Eveline Hillman

Eveline Hillman

Portrayed by Isolda Dychauk
Full Name	Eveline Hillman
Associated Noble House(s)	n/a
Date of Birth	November 7, 1791
Father	Nathaniel Hillman
Father's Rank	Gentleman
Mother	Anna Hillman née Ellery
Mother's Rank	Baron’s daughter
Town Residence	29 Dover St
Year of Debut	1811
Dowry	£1,000*

Eveline Hillman is the eldest child of Mr Nathaniel Hillman and his wife, Mrs Anna Hillman née Ellery. She is known as Evie by her friends and family, and is a debutante of the 1811 Season. Her dowry is small at only £1,000, but it is rumored that her uncle, Lord Locksley, will supplement her dowry generously to expedite a match. (Please excuse the dust, this page is a WIP!)

• She is a former character played by Juni.

Personage

Countenance

Evie quite resembles her late mother Anna, increasingly so as she matures; she has Anna's strawberry blond curls, her dark blue-grey eyes, her fashionably slender build. Her laugh, too, is eerily reminiscent of her mother's, though she laughs and smiles less than her mother did. Like her father, Evie is slightly on the short side and has one leg about an inch and a half shorter than the other; when she is not mindful, it creates an unbecoming sway of the hips when she walks, and an ungraceful halting gait when she is attentive. Evie is often wide-eyed, especially in the bustling city of London and among Society, and she has acquired a seemingly permanent look of mild concern or confusion. She is similarly startled by the change in her wardrobe, as her old clothes were deemed entirely too simple and country for a young woman of the baron's household.

Temperament

One on one, or in a group she knows well, Evie is warm, cheerful, and happy. She delights in making others smile, and takes pleasure herself in many simple things- a good novel, a lively dance, or a pleasant ride through the countryside chief among them. Evie makes an effort to improve herself, practicing the pianoforte and harp, reading in French, drawing and painting, and keeping appraised of local and national matters. Her father's opinions were firm, however, that a woman's thoughts on serious matters were not of any import, and so Evie confides those thoughts only to her sister.

Groups of people make Evie feel nervous and awkward; groups of strangers can petrify her into silence as she frets over embarrassing her relations with her country manners. She is entirely too earnest, taking what people say at face value, and it is not unusual for her to misunderstand a joke or fail to recognize sarcasm from others. Despite her nerves, Evie is hopeful that she will make friends in London and eager to fall in love with a handsome gentleman. Though her childhood caretakers impressed upon her the importance of marrying wisely, her fondness for novels has also created a particular vision and sincere hope for true love.

Life

Early Life (1791-1800)

Miss Eveline Hillman, better known to her family and friends as Evie, was born in the northwestern English village of Appleby, Westmorland. Her father Mr Nathaniel Hillman was the second son of a local gentleman, and had the living of the Appleby parsonage; he was peculiarly well placed in his choice of profession, well known for preaching his opinions whether behind the pulpit or not and in utter ignorance of his audience's interest or attention. Her mother Mrs Anna Hillman was the second child and eldest daughter of Mathias Ellery, the 4th Baron of Locksley, and though a fond and devoted mother Anna was of poor constitution and poorer sense, prone to impulsive and emotional decisions- notably that of her marriage. Mr and Mrs Hillman were fond of each other, but Mr Hillman's attachment to his children was less notable than his wife's. Their 1,500 a year provided a comfortable but simple life, and though quiet it was a relatively happy one.

Evie was followed into the world by two living siblings, Miss Lydia and Mr Mathias, three and seven years her junior respectively. A third sibling, named Mary, was premature and stillborn in the summer of 1800, and Mrs Hillman died within a fortnight of fever.

Childhood (1800-1811)

Especially following their mother's death, Evie has been quite protective and attached to Lydia, and worrisome over Mathias, whose health resembles his mother's more than not. Mr Hillman never considered remarrying, instead taking in the bereft widow Haversham and her spinster sister Miss Martinson from the parish to oversee his household and manage the children. In the late autumn of 1810, Mr Hillman took a fall outside the church, and died the following morning.

Following the death of Mr Hillman, it was arranged that Mathias would begin his education at Charterhouse School early, enrolling in the Long Quarter in mid-January 1811, his tuition paid from his inheritance and supplemented by their paternal uncle Mr James Hillman. Meanwhile, Evie and Lydia were removed to the home their maternal uncle Mr George Ellery; unfortunately, the arrangement has proved unhappy to all parties, especially Mrs Ellery. Thus it was agreed that young Lydia would go to their maternal aunt, Mrs Dorothy Sanford, and Evie would join their maternal uncle, Lord Locksley, and his family in London and make her debut. Though her inheritance is small- only 1,000 l.- it is hoped that her good breeding and pretty face will secure her an acceptable husband. And it is rumored Lord Locksley will supplement her dowry, all the more generously the sooner she is wed

Debut (1811)

29 Dover Street, London - Ellery family residence

Evie arrived in London in early May and was presented at Court by her aunt Lady Locksley. The single most nerve-wracking event in her young life, Evie is still waking from anxious dreams about balancing her ostrich feathers or tripping over her train. She is currently residing at 29 Dover Street in Mayfair with her relations, and is hopeful that the rest of her Season will not be so anxiety-inducing as her presentation.

Family

Mr Nathaniel Hillman (1762-1810), father

• The second son of a country gentleman, who had the living of the Appleby, Westmorland parsonage. He was a highly opinionated man who was much more fond of his wife than his children, and did not remarry after his wife's death. He died in late October 1810, after sustaining an injury to the head from falling outside the church one evening.

Mrs Anna Hillman née Ellery (1772-1800), mother

• The second child and eldest daughter of Mathias Ellery, 4th Baron Locksley, and his wife, Jane Ellery née Rowe, Baroness Locksley. She was a loving mother and devoted wife, with a sickly constitution and a tendency toward impulsive, emotional decisions. Her marriage was not well received by her family and she had very little contact with them for most of her adult life. She died of fever within a fortnight of the premature birth of her stillborn daughter, Mary. Evie resembles her mother a great deal.

Miss Lydia Hillman (b. 1794), sister

• The second child of Nathaniel and Anna Hillman, Lydia is a rambunctious and outgoing child who is more likely to be found barefoot up a tree than sitting sedately for her lessons. Following the death of her father, Lydia was taken in by her uncle Mr George Ellery along with Evie. Following the end of their mourning period, Lydia has relocated to her aunt Mrs Dorothy Sanford's care.

Mr Mathias Hillman (b. 1797), brother

• The third child of Nathaniel and Anna Hillman, Mathias is a quiet young man with intense, conflicting emotions and a sickly constitution that resembles his mother's. When he was very young, he desired to take orders and preach like his father; presently, he wishes to join the Royal Navy. Following his father's death, Mathias has entered Charterhouse School a year earlier than originally planned, his tuition paid from his inheritance and the support of his uncle Mr James Hillman. Attending school seems to be an improvement for his health, though the same cannot be said for his emotional stability.

Mary Hillman (1800-1800), sister

• The fourth and last of Nathaniel and Anna Hillman's children, Mary was two and a half months premature and stillborn; fever following her delivery was the cause of her mother's death.

Paternal Family

The Hillman family resides in the county of Westmorland in northwestern England, principally in the town of Appleby. They are an old, respectable English family belonging to the landed gentry, but have never distinguished the family name in any particular way, nor have they ever accumulated any significant family wealth.

• James is presently paying a portion of Mathias Hillman's tuition to Charterhouse School.
• Charlotte married in late 1809 and is expecting her first child.
• Jane is out, but has not made any formal debut.
• Charles attends Charterhouse School with his cousin Mathias.

Maternal Family

The Ellery family has held the hereditary title of Baron Locksley in the Peerage of England since 1689; the seat is Locksley Park in Kentmere, in the county of Westmorland. The family also owns a house at 29 Dover Street, in the Mayfair neighborhood of London, and Locksley Lodge in Kirkby Lonsdale overlooking the River Lune. The family has been incrementally increasing their holdings over the last two decades, with whispered rumblings among the commoners that the late Mathias Ellery's tactics were not always above board. Still, the family's reputation among the Ton remains pristine- which is all that matters to them.

• The Dowager Baroness Locksley divides her time equally between the house in London, a rented townhouse in Bath, and Locksley Park. Philip has always been her favorite child, and she has never relinquished her influence on him or his household.
• Lady Locksley is a very social woman who delights in dinner parties and London life, and despairs the return to Locksley Park (and her mother-in-law's iron grip on the household) every year when the Season ends.
• Honora is a debutante in the 1811 Season with a dowry of £17,000.
• Mathias Ellery II attends Eton, and will likely attend Oxford as his father, uncle, and grandfather before him.
• Rebecca, the second Mrs George Ellery, is a spendthrift who has quickly tired of her husband and his family, and was eager to be rid of the Hillman sisters as soon as they arrived. She is having an affair, and there is the distinct possibility that her youngest, Louisa, is not George's daughter.
• The Sanfords reside at Fairview Hall in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
• Katherine and Elizabeth are fraternal twins, Katherine being the elder by two hours and ten minutes.

Relationships

Westmorland

• Mr Evan Davies

Six years older than Evie and his sister Miss Maria, Evan is a quick-witted, energetic boy who teased the girls mercilessly. Evie developed an intense crush on him, which to the best of her knowledge was not reciprocated.

• Miss Maria Davies

The same age as Evie, Maria has been her best friend for as long as she can remember, and they regularly daydreamed of being sisters. The family has recently fallen on hard times, and Maria is "out" along with three of her sisters, in the hopes of marrying them off to ease their parents' financial strain.

• Mrs Haversham

A resident of the Appleby parish, Mrs Haversham was left financially destitute after the death of her husband. She and her younger sister, the spinster Miss Martinson, were taken in by Mr Nathaniel Hillman in 1800 following the death of his wife. Mrs Haversham primarily busied herself running the household.

• Miss Martinson

The spinster sister of Mrs Haversham, Miss Martinson was spared from the poorhouse and the workhouse when the two were taken in by the parson Mr Hillman following the death of his wife in 1800. Miss Martinson focused largely on the three Hillman children, ensuring to the best of her ability that they received an education befitting the children of a gentleman.

Correspondence

• A letter to Miss Lydia Hillman, Fairview Hall, Chesterfield, 19th May

Other

• Eveline's profile