Mary Elizabeth MacKenzie

Mary Elizabeth, nicknamed Lizzie, was born June 2, 184 as the youngest child and only daughter of Alistair and Alba MacKenzie. Growing up she split her time between the town house in Edinburgh and the large rural estate outside the town of Inverness that her father took them to summer at. The happy home didn't last forever -- Alistair was returning home from London when his carriage was found the next morning crashed into a tree and Alistair dead in the ditch. Robert insisted there was something suspicious about his death since the carriage was shattered, and Ian agreed, but Lizzie only heard of such things when she crept out of bed to listen at the boys' doors. She was 11 when her father died.

Her mother remarried -- George Ferguson was one of Alistair's business associates and very quickly moved to courting Alba once her husband was buried. Lizzie never liked Ferguson, and the feeling was mutual. The man made degrading comments to her mother and nasty comments and touches to her, and she begged Robert or Ian to do something about them. But they couldn't, and Robert moved to the family's estate in Inverness and Ian was at university, leaving Lizzie alone at the home in town with her mother and Ferguson.  She watched her bright and independent mother fade under the "love" of Ferguson, but it wasn't until a few years later at Christmas that Robert and Ian agreed with her enough to throw the man out of their home. Ferguson made the mistake of laying a hand on Alba in front of Robert, and any leeway the man had been given was cut off with that one hit.

She and her mother went to stay with Robert at the Inverness estate after the Christmas fiasco, and things went well for about a month until Ferguson showed up again. He only caused a nuisance for a day before he was found strangled in the stables in the early morning. The police blamed the murder on Ferguson's gambling debts and no one in the family disagreed.

Lizzie and her mother returned to Edinburgh after Ferguson's death. There was nothing to stay in Inverness for -- Robert had decided to go to America for a while, Ian was returning to his home in Glasgow for work, and Alba was stattered from the death of Ferguson. Lizzie tried to take care of her mother, but Alba refused her help and she was sent away from the house and installed at St. Margaret's nunnery outside of Edinburgh. If she had no desire for a family, Alba declared, then her little girl would give her life to God.  After all that she'd been through in the previous years, Lizzie didn't have it in her to fight. 

Within two years, though, the strict enviroment and the stifling atmosphere had completely turned off Lizzie to religious life. Her mother's wishes meant nothing now and Lizzie refused to live like this. She'd strike out on her own. After being told that she wasn't allowed to leave the nunnery until her five year novice period was over, Lizzie packed her bags and snuck out of the building in the dead of night and made her way to Glasgow to find Ian. Her mother would find her at Ian's, so her brother bought her a ticket to America and gave her the last known address he had for Robert.

And so she ended up in New Shelby, needing a fresh start and an escape from her life in Edinburgh. Although Robert was surprised to see her, he took her in without question and she plans to stay as long as Robert does. Edinburgh can wait.

MUN: Rebecca [contact]

Find Lizzie's Complete Bio [here]

• May 12, 1867; afternoon (~4pm).  New Arrivals: Lizzie surprises Robert... by showing up in New Shelby. [Complete] 

• May 17, 1867; morning (~9am).  Foal Inspections: Doc MacKenzie is checking in on Eli's new foal, and Lizzie comes looking. [Complete]

• May 19, 1967; late afternoon. Silver linings: Eli has found Lizzie's abandoned parasol, and decides to return it himself. [Complete]

• May 31, 1967; after supper. Lazy Ride: Lizzie comes to collect on the ride that Eli promised.[In Progress]