Plot 123: Victorian Era (1837-1901) Plots
Muse A has been groomed since birth to be a respectable noble-person, constantly reminded to practice the etiquette proper for their gender and expected to anticipate the day they will meet a well-bred suitor. Muse B has never enjoyed the privileged life despite being within arm’s reach of it; they’ve worked on the estate grounds for Muse A’s family since they were a mere child and have observed the high life of the aristocracy all the while with envious eyes. Perhaps due to their contrary social standings, Muse A has always been fascinated with Muse B and vice versa. With Muse A constantly under the watchful eye of their chaperone, Muse A and Muse B have resorted to leaving letters for one another in an old tree on the property; they’ve been planning for several days to meet one another in secret.
Muse A is fortunately matched to be married to Muse B, a wealthy aristocrat of higher ranking than the patriarchs of their own family. Though publicly reputed to be charitable and of high moral character, Muse B is a boorish, cruel person behind closed doors. Muse B’s sibling, Muse C, is sympathetic about Muse A’s undesirable union and one dreary evening they confide that this is not Muse B’s first marriage; they’ve had to endure their sibling’s awful behavior since they were young and they strongly suspect that Muse B was responsible for the demise of their first betrothed. Muse A and Muse C bond over their shared disdain for Muse B and they ultimately conspire to put an end to Muse B’s wickedness.
When their successful, merchant father amasses enough wealth to afford a valuable piece of property, a rather unrefined Muse A finds themselves thrust suddenly into the upper class. Though they have no title by birth, Muse A is now considered eligible for courtship by noble sort. Now more than ever, it’s of great importance that Muse A learns proper deportment- how to conduct themselves in society-from a professional; Muse B is hired for this purpose, to prepare Muse A for their debut to society at a grand ball. Every day Muse A attends etiquette lessons, in which Muse B attempts to teach essentials such as how to dress, how to ride a horse, and how to behave at a formal banquet and so on. Muse A proves to be an exhausting student, never quite behaving as they should, questioning every rule.
Muse A is an unhappy member of the royal family. Since they were a child, they’ve been reared to be a perfect model of virtue and modesty for the common people. For years, they’ve upheld boring traditions and repressed their true passions for the good of the crown. One afternoon, Muse A attends a play at the queen’s theater and is shocked by the vulgarity of the actors’ speech and risqué costumes. The shock quickly turns into intrigue. Though Muse A’s seated in an ornate balcony, sectioned off from the lower-class attendees, Muse A insists on meeting the actors after the play concludes. Muse B, the playwright and lead actor, is humbled when Muse A applauds their work and immediately commissions them to write another play. Muse B is excited, until Muse A reveals that they would like to star in this new play. If the queen disapproves of Muse B’s role for Muse A (or the new play in general), more than Muse B’s livelihood will be at stake.