Vivian Somerset

Vivian Somerset, 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)
 * Chapter 6: A Sordid Affair (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 7: Belle of the Ball
 * Chapter 8: The Chase
 * Chapter 9: The Cause
 * Chapter 10: Power Play (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 11: Upper Echelon
 * Chapter 13: Raising the Stakes (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 14: Buried Truths
 * Chapter 15: Reckoning
 * Chapter 16: The Bride

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.

Between her, her son, and her daughter-in-law, she is the one who is more active in introducing you to British society and have you uphold the virtues that would impress their peers. In Chapter 8, she is displeased if you do not act with decorum and at the rumors of you spending time with one of your love interests during the birthday gala.

In Chapter 11, she berates Percy Jennings for insulting you at Ambassador Worthington's dinner party.

Gemma
The dowager viscountess disproves of Gemma's interest and forward-thinking regarding the women's suffrage movement. At Ambassador Worthington's dinner party, when Gemma suggests a game of Imposter, Vivian says it sounds like childish nonsense and excuses herself from the game.

Hugh Crawford
The dowager viscountess tolerates Hugh Crawford because he is your family's solicitor, but as expected by people of peerage, she looks down on his status. If he is your love interest and you ask him to help you, he impresses her by his connections. He tells her that he has a repertoire of clients including Lord Dashton and Lady Elliott, which surprises her and pleases her that he can introduce you to such people.

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 the financial problems.
 * She lives in the dower house on the estate grounds.
 * In Chapter 7, Countess Whittenby reveals that her first name is Vivian.
 * She shares the same first name as Vivian Dalton, Sam's mom in The Nanny Affair series.
 * In Chapter 9, she states she is in the "latter quarter" of her lifetime.