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Introducing our actors…
A necessary act of discretion before the drama resumes.If you’ve made it through Inez de Vries’s infamous detention essay, you already know Saint Clare’s isn’t just any girls’ school—and Inez is not just any girl. Before we move into the staffroom files tomorrow (starting with a crisply worded concern from Mr. Green—whose tone might benefit from a small glass of sherry and a nap), I thought it worth pausing to formally introduce the cast.
I’ve always loved these sorts of pages—the dramatis personae tucked at the start of vintage novels, the ones that told you, with great precision and a glint of menace, that “Colonel Arbuthnot has a revolver, a past, and a scheduled appearance on page 243.” Agatha Christie did it especially well, and so did school stories of the mid-century: characters arranged like chess pieces before the game begins (or after it’s already started and someone’s flipped the board).
Saint Clare’s is no different. Everyone wears the same uniform—but no two girls wear it the same. And the staff? Well. Let’s just say the prefects aren’t the only ones keeping files.
Here, then, is your guide to the players: the faculty, the form mistresses, the prefects, and the girls—sharp, slippery, loyal, watchful. You may already suspect their alliances. Tomorrow, you’ll see them in motion.
Welcome to the cast. Curtain’s up soon.
Cast of Characters
Miss Inez de Vries – Upper Fourth. Third-generation Saint Clare. The school is in her blood, as is winning. Brilliant and controlled, but still fourteen. A strategist in a gym-slip, sometimes mistakes precision for permission. Doesn’t always notice the bruises—except when they serve her.
Mr. Stephen M. Lewis – Headmaster. In his sixties, and at Saint Clare’s since the aftermath of the first war. Formerly of a boys’ public school, now gently bewildered by the girls’ world he oversees. Thoughtful, diplomatic, and quite aware he’s outnumbered—and often outclassed.
Mr. George Green – Geography master. A grammar school product with a chip on each shoulder and a fondness for passive-aggressive remarks about “modern attitudes.” He flushes, when challenged, to such a vivid shade that two generations of Saint Clare girls instinctively grasp the term “gammon-faced.”
Miss Anne Kelley – English mistress. Precise, pragmatic, and difficult to fool. A Saint Clare’s alumna, once limited to literature but decoded more complex texts during the war. Returned with quiet honours and sharper eyes. Some of the staff still think it’s 1925; she does not. The girls, she sees—and remembers.
Mr. Bertram James Johnson – Latin master, first term. A Peterhouse man (via a minor public school), known as “Bertie” despite his best efforts. Fluent in Virgil but unversed in Chalet School. Earnest, well-meaning, and an innocent romantic. Already out of his depth—and his initials, B.J., are proving unhelpful.
Miss Elaine Clark – History mistress. Never married, never inclined to. A blue-stocking of the old school, she demands much of “her girls.” Regards the male staff with suspicion (earned), and the girls with fierce loyalty. Her presence inspires admiration, terror, and occasional mutiny fantasies.
Matron Patricia Rowntree – Infirmary matron since before the first war. Blunt, unsentimental, and possessed of an unerring instinct for malingering. Her remedies include a thermometer and cod liver oil—neither of which are ever optional. Triggers “nanny” memories in upper-class men like the headmaster: equal parts awe and intimidation.
Sally Hartley – Head Girl. Calm, respected, and all-seeing. Destined for the role since she first stepped through the gates aged seven. Attractive, athletic, and an excellent student by graft rather than genius. Her uniform is immaculate; dirt wouldn’t dare. Never shirks a duty and wields silence like a blade.
Georgina (Georgie) Fairfax – Senior Prefect. Loyal to Sally, steely to everyone else. A natural second-in-command with the quiet self-belief of someone who knows exactly who her great-great-grandmother was—and that the good woman did her duty. Loyal to Sally, coolly polite to everyone else.
Veronica “Ronnie” Elwood – Upper V. Eager to please, too easily influenced, and desperate to belong. Keen, capable, but increasingly under Inez’s gravitational pull.
Lady Gwendoline Justine Honor de Vries née Randolph – Inez’s mother. A society woman to her fingertips: born well, married better, and never once out of the centre of things. Her letters arrive scented, word-perfect, and precisely timed. A dangerous player with perfect manners.
| Post Title | Date Posted |
|---|---|
| Teaser – “Inez of the Upper Fourth” – a Saint Clare Summer Saga | 21 July 2025 |
| Saint Clare School Justifications or A Few Explanations for the Inconsistencies That Are Absolutely Not My Fault) | 22 July 2025 |
| Waiting for Inez – It’s your own time you’re wasting… | 23 July 2025 |
| Start HERE: Inez’s Detention Essay | 24 July 2025 |
Your turn.
What do you see between the lines?
Use the comments to ask questions, imagine what’s missing, and connect the dots. Inez might be listening.
