The underdog of pharmaceutical and bio-chemistry.
Annabelle is an independent,hard-working and a highly analytical person.Her studies and travels abroad have shaped her into quite a rebel young lady: she doesn't follow social or fashion etiquette,is always at war with her parents and with the society's view of women.Being witty,sarcastic and a bit cynical,she likes either intelligent or simply good company and won't step back from hearing what others want to debate with her,unless it's just idle gossip.Though essentially a fair and good person,she can be shrewd and bear a grudge.Her sister's insistence of finding her a husband and a young doctor's constant courting have turned her into an eccentric and a lone-wolf since she refuses to marry,as every man that has approached her doorstep has made it clear that they would take her only if she renounces her interest in chemistry and becomes the lady she ought to be.Her only friends are her sister and her maid and butler,which she treats like family.She always asks people,on making their acquittance,that they call her "Anna" and not "Annabelle" or "Miss Penclave" as she considers them to be too formal.
Annabelle has a dagger that she bought in Russia out of her first few kopecks,in order to protect herself on the harsh streets of Saint Petersburg.Upon her arrival in China she bought her second piece of protection,a 1892 Winchester rifle,that she has oftentimes used to get the suitors to leave her alone.Other tools consist of a pocket watch with three compartments,a pair of monocles (as she considers pince-nez to be too uncomfortable),an arsenal of instruments for chemical experiments and a smaller kit of the same instruments that she takes along when travelling.She also considers as her "arsenal" her impressive collection of books and papers on various topics as medicine,foreign languages,literature and even old legends and folk-tales.
Annabelle Penclave is the second child and daughter of the Penclave family,consisting of her father Sir Charles Penclave,her mother Gertrude Penclave,her sister Catherine Pearson (she is married to Maurice Pearson,a local high class gentleman from the Dartmoor area, center Devonshire,where they grew up) and herself.Being a curious soul since childhood,at the age of 8 Annabelle climbed up in the attic of their mediocre house in search for new things to do.There she found 2 books on chemistry that the previous owner of the house left behind.After reading the 2 books,having been hooked by the field of chemistry,she pleaded her parents to let her study it.They refuse,considering that the only teachings she'll ever need are those of ladyship.After getting tired of following her parents dreams and always being overshadowed by her older sister,she leaves home,at the age of 16,for Russia in hopes of studying under the renowned chemist Dimitri Mendeleev.Once there she learned the basics of Russian language,searches for work at Saint Petersburg State University,where,after a year,she is granted the privilege of attending Mendeleev's lectures,until he resigns in 1890.Later that year she wrote to her family to let them know she was fine;after a week she receives the reply to her letter,her parents informing her that she has been disinherited.Her sister on the other hand writes to her monthly.She spends a total of 5 years in Russia studying the use of pharmaceutical and bio-chemistry,and leaves for China in 1892,traveling back and forth between mainland China and western Japan for a year.When she finally decides to leave for Europe,instead of coming straight home,she stops for another year in Germany,furthering her studies and experiments.Upon her arrival back home she is greeted only by her sister who managed to black-mail her parents into giving her a tenth of the family wealth.She lives in a house her sister gave her as a gift for homecoming,where she spends her days researching new pharmaceutical uses for chemistry and has a supply and demand business relationship with the young doctor in Dartmoor,though the good doctor has tried countless times to convince her to marry him.
She receives Lady Genevieve's invitation the day she had her sister over for tea,and tough mentioning to her sister that she didn't want to attend the party,in a moment of carelessness,her sister writes a response to the invitation and sends Marry,Annabelle's maid and friend,to deliver it.Bound by her word,Annabelle must now attend the party,like it or not.
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Out of all the distractions the day and age could throw at her,Annabelle looses her composure only when invaded by her weird dreams.She frequently dreams of a sword as beautiful as a woman can only hope to be,stone walls,a brave husband and a lover....
Theme song and extra facts: Kamelot-Hunter's Season http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETsKlCBNYHs&NR=1