Cecilia Tallis

Grew Up… a wealthy, privileged girl on her family’s estate. She attends Cambridge University along with Robbie Turner, the son of their housekeeper and Cecilia's childhood friend.

Living... at home for the summer holidays. Robbie Turner is also home and trying to find the best way to confess his love to Cecilia. It is difficult for her to express or understand the emotions she is also feeling, but there’s definitely something special there. For now, Cecilia lets it amount to mild flirtation, but Robbie seems determined to make it something more.

Profession… student. At home, she doesn’t have to think about her studies and can focus on more entertaining things.

Interests… her family. Cecilia spends a lot of time looking after her younger sister Briony, with whom she has a close but often tense relationship.

Relationship Status... single. Cecilia has quite obviously fallen in love with Robbie, but there are more than a few things holding her back. For one, their gap in status – she's from the wealthy Tallis family, while he’s merely their housekeeper’s son.  What’s really stopping them, though, is their inability to express their feelings to each other. They end up fighting a lot – Cecilia once even calls him an “idiot” who broke “probably the most valuable thing we own.”

Challenge... confessing her love for Robbie. While this is clearly critical for Cecilia and Robbie's relationship, it's also important for their families to approve. It is also essential to tell Briony, who has gotten the wrong idea about their relationship.

Personality… intelligent and headstrong. Once she decides something, it’s hard to convince her to change her mind. Cecilia is proud of her heritage but wouldn’t think twice about cutting off all ties to her family and wealth if she thought they were in the wrong.