A charming young woman from a wealthy family, in love with Henry who is considered too old for her by her family. Alice being the bright, impulsive woman she is suggests they elope and seek a more exciting life together in Paris where love rules.

Her optimistic carefree ideas often lead her to conflict with her family who believe she should be more demure and act as social status dictates. Alice, though feels suffocated by those expectations and would much rather lead her life as she chooses.

Often appearing chaotic this is a side effect of her intelligence and inquisitive mind which needs to find an outlet. The actions that her family find disruptive are outcomes of her naivety which her sudden bursts of expression drop her in trouble. Alice is aware to some extent that she lacks real life experience and the prospect of eloping is both romantic and the casting off of the shackles she seeks to be rid of. Only from doing this she thinks she can find her place in the world on her own terms.

Finding Henry (through a mutual family connection) she has found someone who, while not as determined to throw off the expectations find the thought exciting.

Anyone around Alice catches her spontaneous excitement vibe, it is infectious and Henry is fully hooked. Alice loves him deeply she sees someone tuned into her as well as a sometimes a break which she is willing to listen to because he is telling her a no which isn’t a result of social expectations, but one where he genuinely cares for her.

Margaret Lancaster, middle aged and educated in sciences and business. Minor socialite, upper middle class family of professionals.

She is practical and resourceful. Willing to take her hand to anything. A modern woman for her time so a little shocking perhaps to her peers.

Her objective rational view of the world along with skills picked up from working hands-on with her husband in his GP role gives her a robust outlook on life and a drive that many of her peers lack and would find shocking or distasteful.

The realities of dealing with unfortunate victims and the realities of life and death on par with Florence nightingale gives her a live for the moment outlook on life. Not completely squeamish when it involves others, due to creating a work-home barrier, but if too close to home then shocking and destabilising.

She is quick to grasp ideas and new information to adapt to a situation as it happens from working in war zones with Charles.

Margaret is devoted to her husband who she admires for his skills and brilliance with problem solving and generous bedside manor with patients.

She is well respected along with her husband but both not ‘quite fitting’ for a upper class social circle.

Her parents Martha and Jonathan worked their way up the hard way from a poor family to become a teacher and accounts clerk respectively.

That has given Margaret a rounded and down-to-earth understanding of people, and a respect for those ‘beneath’ her social standing because that is where she came from.

Her relationship with Diane, a woman of a completely social strata continues to confuse and intrege Margaret. Margaret does not understand why Diane still desires to spend time with her.

Yes, Margaret does occasionally put on an expensive gown and frequents (mostly military) functions, and if given the opportunity would prefer to spend time away from them as conversation with other women of that social strata Margaret feels quite insulting to her for Charles didn’t hold a formal military officer rank and she felt they looked down at her. They also found it hard to understand her sometimes dark (read real life) sense of humour. All but for Diane who seems to understand her and treats her for who is she.

Margaret and Charles treat Lucy as their daughter in varying degrees which also causes some ostracisation from the social circuit for such a scandalous approach to domestic staff. The reason being that Margaret did give birth early on in their marriage in a field hospital, during battle, in obviously less than ideal conditions.

The daughter did not survive. This affected Margaret deeply and she has shared that with almost no one, not even Diane.

Only with Charles really knows the story which leads Charles to adore Lucy, and accept Margaret’s continued softness towards Lucy as he understands the loss and the reluctance to risk another child due to the complications and nature of their working lives.