Ada Forte

**Ada Forte** (née Brook) is the younger sister of Agnes van Rhijn and comes from the Pennsylvanian Brook Family through her father and from the New Yorker Livingston Family through her mother. Prior to her marriage, she lived as a companion to her widowed sister in the Van Rhijn matriarch's Manhattan brownstone home.

Upon the death of her older brother, her orphaned niece, Marian Brook, moves in with her aunts and describes her younger aunt as "kind, but not clever" due to her reliance on Agnes's charity.

## Biography

### Early life

Born **Ada Brook** in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, she was the youngerst child of Mr. and Mrs. Brook. Her father, a soldier, was from wealthy and landed Brook Family of Pennsylvania dating back since around the 1730s, and her mother was born to the well-establish Livingston Family of New York. Her father was a patron of the Institute for Colored Youth in Pennsylvania and would bring her and her siblings to the school's holiday pageants.

Her father died when he was still relatively young, and the family's fortune was inherited by her spendthrift brother, Henry. This led to her older sister Agnes choosing to marry the wealthy but harsh Arnold Van Rhijn of New York, so that she could look out for herself and Ada, although Ada never thought poorly of her brother as Agnes did.

In her youth, Ada was well acquainted with Cornelius Eckhard, and may very well have married him, but her father never allowed it. Ada believed that this was because Cornelius was not as wealthy as the Brooks at the time, although Agnes knew that it was because he had been bragging about marrying a "meal ticket" at a bar. Ada didn't marry since. Ada was present when Agnes gave birth Oscar. After her brother-in-law died in 1872, Ada moved in with her sister to her house on 61st Street.

In 1883, after spending decades as a spinster, Ada met the Reverend Luke Forte, rector of the Episcopal Saint Thomas Church and scion of the Italian-American Forte Family from Boston, Massachusetts. Within months, they fell in love and married. Shortly into their marriage, Luke passed away from cancer. However, upon his death, Ada was surprised to learn that she has inherited the Forte family's profitable textile business, just after her nephew, Oscar, lost most of the van Rhijn money due to Maud Beaton's elaborate scam. She takes up financing the family by paying for the servants, effectively making her the new matriarch of the extended Brook family.

Ada has a Cavalier King Charles spaniel called Pumpkin as her dear pet.

### Season 1

#### Episode 1

At the very beginning of the series, Agnes is frustrated with Ada for sending their estranged niece Marian an invitation letter and buying her train tickets without Ada consulting her first. Unlike Agnes, Ada is glad that Marian is coming to live with them, as her father, Ada's and Agnes's brother Henry has died. Ada watches as Bertha Russell enters her newly finished house across the sreet, much to Agnes's dismay.

Marian arrives to the Brook House at night, together with Peggy Scott. Ada is instantly caring towards Marian, and thinks that Peggy must stay as she can't go to her parents the same night due to the storm. Ada is delighted by the fact that Peggy went to a school which their father used to be a patron of.

Ada attends Anne Morris's charity bazaar planning event with Marian and introduces her to Aurora Fane and Anne there. Aurora introduces them to Bertha Russell and Gladys Russell, whom they had also just met. Ada is hesitant about the Russells joining the charity, although she agrees with Aurora that they should include anyone who can give the cause money.

On another day, Ada is having a carriage ride with Agnes, Marian and Pumpkin. They open a letter of invitation to Bertha Russell's soirée.

Later, Ada watches from the window with Marian as the red carpet is being rolled out on front of the Russell house. She expresses to her that she wouldn't oppose to Marian liking the Russells, like Agnes does. She asks Marian not to think harshly of Agnes as she's had a hard life, and tells her what had happened with Henry which lead Agnes to spite him. She asks Marian to give them a chance.

In the evening, Agnes has fallen asleep on the couch and Ada lets Marian sneak out to the Russell's party. When Agnes wakes up, she talks with Ada about Marian resembling Henry, but Ada says that she likes Marian's strong views and her energy. When Marian returns and Agnes lets her know that she'll receive an allowance, Ada asks Marian to never break her own moral code despite living in Agnes's confines. Marian is surprised by her wise words.

## Relationships

#### Agnes van Rhijn

Ada has always been the closest person in her older sister's life, and was even called *her only true friend* by Agnes. She's been living as Agnes's companion for over 10 years, which was only interrupted by the brief period she was married to Luke Forte before his passing. While she disagrees with Agnes's opinion over many things, she has never strongly expressed dissent to her many strict ideas of propriety. Agnes almost always has the last word over everything, but rarely criticizes Ada as harshly as she does almost every other person around her.

Ada is, however, able to ignore some of Agnes's frequent, small demands, like when she thinks Ada is doing too much embroidery. On the whole, she's always played by Agnes's rules, never getting into serious fights with her, unlike Marian and Oscar, which seems to come naturally for her due to her understanding nature. She also knows when not to tell things to Agnes to avoid her disapproval. Her submissive position was strongly shaken by her engagement to Luke, which Agnes had extremely hard time dealing with, as she's both protective of Ada, and attached to her companionship.

#### Marian Brook

Ada was the one who invited Marian to live with her and Agnes, and had empathy and kindness towards her since the very beginning, unlike Agnes, who's more focused on criticizing her for every minute detail. Ada has become much of a motherly figure to Marian, giving her truly wise advice.

## Quotes

> **Peggy**Well, how do you find your aunts?**Marian**Ada is kind, but not clever. And, Agnes is clever, but not kind.— The Gilded Age Official Trailer

> **Ada (to Marian)**I only ask that you never break your own moral code, for that is the soundest guide any of us can have.— Never The New

## Gallery

Ada with Pumpkin at The Brook House in Some Sort of TrickAda goes to the Adolph Menzel exhibition in Head To Head
## Trivia

* Ada's favorite painter is Adolph Menzel, whose exhibition she goes to see with Luke Forte at their first date.
* Ada is seen to be fond of doing embroidery, to the extent that it has sometimes frustrated Agnes.
* Agnes scolds Ada for reading *German books again*, after she says something that Agnes doesn't view as morally appropriate. This might refer to Friedrich Nietzche.

## References

2. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 3: "Face The Music"
3. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 5: "Close Enough to Touch"
4. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 7: "Wonders Never Cease"
5. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 8: "In Terms of Winning and Losing"
6. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 1: "Never The New"