#Annabella Millbanke

[thoughtportal]

When Annabella Millbanke had a daughter with her husband, Lord Byron, she was terrified that their child might inherit his poetical madness. And so she steered the girl, Ada, toward math and logic, where eventually, Ada Lovelace became obsessed with the potential of computers.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

Also, Byron was the guest at the house who was probably the most enthusiastic about Frankenstein (she *did* win the contest that weekend, after all). He thought it was absolutely brilliant, he encouraged Mary to turn what used to be a short story into a novel, and he did everything he could to help her get it published. (And then there’s the hypothesis from some historians that one of Mary Shelley’s children might have been from Byron but I cannot confirm whether that hypothesis is BS or not)

Don’t get me wrong, Byron was an asshole, as his wife Annabella Millbanke and his lover Caroline Lamb* (of “mad, bad and dangerous to know” fame) would testify. But tormentor of Mary Shelley, he was not, and they were very fond of each other. 

Seriously tho this is the most tired English literature take I see running around, along with “Anne Brontë wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to wag her finger at Charlotte and Emily being Problématique(tm) and Evil Charlotte made sure it wouldn’t be reprinted after Anne’s death to spite her”

*Fun fact! Lady Caroline Lamb was also the wife of Lord Melbourne! Yes, THAT Lord Melbourne! Of “first prime minister to Queen Victoria” fame!

For the last time: Mary Shelley and Lord Byron were friends. She didn't hate him. His death was a very painful loss to her. She didn't write Frankenstein because she was stuck in a house with him and he was an unbearable person. For God's sake, just read her journals and letters.

[love-of-fandoms]

The Non-Companion (The Master + OC) Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Non-Companion (Master List)

Pairing: The Master + OC

Word Count: 2377 words

Jo watched the man enviously as he poured himself a glass of brandy. She was standing to the side with Ada and the Doctor, and he was helping himself to some alcohol. She had no issue with this as a concept, but seeing as this was the ‘early-with-a-touch-of-mid’ nineteenth century, she doubted he would be inclined to share his alcohol with her.

“Surely we must alert the authorities,” he said, turning to the women with a tumbler in his hand.

“The authorities won’t be any help,” the Doctor denied with a shake of her head, and Jo nodded in agreement.

“Besides, what would we tell them, Mr. Babbage?” Ada added, and the man shook his head, widening his eyes. The Doctor and Jo shared a look at the sound of his name.

“I have no concept, Ada. I cannot explain any of what I have seen today-” he replied, but the Doctor cut him off.

“Babbage,” she said. “Charles Babbage?” the man nodded.

“Yes,” he confirmed, and the Doctor and Jo grinned, turning to look at the unfinished machine in the room.

“So this must be-” Jo began, but cut herself off. They had no idea how far into the process he and Ada were.

“My difference engine,” Charles said, and the Doctor and Jo shared another look.

“Your difference engine,” Jo muttered.

“Oh, you know of it?” Charles’ voice had a touch of pride in it.

“In passing,” the Doctor confirmed, and he bowled on.

“As yet unfinished, it will count and perform quadratic equations,” he said proudly, and the Doctor grinned once more.

“If you're Charles Babbage,” she pointed to the man before turning to Ada. “You're not just any old Ada. You're Ada Lovelace. Daughter of Lord Byron and Annabella Millbanke. One of the great minds!” she said excitedly, but Ada’s brows pinched together in confusion.

“I am Ada Gordon, Madam,” she corrected, and Jo cringed at the slip up.

“1834,” she hissed to the Doctor, who’s mouthed ‘oh’.

“Of course you are, but maybe one day, who knows, you might meet a nice Earl. Oh this changes everything. This isn't an accident. Ada Lovelace, in Babbage's house. You're clues. You're important!” she rambled on, and Jo decided she would give up trying to stop the Doctor from revealing too much. Her eyes moved on from the unfinished Difference Engine, and travelled around the parlor.

“I am delighted to hear it, Madam,” Charles spoke, and the Doctor turned to him with a grimace.

“Yeah, it’s not good news,” she muttered. 

“What’s that?” Jo asked, pointing at a silver statue encased in glass. It appeared to be a dancing woman. It seemed familiar, and Jo couldn’t quite place it.

“Barton’s office,” the Doctor murmured to her, quiet enough that the others wouldn’t be able to hear, and Jo nodded, now remembering the photo of it in Barton’s office.

“This is the Silver Lady. A revolutionary piece of engineering!” Charles answered. “But like all great ladies, she is as much for decoration as for purpose,” he grinned hawkishly at them, and all three of the women in the room shifted uncomfortably, sharing awkward glances.

“How did you come by this?” the Doctor asked, moving on instead of addressing the era-typical sexism.

“It was a gift. Delivered by a young man, who said it was a token of appreciation. From his master,” Charles explained, and both Jo and the Doctor cringed.

“Of course it was,” Jo muttered.

“Was it,” the Doctor muttered darkly, before her face smoothed over. “What does it do?” she asked, and moved over to where a notebook lay open on a desk.

“It moves, and on occasion, projects,” Charles answered, and the Doctor picked up the notebook.

“On occasion, projects something like this?” she asked, holding up the notebook, showing a sketch of a Kasaavin. Ada gasped, stepping forward to look closer at the notebook.

“Mr. Babbage, you have seen the same form-” she began, but Charles didn’t let her finish, snatching the notebook out of the Doctor’s hands and stepping away.

“Madam, those are my private notes!” he exclaimed, but the Doctor ignored him, turning to Jo.

“The Master and the Kasaavin, what are they doing?” she asked, though she knew neither of them had the answer yet.

“Do you understand her, Miss Gordon?” Charles asked, to which the young woman shook her head.

“Not in the least, Mr. Babbage,” she answered. The Doctor turned to Ada.

“Ada, when was your first paralysis?” she asked, and Ada barely had to think.

“I was thirteen years old,” she answered. “That is when I was first transported, to the place where we met. Where I first saw an apparition,” she explained, and the Doctor looked like she was starting to connect the dots. Jo, however, was still pretty lost.

“And over the years, the paralysis recurs, with the same effect,” she said, and Ada nodded.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “No doctor has ever been able to diagnose the cause,” she sounded a bit forlorn at that, and the Doctor grinned.

“Well, this Doctor may be able to,” she turned to Jo expectantly at the pun, but Jo just raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. The Doctor cleared her throat, turning to the Silver Lady. “An apparition, from this machine?” she asked, and Charles nodded.

“Correct,” he confirmed. The Doctor felt along the side of the statue, and flipped a switch when she found it. The Silver Lady began to rotate, and the Doctor verbalized her thought process.

“So, they take you Ada, multiple times, from here and they study you, in their dimension, which means they can't stay in this dimension for too long,” she muttered, glancing at Ada, and Jo stepped closer to the Doctor, knowing that if a Kasaavin appeared, she would be prone once more. “But maybe they gain an ally. A mastermind. Who builds them a machine, which stabilises them in this world,” the Doctor continued, and Jo resisted the urge to take out her sonic and scan the statue, not wanting to have to explain yet another thing to Babbage. She had a feeling it would be fine with just Ada, but men in this century never let women have groundbreaking technology. “Long enough for them to send spies and to spread their work and start a plan,” the Doctor whipped around from the Silver Lady to face Ada and Charles. “Cause I’ve seen the map. In his hut. Multiple Earths. Except not. Not multiple Earths, multiple time periods,” Jo rolled her eyes at this.

“That’s what I said,” she muttered, but the Doctor only glanced at her before continuing.

“These creatures aren’t just alien spies on Earth. They're spies through time. Through history. Starting with you,” she looked at Ada, and Jo tensed, beginning to feel the tingling she had first felt back in Australia.

“Doctor-” she began to warn, and the silhouette appeared before she could continue, causing Jo to hiss at the pain, unable to complete her sentence. The Doctor put a steadying hand on her shoulder.

“That man at the Adelaide Gallery will be coming for me. I need to get back to where I came from -- find my friends and figure this out. And I’ve only got one way out of here. The same way I came in. If I use my sonic on the silver lady, I might be able to force this creature to throw me back to the 21st Century,” the Doctor explained, before a look of doubt crossed her face. “I hope,”

“You hope?!” Jo hissed out through gritted teeth, and the Doctor gave her a sheepish smile.

“If this is your plan, it is fraught with risk,” Ada cautioned, but the Doctor grinned.

“Where there’s risk, there’s hope,” she countered, turning back to the Kasaavin. “Deep breath,” she sighed, both to herself and Jo, before running at the silhouette, holding on to Jo’s hand so she stumbled behind the timelord. At the very last moment, right before they reached the silhouette, Ada grabbed the Doctor’s free hand. Her eyes widened. “Ada, no-” but it was too late, their momentum carried them all into the Kasaavin, and with a muted whooshing sound, they blinked out of existence.

“What?” the Doctor muttered from her spot on the ground, and she sat up, looking around. Gunfire could be heard in the distance, thought not distant enough in her opinion. “No!” she gasped, seeing the buildings around her. Definitely not 21st century England. Or 21st century at all. She turned to Jo and Ada, both of whom were still unconscious. “Jo,” she muttered, shaking the woman, who awoke with a groan.

“Where are we?” she asked as she slowly sat up, Ada sitting up with her.

“Are we safe?” Ada added, but before the Doctor could answer they heard footsteps coming in their direction.

“Don’t move!” A woman’s voice sounded, and the trio whipped their heads around, looking for whoever had spoken. “I said don’t move!” she repeated, and they froze. The woman finally stepped into the light. She was dressed in clothing typical of the late 1930s and into the 40s, and she held herself as if she was expecting them to attack her at any moment.

“We're not hostile. We're here by accident!” the Doctor was quick to assure her, and the woman stepped forward, peering at them all quizzically.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, before glancing at Ada. “And what’re you wearing?” her gaze moved from Ada, who was in her early/mid 1800s dress, to Jo, who was still dressed in her formal wear from Barton’s party, and finally, to the Doctor, who still had her fancy black suit and tie on.

“What are those noises?” Ada asked, flinching as more gunfire rang out around them, and the Doctor stepped toward the woman who had appeared.

“Where are we, and when?” she asked, and the woman looked at her in confusion.

“Don’t you know?” she asked, and the Doctor shook her head.

“Just landed, concussion,” she played it off. “Humor me,” The woman took a deep breath before responding.

“Paris, 1943,” she answered, and Jo cringed, looking at the Doctor with wide eyes.

“That’s not good,” she muttered, and the Doctor nodded in agreement. All of a sudden an engine sounded, and the woman’s eyes widened. “It’s a patrol!” she gasped, looking at the three women in front of her. “Inside, quick! It’s not safe!” she bade them, leading them to a nearby house. They all turned to watch from a safe hiding place when a truck pulled up. Half a dozen German soldiers got out, beginning a quick search of the block. Their senior officer stepped out behind them, and Jo had to muffle her gasp with her hand when she saw his face.

He pulled out a small device glancing at it before looking up.

“I know you’re here, and I will find you,” he promised, looking around. Jo thought for a moment that their eyes met, and she froze, holding her breath, but his eyes moved on, and Jo breathed out in relief. False alarm. “Especially you, Doctor,” he said, voice low and dark. “Coming, ready or not,”.

After the patrol had moved on, the woman led Jo, Ada, and the Doctor to her apartment.

“Of course he’s a nazi,” Jo hissed to the Doctor who shook her head.

“I don’t think he actually shares their ideals,” she murmured back.

“But he’s still wearing the uniform,” Jo countered, and the Doctor had no defense for that. The woman raced to a window, looking out and seeing the soldiers enter the building. She turned to the others. 

“You must hide, quickly,” she demanded, pulling up a couple loose floorboards and gesturing for them to get under. They quickly did as she said, climbing into the small crawl space and watching with bated breath as the woman replaced the floorboards.

Not even a minute later the nazi soldiers burst through the door, prompting the woman to look up from her journal in which she had been writing.

“Yes?” she asked, but got no answer. Heavy bootfalls sounded, and the Master came into the apartment, looking around. “You’re new,” she observed, but he ignored her.

Under the floorboards, the Doctor nudged Jo, who turned to look at her, a questioning look on her face. The Doctor gestured above their heads, and Jo glanced up, holding in a gasp when she saw the radio equipment stored with them. She then looked to Ada, who was terrified, and she held her finger to her lips, telling her to remain silent.

All three of them jumped at the sound of gunfire inside the apartment, but remained silent, waiting for the soldiers to leave. Jo could’ve cried when the door closed behind them, but it was quickly slammed open once more, the Master peeking back in after the fakeout, only to see nothing. The door closed once more, and the Master left for good this time. The desk that the woman had moved to be directly over them was quickly moved out of the way, and she scrambled to lift the floorboards.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Jo breathed, glad they had run into an Ally. The Doctor nodded, looking at the woman more closely.

“Got some interesting stuff under the floorboards here? Wireless radio equipment, as issued by the British Special Operations Executive. Very distinct, very large and very difficult to hide. You're not Parisian. You're a British spy -- I know that face!” she gasped. “Code-name Madeleine. Real name: Noor Inayat Khan. The first female wireless operator to be dropped behind enemy lines. Very nice to meet you. I'm not where I wanted to be, but I can work with this,” Jo smiled as she heard who they had run into. The Doctor turned her head to grin at Ada. “Ada, wait till you hear about Noor. She's as impressive as you. You grabbing my hand threw us off course, spat us out here!” she explained, and Ada nodded, though it looked like she was a bit distracted.

“I should like to come out of the floor now,” she said, and Jo giggled a bit.

Next Chapter

[buffyfan145]

Finally got to watch the 1996 miniseries of "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" and it was great!!! :D They did leave out some things from the book but overall I really liked it. Does make me wonder why there hasn't been a new adaptation yet. But always love that Anne Bronte wrote a novel that's pretty much a fanfic about Annabella Millbank, the wife of Lord Byron, and if their marriage falling apart, Byron's scandal with Caroline Lamb and Lord Melbourne, Percy and Mary Shelley being present, and Annabella falling for another decent man all happened at the same time after she read a biography on Byron. LOL :D