Born as the second child to a physician and his wife, Elizabeth belonged to a comfortable middle class family. Her older brother was two years her senior, and her mother went on to have another five children; three boys and two girls. Growing up, Elizabeth was shy and demure, as her parents expected her to be. She never spoke unless spoken to, and though her brothers often tousled playfully in front of one of the many extravagant fireplaces that decorated their home, she would much rather curl up with a book. She was tutored with her other siblings by an elderly man who always reminded her of a crow, with his beady eyes and sleek, oily hair. She was taught to read and write, as well as her numbers and geography, French and Latin.
As she grew up, Elizabeth rarely ventured outside the grounds of her home, which wasn't large, though there was a comfortably sized garden, stable and courtyard. She developed an enjoyment in gardening, and the pretty young lady could often be found tending the roses. When she was seventeen, her parents introduced her to John Wickes, the son of a well respected banker. He was upright, and respectable, with an outstanding reputation in London, where they lived. He courted her slowly, taking every step with carefully considered thought before he took it, and it took him three years for him to ask her father for her hand. They married the following summer, on her birthday, confirming Elizabeth's financial security for the rest of her life. He was a sweet man, and romantic, though not passionate, and though Elizabeth didn't regret her marriage, for the months after their consummation her life became much more dull.
Nine months later, Elizabeth delivered her first child - a girl that had the same beauty as her mother. She was Elizabeth's everything, and gave her life new meaning. However, tragically, it wasn't to last long. Elizabeth was killed abruptly in a carriage collision, which killed her instantly.
After dying, Elizabeth experienced the sort of darkness that not even a candle could illuminate, and though she could see the Beyond with in her grasp, she could not reach it. She was forbidden entrance, and was sent back to her body, broken as it was, with a guide who explained to her that she still had things to do before they would allow her to pass those gates. The guide took the form of her shadow, and since she returned to 'life', it has been mute, almost like a pet.
Elizabeth knew that she could no longer stay with her family, and was forced to the edge of society. No one remembered the fact that her body disappeared, and grave robbers were blamed for the so called theft. She left them, and temporarily changed her name. Wretched and poor, the beaten woman was forced to face the fact that she was now little more than a beggar, with death denied her, forced to outlive all those she met and give up her newborn girl.
As time does, it passed. Elizabeth grew grim and sober, and left London for a long time. She travelled the world, and in desperation, did all the things she could think of to release her soul. She fought, under the guise of a man, in both world wars, became a nurse to fight the Spanish Influenza, and every disease since. Having done all she could, she now begins to grow tired.