Lavinia Bidlow

**Lavinia Bidlow** was a wealthy benefactress funding the St. Romaulda's Orphanage for the Touched.

## Biography

### Before

When her younger brother Augustus Bidlow was ten years old, Lavinia took him and his friend Hugo Swann to go ice skating with her. Hugo pretended to be an ice dancer and made Lavinia laugh all day.

In 1896, months after the Touched began to appear throughout London, Lavinia visited Amalia True at the Strohman's Asylum. She asked about her turn and if she had seen ahead of time that she would be rejected for release by the board. Lavinia said she suspected Amalia could have been escaped if she truly wanted to, but she had no place to go. Because of this, Lavinia offered Amalia a board at her new orphanage for the Touched.

### 1899

After getting word that a young Touched girl was attacked, Lavinia invites Amalia and Penance to the opera house. There, herself, Amalia, and Lord Massen discusse ancient prejudices and the specificity of modern language, such as the differentiation between "the employed" and the French "employee." However, their evening is cut short upon the arrival of Maladie, Bonfire Annie, Winemar Kroos, who attack the theatre.

Upon discovering that the Orphanage is being raided, Lavinia consults with the commissioner of police before instructing Inspector Mundi to leave. Lavinia talks alone with Amalia and Penance. She explains that, with three of the Touched having declared war on society, everyone at the Orphanage is suspect in the eyes of the law. Lavinia reveals that the superintendent was pressured from above to order the warrant, but he couldn't tell her by whom. Lavinia then invites Penance and a few of the other girls to a monthly charitable fete at the Bidlow Estate. She hopes that a few attractive girls showing off their turns and their good manners to society's elite will alter society's perception of the Touched.

During the event, Lavinia notices Augie spending a bit of time with Penance. She takes him aside and warns her brother not to get too close to Penance. She reminds him that the Touched are her charity; if the guests suspect that Penance has social ambitions or is using a turn to bewitch him, the reports of their event could be disastrous for them. Lavinia blames herself for having failed to notice why he's been acting odd since the opera, but she now realizes that he likes Penance. She says that, while he is not clever enough to keep a mistress, they can't have a girl who is Touched and Irish bear the Bidlow name.

Lavinia meets with Dr. Hague in an underground tunnel, where there's an excavation around a bright-colored orb. The workers on the excavation consist of abducted Touched who had been experimented on. What Hague mistakes for fun, Miss Bidlow says is war.

Amalia tells Lavinia that someone has been abducting the Touched using her image. Lavinia wants to have the flyers taken down across London, but Amalia already intends to have someone watch the address advertised in case anyone turns up. As for what Miss Bidlow can offer, Amalia needs to know who owns the building. Lavinia then asks about Mary Brighton, who is still struggling to find her voice.

Lavinia attends Mary's funeral after she was shot in the park. She sings the hymn as Mary is lowered into the ground.

Lavinia continues to monitor the excavation and suspects the object is hatching. Each pulse the Galanthi emits a bright blue glow, which she shields her eyes from. Fearful that it might break due to the noticeable cracking, Lavinia orders for it to be killed. However, Hague is reluctant and believes that after another week of digging, they'll be able to safely transport it. Lavinia admits that her hope for a cure was childish, and she no longer believes this is the answer.

Lavinia encounters soreness around her eyes while having lunch with Augie. Now that Hugo's club has become a matter of public record, she advises her brother to steer clear of him, even though Hugo is Augie's friend and used to be Lavinia's as well. Lavinia has another headache, so Augie advises her to call Dr. Waterson. They suddenly overhear a conversation from another table praising Maladie's execution, which angers Lavinia, who screams back at the couple. Lavinia then tells Augie to stay out of the city tomorrow during the execution. He claims to have had no intentions of attending, as he's going to Brighton for the day for a new building opening. Lavinia notices his drawings or birds and Penance, then asks him to bring her a gift from Brighton.

## Behind the scenes

* She is portrayed by Olivia Williams.
* Her official description introduced: "A wealthy spinster and champion of the 'Touched,' Lavinia funds the Orphanage (where Amalia and many of the Touched live) through her vast family fortune. She is stern and old-fashioned, but as strong-willed and clever as anyone she confronts."
* Lavinia represents The Hierophant in *The Nevers* Tarot, a card associated with conformity, commitment, and beliefs.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *The Nevers* — "Touched." HBO, April 11, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *The Nevers* — "Hanged." HBO, May 9, 2021.
3. ↑ *The Nevers* — "True." HBO, May 16, 2021.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 *The Nevers* — "Exposure." HBO, April 18, 2021.
5. ↑ *The Nevers* — "Ignition." HBO, April 25, 2021.
6. ↑ *The Nevers* — "Undertaking." HBO, May 2, 2021.
7. ↑ James Hibberd, "Joss Whedon's HBO sci-fi drama The Nevers casts 12 actors." *EW.com*, July 30, 2019.
8. ↑ "The Hierophant." *The Tarot Guide*. Retrieved on October 2, 2022.