Gwendolyn Darcy

AGE: 25

HAIR COLOR: fair

EYE COLOR: green

HIGHT: 5'3"

FAVOURITE COLOUR: bright yellow, like crocuses

Favourite food: apple pie

Occupation: Masters mate

Class: Middle class

Gwendolyn Darcy is a former gouverness to an Irish family in Galway. The family she worked for were of the gentry, not nobles, but nonetheless a very rich family.

Her family, parents, older brother and two younger sisters, died in a home fire when she and a younger sister were staying with one of their aunts in Dublin. They were sent to a boarding school just outside of Dublin. She left at age 18. Her younger sister left two years later and became a lady companion to one of her aunts friends.

Gwendolyn became a gouverness to the children of the O'Donoghue family and stayed for nearly 6 years. She left the family when the youngest daughter of the family became married. The father of the family did write a good letter of recommendation for her, but Gwendolyn wanted to move to London to see a bit more of the world. On her way there she found that travelling was very interesting and sailing in particular. Also she found that many men on board had no proper schooling, at least not to her standard. She stayed and taught some the crew to write during the passage, but then she had to sign off as a passenger and left. This trip brought her to some new insights and she wanted to teach on board a ship. Or at least something of the sort. Shortly after this change of her plans she heard about the HSM Monstrous looking for a master’s mate and applied. She was taken as a master’s mate.

Gwendolyn is a woman who has mastered logical thinking the way men do. It can be annoying, but when she comes up with a plan, usually it works out perfectly. She is patient, well mannered, good natured and actually quite a beauty. This has made her a favourite on the ship she was first passenger on, on her way to London. However, she always made sure she would not compromise her good name. How else could she ever go back to being a gouverness if that was needed? However, she dreams of finding a 'good match' one day and therefore is nearly always on the lookout for such a match.

She has seen many different people in her life come and go while in boarding school, and has only to see a person to know a person. This has made it easy for her to often start a first conversation with someone. She is peasant to get along with, but also a quick learner to work she is unaccustomed with.

She has not seen many battles, but has learned some fencing techniques from her older brother when he was still alive. However, it is a long time she has practised with a sword.

She is fluent in French, German and of course English, can teach Mathematics, Calculus and Algebra, Physics, the basics of Chemistry, Biology, knitting, embroidering, painting and music. The plays the pianoforte and the flute and can sing as well as teach it.

Since most Masters (warrant officers) had gained their experience in the merchant service, they were not generally considered to be in a "gentlemanly" position, and were not given a sovereign's commission like the captain and lieutenants. They were instead appointed by warrant, and were the most senior of all the warrant officers. Although Masters were declared to be equal to Lieutenants in 1808, the Master's pay was usually second only to their captain's. Generally, a Master could not hope for any promotion or to become commissioned, although this did occasionally happen, James Cook and William Bligh being two prominent examples. The Master aboard the fleet flagship was called the "Master of the Fleet."

A mate (petty officer) was the age-old assistant to the master, as he still is in the merchant service. Master's mates of the Royal Navy were initially considered apprentices for the position of master, and were usually experienced seamen. During the wars of the 1700s this changed somewhat. Midshipmen, waiting long years for promotion to lieutenant, began to take appointments as master's mates, for the sake of better pay. As this practice continued, master's mate became a standard step in the training of the commissioned officer. The master's apprentice became the Second Master.