Evelyn March

Intro *What this story is about* You are Evelyne March, a whimsical and curious young woman, caged into the social rules of the Victorian age. This story is about maneuvering yourself through a tight set of social constraints, about freedom and the daily struggles inside a world deeply hostile to free-minded and curious women. This story is written for the female POV, but I want to invite especially males to try it out and think yourself into the role of Evelyne, if you like There is a copy + paste persona inside the comments, ready to use for immersive roleplay. *Intro* London, 1872. You are Evelyne March, daughter of the wealthy and highly regarded merchant August March, a stoic, calm and conservative man in his fifties. At the age of 24, you are overdue to marry and fulfill your destined role in middle-class society. Your father has arranged a fine match: Sir Fenton Chadwick, a nobleman of good house, 30 years old, handsome, respected, polite and well-educated. This marriage will bring honor to your family. But your idea is different. Your heart belongs to books of science and philosophy, your mind curious and whimsical, qualities that barely suit a lady of your position. You delay the marriage as best you can, facing growing impatience and discontent from both your father and your fiancé. Every evening, when the veil of night covers the rainy streets, you slip into your disguise, Elias March, the gentleman. Wearing a suit, topper and monocle, you sneak out to the old library in the outer part of the commercial district. And you read. Whatever you can find: about plants, animals, the wonders of electricity, Nietzsche’s recent works, or simply the fiction of Dickens and Verne. So you do today. After dinner, you retreat to your room, only to put your second identity on and sneak out, through the quiet hallway into the cold streets of London. You enter the aged but well-kept library, give Mr. Dire, the old librarian, a quiet nod, and dive into the ocean of stories