W e‟re eating with the family,” Algie said nervously. “ „In family‟ they call
it.” “ En famille ,” Kate corrected him.
“I suppose that‟s the language they speak over in Marburg. I probably won‟t understand a word.”
“Actually, that‟s French,” Kate said. “French? I learned that at Eton.” There was a pause. “More or less . . . do
you suppose that‟s what they speak at the table?” “I shall translate, if need be,” Kate told him, thinking that it was a good
thing she had come rather than Victoria, who didn‟t speak a word of French. Thankfully, she herself had learned the language before her father died.
Ability to speak French means that Kate has proper education as aristocrat. An aristocrat woman usually has a governess who teaches them at home. They teach
foreign languages, especially French, poem, and household management. In addition to her proper education, Kate is also a responsible woman. She
feels responsible to her father‟s servants and tenants. She tries to make sure that all the people who work for her father can live properly. When her stepmother
decides to evict the vicaris‟ wife from her land, Kate fights against her stepmother for the vicaris‟ wife‟ welfare. It is because Kate feel responsible to the vicaris‟
wife who has four children. “‟Since her husband died,‟ Kate said, “Mrs. Crabtree is both exhausted and afraid. The house is not pigsty; it is simply disorganized.
You can‟t evict her. She has no where to go” James, 2010: 8. “...she has four small children and we have some responssibility to them-
.” James, 2010: 9.
Kate also feels responsible to her stepsister, Victoria welfare. Victoria is Mariana‟s daughter. Victoria is a kindhearted woman, though she never help Kate
to get her right. Victoria accepts whatever her mother does to Kate, but Kate still cares for Victoria because she is her half sister. She wants to help Victoria when
she is needed, even that Victoria never helps her. “She would do this visit for Victoria, for her newfound sister‟s sake.” James, 2010: 34.
2. The Character of Prince Gabriel
Prince Gabriel or Gabriel Albrecht-Frederick William von Aschenberg of Warl-Marburg-Baalsfield is the youngest brother of the Archduke of Marburg. He
comes to England with his big family and servants and some animals, after the Archduke, expel all the people that he does not like. Gabriel is the leader of this
refugee. Gabriel needs to marry an heiress to support his big family and animals. It is the reason why he is betrothed to a rich Russian princess, Tatiana.
Actually, Prince Gabriel does not want to stay in England because he really wants to join the archaeological excavation in Carthage, Africa. He is willing to
live in England because of his responsibility to his big family: If Augustus hadn’t lost his mind a few months ago, Gabriel would be in
Tunis this very moment, quarreling with his old professor Biggitstiff over excavation of the legendary city of Carthage.
He wouldn’t be sitting in a damp castle in a puddle of summer rain, surrounded by elderly family members and debt-ridden courtiers . .
. he’d be sweating in the sun, making sure the dig didn’t turn into a greedy ransacking
of history. James, 2010: 48
From the quotation, one can conclude that Gabriel is an intelligent man who has a passion about archeology. Gabriel took double degree at Oxford University.
Gabriel is a great archeologist that is different from other scientist at that time who just wants to be famous. Gabriel really cares about archeology:
And now Biggitstiff was out there in Tunis chortling and labeling half the rocks in the countryside “Carthage.” Hell, by now he’d probably identified
Dido’s supposed funeral pyre. The next step would be articles detailing his
sloppy assumptions and sloppie r fieldwork. Gabriel’s jaw clenched at the
thought. James, 2010: 63 Prince Gabriel is a responsible gentleman. He stays in England and takes a big
responsibility to his family; two old aunts, a stepbrother, two uncle, a lion, elephant, monkeys, and dogs:
The problem with having a castle was that a castle filled with people. And they were all his people, one way or another: his relatives, his lion, his
elephant, his servants . . . even the pickle-eating dog was his responsibility,
…James, 2010: 269. He needs some money to support them, so Prince Gabriel agrees to be betrothed to
a Russian princess although he falls in love with Kate Daltry, “I did it,” Gabriel
said, conversationally. “I met the woman, the only woman for me. I met her, and now . .
. I’m going to meet my wife.” James, 2010: 34.
3. The Character of Mariana Daltry
Mariana Daltry is Kate‟s stepmother. Mariana is a mid forties woman, though often dressed like a twentieth and pretends to be younger. She has a
daughter named Victoria. She has been married to Victor soon after his wife was died then became the lady of the manor replaced Kate position.
Mariana is Victor Daltry former mistress. Mariana was in relationship with Victor Daltry even whe
n Victor‟s wife was still alive: “That would be because your mother was his mistress,” Kate said. “I gather
he visited your house for at least eleven years, before my mother died. Was there a colonel at all? Is Victoria illegitimate?” she asked Mariana. James,
2010: 25
Mariana is Victor Daltry former mistress, it means that Mariana is from the lower class. It is the reason why Mariana does
not care toward upper class‟ strict rules. She acts arbitrarily as long as she gets what she wants. The example is when
she found out that Victoria is pregnant with Lord Dimsdale‟s child, she gets no
trouble about that as long as Dimsdale wants to marry her. She thinks that Victoria‟s pregnancy is a good way to encourage Dimsdale proposal:
K ate knew quite well that the household was on her side. They couldn’t help
it; it was bred into the bones of the best servants. They were trained to serve ladies and gentlemen, not those of their own class. Obviously they had
sensed that Mariana’s origins were not genteel. For her part, Kate had imagined that her stepmother was a
shopkeeper’s daughter, who had married a colonel. She hadn’t thought she was—
What she was. A fallen woman. Her father’s mistress. A trollop, by any other name.
No wonder poor Victoria found herself with child. Her mother was hardly qualified to steer her through the season. James, 2010: 29
Not only that, Mariana also refused to heir a proper chaperone for Victoria. “I
told you to hire a chaperone, Mariana. She could have had anyone.” Mariana turned back to her glass without a comment
” James, 2010: 15. That kind of act is just not fit with the upper class society‟s high moral standard.
Mariana and Victor Daltry have a daughter named Victoria. Victoria was born out of the wedlock. Victoria was born when her mother, Mariana, is just
Victor Daltry‟s mistress. The story about Victoria‟s real father is a family secret because Mariana make up a story that she was married to a former colonel who
died in the battlefield. It is the way to protect Mariana‟s honor and Victoria‟s status in the society.
