51

Miss Lena has a rather imposing presence in a room. Be it her somewhat aloof, stoic gaze or her tall, dutch stature — it feels like she is always looking over your shoulder. That said, it is more like the watchful eye of a diligent schoolmarm rather than anything malicious. Probably… Having just recently passed her fifth decade, Miss Lena is a woman showing the signs of aging, although she is trying very hard to combat them. The rising number of younger women present in the manor, paired with the fact that Lena has never taken a husband, has caused Lena to become increasingly preoccupied with her appearance.

While on the job, Lena’s face is always powdered and rouged, with a pleasant burgundy shade painted on her lips. Her hair, whose grays have been masked with black dye, is always perfectly pinned up in a braided bun, chignon, french twist, or various other updos convenient to keep her hair out of her face while cooking. If you were to see her after she has retired for the night, her mane falls in thick natural waves just past her shoulder blades. As for fashion, Miss Lena wears long, simple dresses in darker colors, which are very often topped with an apron that is covered with flour and various other ingredients. While she does usually wear a soft floral fragrance, Lena’s work often leads to her smelling like fresh baked bread or the spices of whatever meal she has recently been preparing.

As the Northam’s personal chef, Lena has lived in the manor for longer than Lord Northam himself has graced this earth. The Lord’s late parents hired her as an all around housekeeper when she was nineteen and she has loyally stuck with the family ever since. When the Northam’s hired the two younger girls to take over the cleaning duties, Lena was able to focus on the aspects of her position that she is most passionate about, which is cooking and baking. And looking after the younger children of the manor, of course.

Lena van der Meer is nothing if not an extremely dedicated woman. She has spent her life in service to the Northam family and not only does her job well, but does it with a smile. Having never started a family of her own, she delighted in being present to help raise the Northam children. Miss Lena has grown wise in her years and, in a maternal way, she has been known to give advice to the family, houseguests, and other staff members. Her words can either be like those of a kindly grandmother, or a person serving up a dish of tough love. Lena isn’t afraid to tell it like she sees it, especially now that she has so permanently grown into her position in the house. Lena is focused on propriety and order, in both the household and particularly among the female members of the manor. If anything is seen as improper or going against her traditional values, Lena will call it out and perhaps even scold it. This is all done in good heart and faith, of course, as Miss Lena only wants what is best for the family that took her in and has become her own.

All of these things being true, Lena has a paranormal secret that can influence her personality. While she does not know the word for it, nor would she refer to herself as such, Miss Lena is a medium. Even further than that, she is an empath. The ghosts that roam the halls of Manor North at night speak to her and, in moments of weakness, they can speak through her. For years, Lena tried to close herself off to them, to feign normalcy. But time and aging have taken a toll on Miss Lena’s spiritual fortitude and her mind has become more open to letting them in. When this happens, Lena is prone to bouts of uncharacteristic attitudes and emotions. Jealousy, bitterness, anger, and deep sorrow, to name a few. With the recent changes regarding the appointment of Alexander as Lord of Manor North, the feelings of jealousy and bitterness intensified. Whether this has something to do with the displeasure of Northams long passed, or Lena’s own feelings of entitlement, has yet to be determined. Perhaps both?

Ghost aren’t real. There is no afterlife on earth, only that which is beyond the gates of heaven, or the fiery pits of hell. These are things that every good christian is raised to believe. These were beliefs that every good christian family had. So when Miss Lena began openly talking about her “imaginary” friends as a child, the van der Meer’s grew concerned. When Miss Lena began talking about their names — the names of family members long passed that she had never even known — the van der Meer’s took action. Lena was sent away for religious correction. Clearly, she was possessed. This was the devil’s work! In order to “save” their little girl, the van der Meer’s shipped her off to the church, where she remained until she turned eighteen — reciting scripture and pretending to be normal whilst being the furthest thing from it. The religious surroundings did not stifle her abilities, more ghosts roamed the halls of that church than any Lena had ever known. Sad ghosts. Lost… broken souls, longing for the redemption that they were promised.

When Lena turned eighteen, she was as free as a woman could be at the time. Free to return to her family. To find a husband and start a family of her own. With her reputation as a woman tainted by evil, finding a good christian husband like her parent’s wanted proved difficult. Instead, Lena found work, and she found it at Manor North. The Northams were a wealthy, respectable family. Lena’s parents, of course, were thrilled that she had found a station with such a family, even if she was not to be wed. That could come with time and associating with the family, of course! But… it didn’t. Miss Lena worked as a housekeeper for the Northams all throughout her youth. She cooked, cleaned, shopped for household goods, and cared for the children. Lord Alexander was born just a few months after she had been hired, so Miss Lena has been present for the entire journey into the man that he is today.

In all this time, Lena has remained “Miss” Lena. She never wed, never even courted a man. That is not to say there weren’t opportunities. Plenty of handsome, single family members and guests passed through the halls of Manor North. But Lena was already married to her responsibilities. Married to the house. So she paid them little mind. Now that she is a woman passed her prime, she feels conflicted. She sees the way Alexander dotes on his young bride, and wonders about what she’s missed out on. She also looks at widowed Josephine, and feels like she should be thankful that she has missed out on love. But, despite the spirits in her head, Miss Lena is most definitely, woefully lonely.

Miss Lena believes that she was drawn to Manor North because of the great opportunity to work for and stay with a wealthy family, despite her tainted reputation. The true reason, however, is because the house and it’s otherworldly inhabitants wanted her here. As a medium and an empath, Lena could be their vessel. All things dark and dead could have a voice... through her.