Cassandra Mortmain

Living… with her father, stepmother, and siblings in a decaying castle in the English countryside. Cassandra’s father was a previously successful author, but his wife’s death leaves him without inspiration. Without a stable source of income, the “state of affairs” at the castle is quickly worsening.

Profession… aspiring writer. Cassandra is only seventeen, but she self-reportedly looks younger (and feels older). Cassandra has left school and keeps a diary to “practice her newly acquired speed-writing” and teach herself how to write a novel in hopes of eventually becoming a published author. Cassandra spends most of her time writing, often preferring to do so in unusual places like the kitchen sink and the top of the henhouse.

Interests… reading. Cassandra and her sister Rose enjoy reading Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Shakespeare, among others.

Challenge… a love triangle. Her sister Rose desperately seeks to marry one of the Cotton brothers, who have inherited the surrounding property and become the family’s new landlords. This wouldn’t be so unfortunate if Cassandra wasn’t falling in love with the same guy her sister has fallen for.

Personality… serious, reflective, and honest. She certainly isn’t perfect, but she’s aware of her shortcomings and examines ways of thinking she identifies as problematic to make larger discoveries about herself and those around her. Cassandra is deeply attached to her family, but that doesn’t stop her from applying her strong morals to its members, although she doesn’t often express them. As she writes about her sister Rose, “I regret to say that there were moments when my deep and loving pity for her merged into a desire to kick her fairly hard.”