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{{Character
{{Character
|image1 = Bohogirl3.png
|image1 = Bohogirl3.png
}}<blockquote>''"The Soft-Hearted Widow is jingling her collecting tin along the queue for the theatre. When she sees your fine clothes, she rattles the tin loudly enough to distress the horses pulling nearby hansoms. Don't you recognise her from somewhere?"''<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Soft-Hearted_Widow|The Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The Soft-Hearted Widow is a well-known philanthropist, offering shelter to newcomers in the city.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Charm_your_way_into_someone%27s_home Charm your way into someone's home, ''Fallen London''] ''"Are you a replacement for a child she lost? Or is her interest in you a little more carnal? Either way, you become the Soft-Hearted Widow's guest.''
|location=[[London]]}}<blockquote>''"The Soft-Hearted Widow is jingling her collecting tin along the queue for the theatre. When she sees your fine clothes, she rattles the tin loudly enough to distress the horses pulling nearby hansoms. Don't you recognise her from somewhere?"''<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Soft-Hearted_Widow|The Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Soft-Hearted Widow''' is a well-known philanthropist who offers shelter to new arrivals in [[London]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Charm_your_way_into_someone%27s_home Charm your way into someone's home, ''Fallen London''] ''"Are you a replacement for a child she lost? Or is her interest in you a little more carnal? Either way, you become the Soft-Hearted Widow's guest.'' ''You deserve somewhere better, of course. But this will keep you out of the cold. […]"''</ref> She provides them with three hot meals a day and initial lodgings — whether a spare guest room,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Spare_Bedroom A Spare Bedroom, ''Fallen London''] ''"The guest-room of a soft-hearted widow. Three hot meals a day and a real feather-bed go some way towards compensating for the weekly, and noisy, hymn-singing sessions in her parlour."''</ref> bedroom, or whatever space she can borrow.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Shelter_a_newcomer_to_London Shelter a newcomer to London, ''Fallen London''] ''"The Soft-Hearted Widow has asked you for a favour."''</ref> She is often seen collecting donations, as she campaigns tirelessly for support for her charity.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Soft-Hearted_Widow|The Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}} ''"The Soft-Hearted Widow is jingling her collecting tin along the queue for the theatre."''</ref>


''You deserve somewhere better, of course. But this will keep you out of the cold. […]"''</ref> She provides them with three hot meals a day and initial lodgings—whether a spare guest-room,<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Spare_Bedroom A Spare Bedroom, ''Fallen London''] ''"The guest-room of a soft-hearted widow. Three hot meals a day and a real feather-bed go some way towards compensating for the weekly, and noisy, hymn-singing sessions in her parlour."''</ref> bedroom, or whatever space she can borrow.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Shelter_a_newcomer_to_London Shelter a newcomer to London, ''Fallen London''] ''"The Soft-Hearted Widow has asked you for a favour."''</ref> Often seen collecting donations, she tirelessly supports her charity for the homeless.<ref name=":0" />
Over the years, the Widow has taken in more than a few unusual tenants, and their fates frequently haunt her to the point of anxiety and tears. The August Travel-Writer vanished without explanation,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Confession_of_the_Soft-Hearted_Widow|A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}} ''"The Widow has written of an August Travel-Writer she took in; better heeled than her usual lodgers, but insistent – his plight must have been desperate indeed. He kept odd hours and was often away, but on chilly evenings they shared tea and spoke of the prior Sunday's sermon. Until one November morning, when she found his room empty, and her lodger gone."''</ref> leaving the Widow to wonder if she had somehow offended him.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Confession_of_the_Soft-Hearted_Widow|A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}} ''"How had she offended him? She speculates frantically. Was her tea bitter? Her mushroom scones dry? Should she have invited him to dine with her guest – an old friend from the Admiralty – when he visited that week?"''</ref> (She did not. The Travel-Writer is an assassin<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Confession_of_the_Soft-Hearted_Widow|A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}} ''Wiki note: The August Travel-Writer appears in Sunless Sea. He is an assassin; he would have departed regardless of her actions.''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/The_August_Travel-Writer%27s_Request|The August Travel-Writer's Request|Sunless Sea|}} ''"The August Travel-Writer flips through his notebook while on your deck. "Awful thing, that murder. Commonplace here, I suppose. Fortunately, my interview was illuminating and my business on the Mourn is complete. We can depart. I've another port to visit, if you'd care for another hundred and fifty echoes.""''</ref> who was ostensibly being hunted by the [[Admiralty]], and left in haste upon seeing an officer visit.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Confession_of_the_Soft-Hearted_Widow|A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow|Fallen London|}} ''"Should she have invited him to dine with her guest – an old friend from the Admiralty – when he visited that week?"''</ref>) The Fidgeting Writer, a restless soul haunted by [[The God-Eaters|three mysterious figures]], also left his lodgings suddenly; the Widow wishes she could have done more to help him in his predicament.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Track_down_the_Fidgeting_Writer Track down the Fidgeting Writer, ''Fallen London''] ''"A Soft-Hearted Widow shows you the leaky garret he used to rent. The worst holes are plugged with discarded poem-fragments, the words ruined by the rain. Honey-scent clings to the rafters.'' ''"I do miss him," she sobs. "It was an accident. I'm sure it was an accident. When he wrote I wouldn't see him for days on end – I thought he was at his work. I didn't know he..." she can't continue."''</ref>


Over the years, the Widow has taken in more than a few unusual tenants. One such lodger was an August Travel-Writer, who vanished without explanation, leaving her to wonder if she had somehow offended him. In truth, the Writer was being hunted by [[The Admiralty]], and when he spotted an officer in the Widow's company, he knew it was time to disappear.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Confession_of_the_Soft-Hearted_Widow A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow, ''Fallen London''] ''"The Widow has written of an August Travel-Writer she took in; better heeled than her usual lodgers, but insistent – his plight must have been desperate indeed.''
The Widow once had a rather surprising second occupation. Before [[Knife-and-Candle]] was outlawed, she worked as a signaler for players of the underground murder-game, discreetly informing them when to make their moves.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meet_her_eyes_and_make_the_Sign Meet her eyes and make the Sign, ''Fallen London''] ''"This one sometimes carries messages for the Game of Knife-and-Candle. Is it time?"''</ref>
 
''He kept odd hours and was often away, but on chilly evenings they shared tea and spoke of the prior Sunday's sermon. Until one November morning, when she found his room empty, and her lodger gone.''
 
''How had she offended him? She speculates frantically. Was her tea bitter? Her mushroom scones dry? Should she have invited him to dine with her guest – an old friend from the Admiralty – when he visited that week?"''</ref> Another of her tenants who left suddenly without notice was the Fidgeting Writer, a restless soul haunted by [[The God-Eaters|three mysterious figures]].<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Track_down_the_Fidgeting_Writer Track down the Fidgeting Writer, ''Fallen London''] ''"A Soft-Hearted Widow shows you the leaky garret he used to rent. The worst holes are plugged with discarded poem-fragments, the words ruined by the rain. Honey-scent clings to the rafters.''
 
''"I do miss him," she sobs. "It was an accident. I'm sure it was an accident. When he wrote I wouldn't see him for days on end – I thought he was at his work. I didn't know he..." she can't continue."''</ref>
 
Yet, the Widow’s past holds secrets of its own. When [[Knife-and-Candle]] was still legal, the Widow had a very different role that ran counter to her charitable efforts. She once worked as a signaller for players of the deadly underground game of intrigue, discreetly informing them when to make their moves.<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Meet_her_eyes_and_make_the_Sign Meet her eyes and make the Sign, ''Fallen London''] ''"This one sometimes carries messages for the Game of Knife-and-Candle. Is it time?"''</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 07:45, 6 February 2025

"The Soft-Hearted Widow is jingling her collecting tin along the queue for the theatre. When she sees your fine clothes, she rattles the tin loudly enough to distress the horses pulling nearby hansoms. Don't you recognise her from somewhere?"[1]

The Soft-Hearted Widow is a well-known philanthropist who offers shelter to new arrivals in London.[2] She provides them with three hot meals a day and initial lodgings — whether a spare guest room,[3] bedroom, or whatever space she can borrow.[4] She is often seen collecting donations, as she campaigns tirelessly for support for her charity.[5]

Over the years, the Widow has taken in more than a few unusual tenants, and their fates frequently haunt her to the point of anxiety and tears. The August Travel-Writer vanished without explanation,[6] leaving the Widow to wonder if she had somehow offended him.[7] (She did not. The Travel-Writer is an assassin[8][9] who was ostensibly being hunted by the Admiralty, and left in haste upon seeing an officer visit.[10]) The Fidgeting Writer, a restless soul haunted by three mysterious figures, also left his lodgings suddenly; the Widow wishes she could have done more to help him in his predicament.[11]

The Widow once had a rather surprising second occupation. Before Knife-and-Candle was outlawed, she worked as a signaler for players of the underground murder-game, discreetly informing them when to make their moves.[12]

References

  1. ↑ The Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Charm your way into someone's home, Fallen London "Are you a replacement for a child she lost? Or is her interest in you a little more carnal? Either way, you become the Soft-Hearted Widow's guest. You deserve somewhere better, of course. But this will keep you out of the cold. […]"
  3. ↑ A Spare Bedroom, Fallen London "The guest-room of a soft-hearted widow. Three hot meals a day and a real feather-bed go some way towards compensating for the weekly, and noisy, hymn-singing sessions in her parlour."
  4. ↑ Shelter a newcomer to London, Fallen London "The Soft-Hearted Widow has asked you for a favour."
  5. ↑ The Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London "The Soft-Hearted Widow is jingling her collecting tin along the queue for the theatre."
  6. ↑ A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London "The Widow has written of an August Travel-Writer she took in; better heeled than her usual lodgers, but insistent – his plight must have been desperate indeed. He kept odd hours and was often away, but on chilly evenings they shared tea and spoke of the prior Sunday's sermon. Until one November morning, when she found his room empty, and her lodger gone."
  7. ↑ A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London "How had she offended him? She speculates frantically. Was her tea bitter? Her mushroom scones dry? Should she have invited him to dine with her guest – an old friend from the Admiralty – when he visited that week?"
  8. ↑ A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London Wiki note: The August Travel-Writer appears in Sunless Sea. He is an assassin; he would have departed regardless of her actions.
  9. ↑ The August Travel-Writer's Request, Sunless Sea "The August Travel-Writer flips through his notebook while on your deck. "Awful thing, that murder. Commonplace here, I suppose. Fortunately, my interview was illuminating and my business on the Mourn is complete. We can depart. I've another port to visit, if you'd care for another hundred and fifty echoes.""
  10. ↑ A Confession of the Soft-Hearted Widow, Fallen London "Should she have invited him to dine with her guest – an old friend from the Admiralty – when he visited that week?"
  11. ↑ Track down the Fidgeting Writer, Fallen London "A Soft-Hearted Widow shows you the leaky garret he used to rent. The worst holes are plugged with discarded poem-fragments, the words ruined by the rain. Honey-scent clings to the rafters. "I do miss him," she sobs. "It was an accident. I'm sure it was an accident. When he wrote I wouldn't see him for days on end – I thought he was at his work. I didn't know he..." she can't continue."
  12. ↑ Meet her eyes and make the Sign, Fallen London "This one sometimes carries messages for the Game of Knife-and-Candle. Is it time?"
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