Lydia was born in 1860 in North Berwick. Her father owned a general store, and her mother had, until Lydia, been a teacher at the town’s primary school. Lydia, although attending primary and secondary school to the maximum age allowed, was essentially home-schooled. Her mother encouraged her to learn piano and viola and she became an expert in many obscure Scottish poets whose names were not Burns. She was first a teacher, then for many years headteacher of North Berwick school. Although she was no disciplinarian, she had a way with words, and a good understanding of both how to get the best out of children, and keep them in line.

Lydia was a warm and engaging conversationalist, highly empathic and prepared to go as many extra miles as it would take to offer help or support. She was a foil to Hattie, and in many ways her filter. Hattie always said that Lydia made her seem a better person that she really was. Verity, after her mother was killed, was deeply reliant on Lydia for support although Lydia, mindful of Verity’s need to become independent, always delivered this in ways that left Verity stronger and more self-reliant.

Lydia and Martha, Verity’s mother, were inseparable. They grew up together, and by the time the latter was 9, she was more or less living with the Monktons, receiving the same intensive homeschooling as Lydia. Lydia was heart-broken when Martha was forced to move away from North Berwick, and when she married James Miller. At the time, she didn’t really understand what had happened, what she had done wrong. Much later, along with Verity and Hattie, she attended the reading of Martha’s will which was accompanied by a letter explaining why she’d done what she’d done.

Lydia was every bit as much a supporter of women’s suffrage as Hattie, but her contributions were more tactical. She wrote a series of pamphlets, articles and submissions to parliament, as well as regularly standing bail for her friend. 

As book 1 opens Lydia is still headteacher, facing the brutal reality of trying to help so many young families without fathers and uncles, and children facing the most uncertain future in living memory.