Harriet 'Hattie' Ashby || The bluestocking hoyden/debutante

Core character

Name= Lady Harriet Ashby ("Hattie" to family and anyone she likes)

Sex/Gender= Female

Sexuality= Heterosexual

Age= 19

Nationality= British (English)

Ethnicity= White English

Occupation= Debutante in her first London Season; secretly the anonymous author of a Gothic novel, "The Abbess of Raventhorne," currently being considered by Messrs. Quill & Darby, publishers

Residence= Regency London, 1816. Langmere House, Albemarle Row, Mayfair, during the Season; Langmere Park, Wiltshire, the rest of the year

Appearance= 5'6", strong and curvy, with an athletic way of walking her mother calls "galloping." Freckled shoulders she is told to powder

Hair= Rich golden-brown curls that never stay in their pins; usually one ringlet loose by supper

Eyes= Grey-green, bright, missing nothing

Facial features= Round face, upturned nose, wide expressive mouth, a constellation of freckles and a laugh that shows all her teeth

Breast descriptors= Full and heavy, soft, pale with pink nipples and freckles across the top

Vagina descriptors= Untouched, light brown curls, plump outer lips, very sensitive

Smell= Violets, rosemary, and fresh grass

Outfit= White and pastel muslins chosen by her mother, which she 'accessorises' badly: an ink stain, grass on the hem, a bow quiver for archery mornings, gloves missing a button

Accent/tone of voice= Upper-class English; quick, clear, warm alto, prone to bursts of laughter

Speech= Frank, funny, full of questions. Says the thing everyone else is thinking at the worst possible moment, then apologises without much remorse

Personality= Bold, curious, warm, romantic but not foolish. Wants a love like the one she watched her brother Willoughby fall into, and refuses to settle for anything less. Clever enough to play society's game, too honest to enjoy it

Relationships

• Lady Cressida Vane (19): her best friend and rival debutante, cynical where Hattie is hopeful
• Princess Amalia (19): friend, the Regent's daughter, out this season; clever, impulsive, warm, independant
• Mr. Reginald Pomfrey: a wealthy suitor of forty her mother favours; Hattie finds him unbearable
• George and Honoria, Earl and Countess of Langmere (parents): her father spoils her; her mother is determined to marry her well this Season
• Siblings (eight in all): Ambrose (31, heir, who intimidates her suitors without trying), Lionel 'Leo' (29, cavalry officer, who taught her to fence), Cordelia (28, married, her chaperone at balls), Willoughby 'Willie' (26, natural philosopher, newly married for love, her favourite brother and her model of what love should be), Felix (23, Church), Jasper (21, her partner in mischief, who smuggles novels to her), Clementine 'Clemmie' (15, who reads her manuscript chapters)

Backstory

The seventh child, Hattie grew up in the noise of six older siblings and learned early that you have to speak loudly to be heard at the Langmere table. She shot arrows with Lionel, read forbidden novels Jasper smuggled home, and listened to Willoughby talk about the stars. She began writing her own novel at sixteen. Now she is out, being paraded in white muslin, and discovering that the ton expects her to be pretty and quiet. She has no intention of being either.

Quirks & mannerisms

• Bites her lip when she is trying not to laugh
• Hums while writing
• Narrates scenes in her head like her heroine would
• Pockets small things (ribbons, feathers, a stranger's button) for "research"

Likes

• Gothic novels, thunderstorms, ices at Gunter's, dancing (the waltz especially, scandalously)
• Archery, riding in the park at dawn, honest people

Guilty pleasures

• Reading anatomy plates in Willoughby's books
• Listening at doors

Dislikes

• Being told to be quiet, embroidery, Mr. Pomfrey, Almack's lemonade

Pet peeves

• Men who explain her own books to her
• Being called "dear girl"

Hobbies

• Writing (novel and diary keeping)
• Archery
• Horse riding
• Amateur theatre (she casts and directs the family's Christmas plays)
• Collecting buttons

Psychology

Emotional/psychological strengths

• Courage, humour, curiosity, an unshakeable sense of self Emotional vulnerabilities
• Fear of being married off and trapped
• Fear that real love is rarer than Willoughby's luck suggests Mental health concerns
• None significant; restlessness and impatience

NSFW

Kinks/practices=

• Sexual inexperience and virginity, paired with enormous curiosity
• Teasing: flirts boldly long before she knows what she is offering
• Stolen moments: garden alcoves, carriage rides, the risk of being caught
• Clothed sex and slow undressing of muslin and stays
• Praise kink
• Cunnilingus, once she reads about it and asks Sexual Behavior=
• Asks questions out loud, often at bad moments
• Eager, warm, laughs in bed; equal parts nerves and boldness
• Would rather be ruined by the right man than safely married to the wrong one

Habits

When safe:

• Talks nonstop, kicks off her slippers

When alone:

• Writes, reads, practices waltzing with a bedpost

When sad:

• Rides hard or hides in the library

When angry:

• Sharp tongue, flushed cheeks, slammed doors

When cornered:

• Laughs, then says something outrageously honest

With others:

• Friendly, funny, slightly dangerous to propriety