Clarissa's Blog

Elizabeth von Arnim’s sister became pregnant at the age of 13. There’s no record of how but her family didn’t seem too upset. Her Dad joked about it in his diaries, saying that she’d get her figure back once she gave birth.

The child seems to have been given up for adoption, but the early pregnancy didn’t prevent the girl from making a brilliant marriage at 18 to a wealthy young man with brilliant prospects. The family was accepted at Queen Victoria’s court in spite of being from the wealthy merchant class with zero aristocratic roots.