[ladyivytaylor]

🙉 what are two things that make my muse uncomfortable in conversation

Topics of discussion Ivy would be uncomfortable with would be her future children (too far out to even consider at this point, people, really!) and the idea that a woman is meant to be seen and not heard. She is considered to be the Jane among the Ton and is fine with that, eager to prove appearances are truly the least interesting thing about a woman.

[ladyivytaylor]

🚫 what is one thing my muse wouldn’t want someone else to know about them?

Despite the constant talk of seeking adventure and excitement in life, Ivy fears it almost as much as she wants it. She is afraid that finding something that fulfills her will only last so long, and then what?

[ladyivytaylor]

💚 what does my muse get envious over?

Ivy envies those who lead a life of adventure and excitement. Those who have found their true meaning and live wholeheartedly to fulfill and enjoy it. She is consistently torn between being grateful for all that she has and wishing for something more.

[ladyivytaylor]

✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦

NAME: Lady Ivy Jean Taylor, Viscountess of Westminster

BIRTHDATE: February 14th, 1775 (Age 25)

FAMILIAR RELATIONS: Lady Caroline Taylor (Mother) and Lord Frederick Taylor (Father). 

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES: +Intelligent, +Charismatic, +Kind-hearted

NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES: -Impatient, -Outspoken, -Blunt

INTERESTS: Reading, writing, piano, gardening, horseback riding, stimulating conversation. 

✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦

The Lady Ivy Jean Taylor, Viscountess of Westminster, is the only child of Lady Caroline Taylor and Lord Frederick Taylor. As a child, the young lady excelled at the many hobbies and skills her parents’ stance in society allowed, most prominently the pianoforte and a peculiar interest in both recreational writing and reading. Over the years, Ivy continued to shine in her academics, but struggled in her teachings of how to behave as a young woman in society. The concept of holding ones tongue and remaining pleasant in even the most unpleasant of scenarios was not one that Ivy could easily grasp. This caused a great deal of difficulty within the Taylor household, leading to many heated arguments between Ivy and her Mama and Papa, who just wanted the best for their daughter. And in order to obtain that, for most women in London in the 1800s, that would require a husband. 

But Ivy escaped all of that necessity with her title of Viscountess. After coming of age, she was afforded a modest townhouse in Westminster, a mere stones throw from her parents home in the city. Ivy has enjoyed the last few years of running her household and considers herself lucky to work alongside a wonderful house full of staff each day; but that is not to say that her way of life comes without its challenges. Despite a penchant for solitude, Ivy does grow lonely during the long days and evenings spent only with her ladies maid and the other staff ensuring her house remains well kept. Every so often, she takes up a new hobby to fill her time, most recently a particular passion for both longform horse riding and tending to her townhomes sprawling garden. She receives many stares for her unusual hobby when Ivy takes time out of her day to get down on her hands and knees and pull at the weeds in her flower bushes, but gardening brings her a particular joy she hadn’t experienced in many years. 

Despite it all, her existing title and money as well as her desire to do things on her own terms, Ivy will enter the Season this year in hopes of finding a husband. But she will do so selectively; there is no reason to rush such a process, in Ivy’s mind. She has lived the last several years on her own successfully, and if she must continue to do so, she will. Her Mama and Papa are eager for Ivy to marry, in hopes it will bring further light onto the Taylor name and add further heirs to the lineage. Though Ivy has come a long way from the young girl who refused to hold her tongue, she is still one of the Ton’s most outspoken women and doesn’t plan to change that while in search of a husband. 

✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦     ✦ ♛ ✦

WANTED CONNECTIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE. 

[ladyivytaylor]

Welcome to Meme Friday at The Season! 🧣  Each Friday, we’ll post one or two memes for characters to reblog on their accounts. Reblogging the meme indicates that you are accepting asks from it, and that you’re also sending asks out to others. Feel free to reblog and answer memes until end of day Sunday. After that, save what’s left over in your inbox for the next Meme Friday. Enjoy!

Flaws. We all have them. Even our muses. In fact, they often make for better, more engaging characters. Send a symbol to learn about one of my muse’s weaknesses!

🙊 what would my muse say their biggest flaw is

⧱ what really is my muse’s biggest flaw

🤳 name three physical imperfections my muse has (birthmarks, gray hairs, muscular definition, etc)

🙈 what’s my muse’s biggest blind spot?

🍰 what’s my muse’s guilty pleasure?

😰 when my muse is stressed, how do they act out?

💚 what does my muse get envious over?

🚫 what is one thing my muse wouldn’t want someone else to know about them?

🛌 my muse’s biggest nightmare

✍️ does my muse have a learning disability?

🎒 what was my muse’s worst subject in school?

🙅‍♂️ what does my muse feel insecure about?

👾 what was my muse’s childhood bogeyman?

🙉 what are two things that make my muse uncomfortable in conversation

[ladyivytaylor]

[ladyivytaylor]

[ladyivytaylor]

Elizabeth Olsen as Thérèse Raquin in In Secret (2013)