”Fröken på Huseby” är bekant för många. Florence Stephens blev inte bara känd utan också ökänd. Hennes yngre systrar Mary och Maggies liv är inte lika omskrivna men väl så intressanta som systerns. Genom deras rikliga korrespondens, med varandra och med många andra familjemedlemmar, släktingar, vänner och romantiska förbindelser, kan vi ta del av berättelser om hur livet kunde gestalta sig för överklasskvinnor födda mot slutet av 1800-talet som inte saknade ekonomiska resurser man kanske annat. Vad det var att vara en verklig kvinna, en verklig dam? Om deras resor och nöjen men även hur de upplevde världskrigen berättas det om i breven. Genom breven får vi också ta del av decennielånga romantiska relationer, äktenskap och skilsmässa. Breven beskriver sjukdomar och svårigheten i att hitta ett mål i livet men också deras framgångsrika företagande och om det som ger glädje och mening åt tillvaron. Breven berättar om kvinnoliv.

Florence Stephens is familiar to many, she became not only renowned but also notorious in the latter part of the 20th century. The lives of her younger sisters, Mary and Maggie, though less extensively documented, are equally compelling. Through their extensive correspondence—with one another and with numerous family members, relatives, friends, and romantic partners—we gain insight into narratives of how life manifested itself for upper-class women born towards the end of the nineteenth century who, while not lacking financial resources, may have been in want for other things. What did it mean to be a proper woman, a true lady in those times? The letters chronicle their travels and pleasures, as well as their experiences of the world wars. Through this correspondence, we also encounter decades-long romantic relationships, marriages, and divorce. The letters describe illnesses and the difficulty of finding purpose in life, but also their successful entrepreneurial ventures and sources of joy and meaning in their existence. The letters tell the story of women's lives.

This chapter focuses on how the cultural legacy of Joseph Stephens’ experiences as a young man working on the railways in 1860s India were translated into his life as a father of three daughters. He made an exceptional socio-economic advancement from 10 years as a subcontractor to become the owner of a large iron estate in south Sweden in 1867. Still only 29 years old, when he returned to Sweden, he remained dependent on his father George’s advice. Their correspondence reflects George’s ambition for his children, and grandchildren, to improve, become educated, work hard, and make their own futures. This chapter discusses how Joseph passed on the ideals to his daughters. With lesser legal rights than men and obliged to live by other norms, they faced obstacles for having equal opportunities. What impact did Joseph’s years in India have on his relationship to his daughters and on their lives? The chapter discusses in depth his relationship to his youngest daughter, Maggie. In a cursory way, she seems the most distant from her father’s expectations on duty, diligence, and labour. Yet eventually, she might have been the one most closely to represent her father’s and grandfather’s ideals.