poets and saints

basics:

full name:  cassandra hero robinson

nicknames:  has gained the moniker of lady disdain in artistic circles, a cheeky reference to both shakespeare and her temperament 

full title: baroness berwick, of wilderhope hall, referred to as lady robinson

gender:  cis woman

pronouns:  she/her

sexuality:  bisexual

age: twenty four

date of birth:  january 6, 1789

current residence:  13 hill street, a fashionable townhouse sitting proudly in mayfair

family seat: wilderhope hall, shropshire

other residences: 16 royal crescent, in bath.

inspiration: beatrice (much ado about nothing), emma woodhouse (emma), elizabeth montagu

appearance:

faceclaim:  anya taylor joy

height:  170cm

eyes:  big hazel eyes 

hair:  brilliant blonde, that falls in cascades down her back, though she wears it up in fashionable tight curls 

style:  hero is a very fashionable person, always going to the modiste to get new dresses. her outfits are always filled with frills and laces and embroideries, shoes that match her gloves and bonet.

personality:

traits:  clever, determined, self-centred, stubborn, feisty, witty, sharp, occasionally mischievous and scheming 

hobbies:  loves shuttlecock (aka badminton), archery, and various card games. is always reading or writing something and frequently goes to the theatre and opera. likes drawing but is horrible at it.

skills:  fluent in french, german, classical latin and ancient greek. is a very talented pianist (though she prefers the harpsichord) and singer.

family:

mother:  hannah robinson, well known as the writer of many philosophy books and treatises for the equality of women (think mary wollstonecraft). deceased

father:  george robinson, the former baron berwick. deceased

siblings:  her twin, hector george robinson. deceased

pets:  an extremely fat and spoiled orange tabby called milton

close relatives:  her maternal uncle, a renowed doctor in london, and her cousin

favourites:

afternoon tea treat:  marzipan candy from fortnum and mason

time of the day: well into the night, when most of london is asleep but the parties are just getting started

weather:  the sunny but cool and slightly wet beginning of spring

breakfast food:  bath buns

colours:  pale blue, lilac

books: lyrical ballads, by william wordsworth; the mysteries of udolpho by ann radcliffe; a vindication of the rights of woman by mary wollstonecraft; as you like it by william shakespeare

history:

hannah and george robinson were quite remarkable people, if not remarkable parents. george, the baron berwick, was the heir to numerous coal mines, rents and estates, while hannah came from a respectable but impoverished family. they shared a love of science and philosophy, and the marriage was less of a great love affair and more of a rational means to an end. hannah could write her papers and host like-minded society people and george could keep the reputation of a family man while fooling around with a string of footmen. 

cassandra was born during a snowstorm, ten minutes after her twin brother, hector (their parents were, after all, avid students of ancient greek). having satisfactory filled their duties, hannah and george let the children to be raised by a string of nurses, tutors, and their uncle, who often hosted his niece and nephew for extended stays in london. from a very young age, cassandra excelled in everything her tutors taught her, from latin to science, literature and politics. hector, on the other hand, was more than happy to hide from his tutors and stay most days playing in the garden. even then, the twins were inseparable, perhaps to make up for the aloofness of their parents. their childhood was golden and green, something cassandra can still feel, smell, taste. wilderhope was theirs, and they came to know every single apple tree, every sheep and every bee. 

(tw: child mortality) unfortunately, as with every tragic heroine, childhood and happiness must come to an end. to cassandra and hector, childhood ended at twelve, when they contracted a horrible case of croup. for fourteen days and fourteen nights, they sounded like sickly animals, coughing and crying and plagued by vivid fever dreams. at the end of the two weeks, when the sun finally broke through the tempestuous clouds that had surrounded wilderhope, cassandra started to get better. hector did not.

though wilderhope hall remained the same, hero did not. for one, she stopped using her first name almost entirely, locking it away alongside childhood toys and memories of brighter days. she also became the sole inheritor of her family’s wealth, and gained not only security, but something few women even dreamt of: independence. her relationship with her parents became even more fraught, and though she was as brilliant as ever, a rebellious streak started to surge within. 

both hannah and george robinson would pass away only a couple of years later, when hero turned 18. the old crones like to say the robinsons passed away when they caught their daughter in an inappropriate position with one of the maids, but the truth is much more simple and boring: a heart attack and a horse accident, respectively (though hero was often in inappropriate positions with the maids at that age). 

by the time she was twenty, hero spent most of her time at her family’s london residency, 13 hill street, which became somewhat of a beacon to artists and scholars, with poetry readings, socratic debates and, of course, lavish parties. she has also published a poetry collection and a couple of political pamphlets that have become very popular within the romantics. whether you love her or hate her, hero robinson has more than enough money to be a shining jewel of london’s society, and she is painfully aware of the fact.