Vivian Somerset

Dowager Ashbourne, a character in The Unexpected Heiress series, is the mother of Theodore Somerset and the Dowager Viscountess of Ashbourne. She is first seen in Chapter 2.

Appearance
The Dowager has white hair tied to a bun, light skin, brown eyes, and three moles on her left cheek. She wears a golden tiara, glasses, and a silver necklace. She also wears a purple jacket with golden patterns, and a white blouse underneath with floral decorations.

Personality
According to Effie, the dowager is the most traditional of the family. She doesn't mince words and doesn't hide her distaste for ideals that go against tradition, such as suffragism.

The Unexpected Heiress

 * Chapter 2: Blood Relatives
 * Chapter 4: Roses & Thorns
 * Chapter 5: Without a Trace (Mentioned)

Theodore Somerset
Theodore Somerset is her son.

Blythe Somerset
Blythe Somerset is Theodore's wife and her daughter-in-law.

Francis Somerset
Francis Somerset is Theodore's older son and heir.

John Somerset
John Somerset is Theodore's younger son. They took him in when he was an infant shortly after their daughter died in infancy.

Amelia Hayes
Amelia earned the dowager viscountess' gratitude when she persuaded your father to give money to the dowager's grand-nephew. She mentions Amelia's 'generosity' and 'powers of persuasion' when she tells you the story. If you ask her if Amelia ever needed money for anything, the dowager says Amelia always seemed to have an abundance of money. The dowager likes to think that she and Amelia understood one another and appreciated their given roles.

According to Francis, his grandmother believes the doctors who said Amelia died of natural causes. She is not suspicious of foul play even though the illness that she died of is not common in women as young as her.

Your Character
At the formal dinner, you are introduced to the viscount, the viscountess, and the dowager viscountess. She questions you about your father and the number of his wives. Although she finds divorce distasteful, if you tell her that your father's divorce from Amelia's mother was for the best, she says it sounds almost strategic and is impressed by you. If you tell her that your father is busy raising your two younger half-brothers, she asks you if you're jealous or not mind that his attention is no longer on you. When you reply that you're not, she is impressed again. She is happy to find that you're family-oriented.

Gemma
The dowager viscountess disproves of Gemma's interest and forward-thinking regarding the women's suffrage movement.

Trivia

 * Her character model resembles Cora Pritchard from It Lives In The Woods.
 * When you ask her about Harry Burton, she mentions having had "fiscal troubles" in the past, but does not explain the nature of her financial problems.
 * She lives in the dower house on the estate grounds.