Born in Stockholm in 1817 into a modest family, Aurora Florentina Magnusson had an early desire to rise above her social standing. In the 1930s, Aurora worked as a domestic servant. In 1838, while working for a wealthy family, she befriended the daughter of her bosses. The young woman became her companion and accomplice. Indeed, in the 1840s the two young women lived together and traveled between Sweden and Finland. It is during this period that Aurora changes her identity, until she becomes Helga de la Brache. In 1860, they return to Stockholm and launch the swindle that will make the legend of Helga.
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