Gardiner, Perdita, Baroness Ackland

[Perdita Gardiner (Liz)]

TOPIC TITLE: Gardiner, Perdita
TOPIC DESCRIPTION: Baroness Ackland

Your Name: Liz
Age: 21
Contact Info: PM, YIM: DixieT318
Where'd You Find Us: Made the board, so you found me.
____________________
Name: Perdita Grace Gardiner (neé Tichbourne)
Nickname (if applicable): Poppy, though she introduces herself as Perdita as Poppy Gardiner is almost as bad as Isadore Bell.
Age: 26
Date of Birth: August 6, 1784
Title: Baroness Ackland

FAMILY
Samuel Gardiner, Baron Ackland - husband, born 1779 (aged 32)
--Miss Claire Pauline Gardiner - daughter, born 1804 (aged 7)
--Mr. Andrew Adam Gardiner - son, born 1806 (aged 5)
--Miss Diana Grace Gardiner - daughter, born 1808 (aged 3)

HUSBAND'S FAMILY
1. Mrs. Michael Turner (neé Miss Melody Gardiner) - sister-in-law, former governess, born 1773 (aged 38)
--Mr. James Turner (aged 15), Mr. Michael Turner, Jr. (aged 12), Miss Belinda Turner (aged 7)
2. Lucie Dobbins, Lady Parkhurt (neé Miss Lucie Gardiner) - sister-in-law, married Henry Dobbins, Baron Parkhurt, born 1776 (aged 35)
--Miss Phillipa Dobbins (aged 13), Miss Melanie Dobbins (aged 9), Mr. Thomas Dobbins (aged 6), Miss Catherine Dobbins (aged 4)
3. Mr. Thomas Gardiner - brother-in-law, born 1782
--Mrs. Thomas Gardiner (neé Miss Charlotte Hamilton)
---Mr. Thomas Gardiner (aged 2)
4. Mr. Charles Gardiner - brother-in-law, born 1785
5. Miss Caroline Gardiner - sister-in-law, born 1790

PARENTS & SIBLINGS
Sir Adam Tichbourne - father, born 1755 (aged 56), baronet
Lady Tichbourne (neé Miss Joanne Young) - mother, born 1766 (aged 45)

1. Mrs. James Paine (neé Hyacinth Anne Tichbourne) - sister, born 1786
--Mr. Franklin Paine (aged 6), Miss Amanda Paine (aged 3), Mr. Adam Paine (aged 1)
2. Mrs. Geoffrey Compton (neé Sylvia Claire Tichbourne) - sister, born 1789
--Miss Frances Compton (aged 1)
3. Mr. Peter Tichbourne - brother, born 1790

BACKGROUND
Little Perdita Tichbourne was born the eldest of what would eventually be the four children of Sir Adam Tichbourne, the peak of society in Brookham Green, a small hamlet in Surrey, and his wife. Sir Adam was a landowner and prosperous sheep farmer who was made a baronet by King George in 1785. Later that year, he met and married Miss Joanne Young, a pretty local girl. Poppy's parents were grateful to have her, though her father would have preferred her to be a boy, as he was most anxious to have an heir to whom he could pass on his new title. Still, Lady Tichbourne was young and they had plenty of time for a son. For her part, Lady Tichbourne doted on her firstborn, cuddling her and reading to her and playing pattycake, "marking it with a P for Poppy and me!". Poppy was still learning to toddle around and speak in complete, if simple, sentences, when her sister Hyacinth was born. Again, Sir Adam was disappointed, but once again, Lady Tichbourne was young, healthy 20 year old. Little Hyacinth joined Poppy and the two girls were the flowers of their mother's life.

By the time Miss Sylvia Tichbourne joined the household however, Sir Adam was getting annoyed. Three children in five years and all girls. They were pretty things, all with their mother's blonde hair and blue eyes, but they weren't boys. He really had no choice but to have a chat with Lady Tichbourne and impress upon her the necessity of having a male heir. Apparently the pep talk worked and the long awaited male, young Peter, was born a mere ten months after Sylvia. Sir Adam was satisfied and Lady Tichbourne was finished.

The next few years passed easily enough, with Poppy, Hyacinth, and Sylvia practicing their watercolors (Sylvia), writing poems (Hyacinth), and playing the harp (Poppy). When Poppy turned twelve, a governess was hired to teach them French, mathematics, and basic geography and history. Miss Gardiner was of a good family, though it had fallen on hard times due to some bad investments. In fact, her brother was a baron. Poppy had the opportunity to meet the Baron Ackland upon the occasion of her fifteenth birthday and found herself smitten. He was charming, in the way older men often are to impressionable young ladies. For his part, Lord Ackland saw in Poppy a biddable and pretty young girl who came from a wealthy family. 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. Thus, in 1801, at the age of seventeen, Miss Poppy Tichbourne became Perdita Gardiner, Baroness Ackland.

Because she was so young at the time of her marriage, Lord Ackland thought it best to allow his young bride some time to mature before starting a family. As a belated gift to her for her 18th birthday, he took her to Bath for the society Season she never had. Poppy enjoyed herself immensely and made the acquaintance of several kind ladies. She was quite put out, therefore, when she realized she was pregnant in the fall of 1802. A great interruption to her newly found social life, after all. However, a few exchanges of letters with her mother had Poppy warming to the idea of motherhood. Unfortunately, that winter, Poppy miscarried. Having grown to love her unborn child, Poppy fell into a bit of a depression, the only time in her life anyone can remember her being truly sad. Her moping and crying spells lasted for several months and only ended once and for all when she found herself pregnant once again in the summer of 1803.

The couple remained in their small townhouse in Bath until the birth of their daughter Claire the following February. Motherhood agreed with Poppy, filling her with joy once more. She played many of the same games with Claire that Lady Tichbourne had played with baby Poppy. She soon realized she was pregnant once again, much to her delight. She was looking forward to another baby, though upon Andrew's birth, Poppy had to admit to herself that she wasn't quite sure what to do with him. She'd never thought about having sons, though she probably ought to have, marrying a baron as she did. Still, she managed alright. After all, he was a little thing and, as her mother wrote, baby boys and baby girls of that age are really quite alike. Regardless, it was with much relief that Poppy's third child was another girl. Though she'd never think to ask, Poppy hopes that Ackland is satisfied and that he doesn't want anymore children.

Poppy finds herself in London this Season for her sister-in-law Caroline's debut. Because Sir Adam remedied the barony's fortunes, Miss Caroline is the only Gardiner daughter to have a true London season. Poppy brings her three children in tow, but plans to leave the younger two in the care of a nursemaid and hire a governess for Claire. After all, this is Poppy's first London season, too, and she plans to enjoy it!

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Blessed with golden curls, wide blue eyes and a charming pointed chin, Poppy is fair of face and coloring. Her lips are pink and frequently quirked in a smile, and her nose is small and pert, with a friendly upturn to it. Her skin is pale, and she burns terribly if out in the sun too long. She is of average height, standing at 5' 1", and average weight, weighing around 100 lbs. Her hips have widened after three children, though she has regained her otherwise girlish figure.

PERSONALITY
Poppy is a cheerful thing. To her mind, she has a lovely life and sees no point in feigning cynicism. After all, she has a husband to care for her, a beautiful daughter who is now old enough to serve as entertainment when her friends come over, a handsome little boy who is quite amusing in his own way, and a sweet little baby with whom to play. She has a lovely house in the country, and it's quite a bit bigger than either of her sisters' houses, and now a recently purchased house in London that her husband has given her license to decorate as she pleases. Truly, Poppy's world is a lovely one in which to live.

The other side of this sort of worldview, however, is the naivety that is inherent in it. Poppy has never met any truly evil or manipulative people (at least, as far as she is aware) and would likely be an easy target for some charlatain to take advantage of her. Luckily, Baron Ackland seems to have enough sense for the two of them. In addition, some find Poppy's seemingly boundless cheer irritating. Her sister Sylvia, for example, once asked in an exasperated tone if Poppy had ever been sad, to which Poppy replied that she had been very sad the day her friend Madeline married and moved away, though she also admitted that she was glad Madeline had made such an agreeable match. Sylvia had then thrown her arms in the air and pronounced that she had made her point.

Poppy is intelligent enough, though she's never had an opportunity to really explore her intelligence in depth. She's not a very serious sort and not at all prone to pondering the meaning of life. She does, however, enjoy inspecting stuffed specimens from Africa or the Americas and visiting museums to view sculptures. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but so far, it's only amused Lord Ackland, who is content to indulge his wife.

Poppy does not like people who mock others or who think it amusing to be cruel. Perhaps it is just the country girl coming out in her, but Poppy has never obtained the sort of cynicism that makes such jokes amusing. Poppy very much believes in the old adage "If you can not say something nice, it is best not to say anything at all." Luckily for her, she can usually find something nice to say.

She has never had to work for anything and really has never been told no. Of course, it could be because she never asked for anything outrageous. Poppy is not spoiled, though she is certainly indulged. Were she to request something and her request be denied, Poppy would likely set about trying to find a way to get what she wanted. Tenacity is one of Poppy's strong suits.

Finally, Poppy is biddable. She does not enjoy conflict and if a request seems reasonable with no lasting negative effects, she is likely to grant it. Her husband likes this about her, as he had little desire to marry a strong willed lady, and their marriage is a pleasant enough one. They do not feel passionately about one another, but they are both content in their relationship. Poppy suspects her husband has a mistress, given that he rarely troubles her with his physical needs, but he is always very discreet and never comes home smelling like another woman. Privately, she is rather grateful that he tends to his needs elsewhere, as Poppy is well aware where Claire, Andrew, and Diana came from. Three children is quite enough, thank you very much. Were Ackland to die, Poppy would certainly feel very sad and cry a good deal. Mostly, however, she would be concerned for her children and how the loss affected them. Poppy loves motherhood and makes a point to read to each of her children every night before they go to bed, in addition to keeping abreast of Claire's lessons. She views herself as a good mother and would take great offense to anyone who said any different.

Because Ackland's mother is rather old and suffers from terrible bouts of the gout, the dowager Baroness has asked that Poppy serve as chaperone to Ackland's baby sister Caroline, who is to debut this Season. Poppy is very excited by this, as she has never been to London. Bath was very enjoyable and she can only assume that London will be just as lovely. In fact, she would be very surprised if it was not even more so!

[Perdita Gardiner (Liz)]

RELATIONSHIPS
Family
Gardiner, Samuel (NPC): Her husband, Baron Ackland. She is fond enough of him and is highly unlikely to be unfaithful, but they are not in love.
Gardiner, Claire (NPC): Her oldest child, aged 7. Poppy thinks Claire is very smart and very sweet. Claire seeks to please and enjoys bossing her siblings around.
Gardiner, Andrew (NPC): Her only son, aged 5. Poppy thinks Andrew is charming, if a bit rowdy. She does not like his predilection for pulling Claire's hair, but he looks a bit like Ackland, which Poppy likes.
Gardiner, Diana (NPC): The baby, aged 3. Poppy loves to cuddle with Diana, though she does not approve of her tendency to throw temper tantrums. Diana is the least pleasant tempered of the Gardiner children, though Poppy hopes she will grow out of it.

Friends
Clare, Selina (Rose): Selina is one of Poppy's dearest friends. They've known each other since Poppy's first year in Bath, which was Selina's actual debut and Poppy's pseudo debut. Poppy was happy that Selina married such a wealthy landowner, though she personally thought her friend was fine enough to have snatched up a baronet at the least. The two were regularly seen strolling the streets of Bath and in each other's companies during parties. Poppy would staunchly defend Selina against anyone who thought to malign her, for she knows that Selina is kind and honest and anyone that says different is petty and jealous.

Acquaintances
Middleton, Jane (Aida): A new acquaintance.
Rathbone, Imogen (Vikki): Poppy met Lady Imogen during their mutual time in Bath. She thinks Lady Imogen is very pretty and has a lovely disposition, which makes her eventual demise all the more tragic to Poppy's mind. She also makes Poppy feel a bit guilty for her own good health and family, so Poppy doesn't particularly like to spend a great deal of time in Lady Imogen's company.

Loves
See Samuel Gardiner.

Rivals

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Last updated: May 30, 2009.