Henrietta Smyth-Farrow
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Henrietta Smyth-Farrow |
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|---|---|
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Alive |
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| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | unknown |
| First appearance | Chapter 32 |
| Chapters with POV scenes | |
Henrietta Smyth-Farrow (often referred to as Henny by both friends and enemies) is a scion of Crispin Smyth-Farrow, the founding patron of Dorley Hall. She is currently based somewhere in Florida.
She is in her mid-thirties but looks somewhat older than her actual age. She is "exceptionally" well-groomed with a snobbish, aristocratic demeanor and a sharp, refined English accent (which slips into a more Americanized accent when she drinks); [SD 32] Elle Lambert likens her voice to "a wounded elephant giving birth." [SD 44] In an apparent attempt to blend in with her conservative circle in America, she dyes her hair blonde and styles it high over her forehead in what Elle derisively describes as a "church porch". [SD 43]
As a child, Henrietta and her brother Alistair were deliberately kept away from their father's activities and were raised in another wing of Stenordale. Henrietta states that when she was a girl she hated her father. [SD 36] She was "shipped off to boarding school at the first opportunity" and, afterward, to Cambridge for university. Neither sibling returned home, instead relocating to America. [SD 44]
Despite Crispin Smyth-Farrow cutting her and her brother out of his will and squandering "almost all" of his money before his death, Henrietta and her brother have maintained a certain level of affluence by ingratiating themselves with evangelical Christian fundamentalists in the US. [SD 32] (Elle alludes that they are working with prosperity gospel "maniacs".) [SD 44] Recently, the two have reportedly been attempting to insert themselves back into their father's original lines of business. [SD 32]
The new programme
The Smyth-Farrow siblings enter into business with Dorothy Marsden in late 2019. Dorothy, who has been squatting in Stenordale Manor with Valérie since leaving the Hall in 2005, is provided with security and logistical services by Silver River Solutions in order to rebuild a force-feminization programme emulating her original tenure at Dorley Hall. Henrietta seems to be the mastermind of the project and the primary decision-maker compared to her brother, who takes a more passive role. [SD 32] Dorothy orchestrates Declan's kidnapping from Peckinville custody as a means of revenge against the Hall for Karen's recent killing; at some point during the operation she makes the call to also capture and feminize Trevor Darling, rather than have him disposed of, due to his "pretty boy" looks. The Smyth-Farrows fund his forced transition to begin their new venture. Dorothy forces Frankie back into service to assist in Trevor and Declan's training. [SD 29]
The initial goal of the new programme is to produce a prototype from Trevor, who, upon completion of his feminization and training, is to primarily be used as a proof-of-concept during the Smyth-Farrows' first rounds of presentations to investors. Henrietta envisions the ultimate form of the new programme following a similar model to her father's usage of the Hall, allowing investors to target the sons of their enemies or rivals. [SD 32]
The Smyth-Farrows visit the Manor on December 25th to check in on Dorothy's progress with Trevor. When Trevor loses his composure at dinner, Henrietta immediately attempts to pull the plug on the operation and take Trevor back to the US to oversee his training personally. She is interrupted by Valérie, who argues that she is the sole person able to make functional women out of the men Dorothy breaks. Persuaded, Henrietta grants her three months to complete Trevor's training. [SD 32] The move ultimately buys Valérie, Trevor, and Frankie enough time to escape the manor on January 4th. In the aftermath of the escape, Dorothy sets fire to the building and goes into hiding; her remaining captive, Declan, is rescued from the burning building and allowed to flee the scene, eventually establishing a new life as Diana in Cherston-on-Sea. [SD 36]
Following the destruction of Stenordale Manor, Henrietta pivots: the Smyth-Farrows can continue to court investors with Dorothy's video footage of Trevor, Diana, and Val. Now in possession of Dorothy's client books, records, and much of her methodology, they have everything they need to replicate her work and only Elle Lambert as the main obstacle to their success. Elle has likley already been interfering with their plans, having recently orchestrated the killing of a potential contact (presumably connected to Grandmother's Dorley) that Henrietta had been interested to meet. [SD 36]
Elle Lambert
The ensuing police investigation at Stenordale Manorresults in the discovery of the graves of Crispin Smyth-Farrow's nineteen Dorley girls. On January 13th, Henrietta sends a lawyer, Rosa Carr, to Elle's office to deliver a message obliquely demanding Trevor's return to Silver River's possession. [SD 43] Rosa contacts Elle again on January 18th, this time making insinuations regarding Diana as well as Trevor. Later that day, Henrietta makes a public statement regarding the fire and the bodies discovered at the Manor. She announces a restitution program for the families of the unknown victims and names "Vincent Barbier" (Valérie's deadname) and Frances Barton (Frankie) as her father's accomplices; the move is intentionally designed to distance the Smyth-Farrows from both Dorothy's and their father's activities at the manor, disrupt the police investigation into the murders, and put pressure on Elle to give up Val and Frankie. [SD 44] By the 21st, Henrietta's Silver River agents have begun probing Peckinville's network and facilities, hinting at a larger operation behind the scenes. A Silver River agent attempts to enter Elle's secure Peckinville facility on the 22nd. [SD 44]
On January 23rd, Elle is attacked by a sniper while briefly traversing the courtyard to her vehicle; the attempt fails and the sniper is neutralized. The Peckinville washout assassin Cora and her handler, Haley, currently stationed in Florida, are activated to standby status. [SD 44]
Trivia
Henrietta once considered americanizing her surname but opted against it, finding its aristocratic cachet to be useful in her dealings with conservative Americans. Her American associates erroneously refer to her as "Lady" Smyth-Farrow (or sometimes "Dame" Smyth-Farrow). [SD 36]