Episodes

  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 25

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 25
    Jun 29 2026
    In which Roxana attains the title and lifestyle of a countess through her spouse’s inheritance and carefully crafted public narrative, securing legitimacy and respectability for their family while reflecting on her conflicting feelings towards her children and past. Yet despite outward prosperity, she is haunted by melancholy and the threat of exposure from one of her daughters, whose suspicions jeopardise the carefully maintained concealments of her earlier life.
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    24 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 24

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 24
    Jun 28 2026
    In which the narrator compassionately reflects upon her past hardships and extends generous aid to a struggling widow, whilst carefully delineating the separation of her own ill-gotten wealth from her husband's honourable estate to preserve his fortune. The couple settles their considerable fortunes with mutual understanding and prudence, though beneath their prosperity lies a shadow of remorse and the apprehension of future retribution.
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    26 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 23

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 23
    Jun 27 2026
    In which a proposal of noble titles and naturalisation sets the stage for a private marriage that concludes a tumultuous chapter in a life marked by both prosperity and moral reflection. The newlyweds settle into a quiet felicity, honouring their faithful Quaker friend with generous gifts and tender attentions, while adopting foreign dress and customs in a delicate balance of pride and discretion.
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    25 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 22

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 22
    Jun 26 2026
    In which the narrative unfolds a painstaking correspondence and emotional negotiation between Roxana and a once-ardent admirer, marked by tender regret, cautious reconciliation, and the revealing of complex past disappointments. Simultaneously, Roxana wrestles with the enticing prospect of princely grandeur—fostered by a crafty maid’s news—and the sobering realities of her current entanglements, all while balancing pride, ambition, and the uneasy stirrings of conscience.
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    31 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 21

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 21
    Jun 25 2026
    In which a careful and circuitous search is made across several cities to discover the whereabouts of a certain Dutch merchant, whose elusive presence stirs much reflection and hesitation in the narrator’s mind. The episode concludes with an unexpected and awkward meeting, wherein past misunderstandings and present emotions mingle delicately, unfolding with a mix of ceremony and secret yearning.
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    25 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 20

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 20
    Jun 24 2026
    In which the narrator, burdened by the shame of her past and her unknown children, resolves through the counsel of her faithful servant Amy to adopt a new and concealed life among a sober Quaker family, transforming herself in dress and manner to escape her former infamy. This retreat brings a measure of peace and the means to quietly pursue old acquaintances and concerns from afar, while contemplating the melancholy reflections of a life once lived differently.
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    28 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 19

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 19
    Jun 23 2026
    In which the provident Mrs. Amy undertakes the maintenance and advancement of a young apprentice, revealing both benevolent intentions and a careful management of family secrets, while the narrator reflects on the dawning dissatisfaction with her former life and contemplates the future standing of her children. Amidst the subtle intrigues of social advancement and hidden identities, she begins to reconcile the weighty burdens of past choices with the hopes of a more decorous existence.
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    31 mins
  • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 18

    Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress Section 18
    Jun 22 2026
    In which Roxana recounts the establishment of a discreet and intimate arrangement with her noble benefactor, adopting private lodgings to preserve her comfort and privacy amid unwelcome solicitations. She also undertakes a secret inquiry into the fortunes of her neglected children, employing her faithful servant Amy to discover their welfare, revealing a mixture of hardship and charity in their uncertain lives.
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    15 mins