Ian & Isabelle McTavish

Ian and Isabelle McTavish, characters from the The Unexpected Heiress series, are the red herring in the mystery behind Amelia Hayes's death. Although clues are scattered in the chapters beforehand, Ian is first seen in Chapter 7 and his name is revealed in Chapter 8. Isabelle makes her first appearance in Chapter 8.

Appearances
Ian has green eyes, black hair, and fair-to-tan skin. He wears a standard gray chauffeur uniform with brass buttons.

Isabelle has gray eyes, curly blonde hair pinned behind her head, and fair skin. She wears a gray dress.

The Unexpected Heiress

 * Chapter 7: Belle of the Ball
 * Chapter 8: The Chase
 * Chapter 9: The Cause

The Unexpected Heiress

 * Chapter 8: The Chase
 * Chapter 9: The Cause

Amelia Hayes
At the time Amelia first visited the Whittenby estate, Isabelle used to work there and was assigned to be her maid. They became friends over time and since Amelia took an interest in her life, Isabelle eventually admitted to her that she fancied Ian. But because it was and still is not allowed for unmarried staff to become involved with one another, Amelia volunteered to be their go-between, delivering letters from Isabelle to Ian and vice versa. And once it was clear that Ian reciprocated Isabelle's feelings, Amelia even went as far as arranging places for the two of them to meet up in secret.

"I need to see you. I know it's risky because of all the lies, but my heart can't wait any longer. Meet me by the stables at midnight. I pray you'll be there." When one of Ian's letters to Isabelle was found in Amelia's room by a maid, the assumption was made that Ian must have written it to Amelia instead. Though the butler and the head housekeeper reprimanded Ian for the inappropriate behavior, he was allowed to keep his position. And while Lord and Lady Whittenby never found out and both butler and housekeeper hid the information from the rest of the staff, gossip spread anyhow.

When Isabelle found out she was expecting, it was Amelia she wrote to for help. Amelia for her part borrowed a large sum of money from her aunt and together, with the help of Ian's friend who works at the mercantile exchange, opened a bank account under the false name of "Stanley Weatherington". Amelia also purchased a house for them near the couple's workplace, though Isabelle quit her job before she began to show signs of pregnancy. A series of events that, in hindsight, Isabelle feels could have been avoided if they had just let the housekeeper and butler know about their relationship and simply gotten married before she had gotten pregnant. That way she might even have been able to stay employed at the estate with Ian.

In the meantime, Amelia recommended a Dr. Porter to the parents-to-be and even attended some of Isabelle's appointments at Erithford Hospital in London. Although Isabelle suggested they could just use a midwife, Amelia insisted on the doctor and so they used pseudonyms to conceal their identities and cover their tracks. When you mention you've found a trunk of toys and baby supplies hidden there, both Ian and Isabelle are surprised but promise to visit the hospital to retrieve it.

Because Ian doesn't have a telephone, he sometimes would go to Windcroft village to meet and talk to Amelia about finances and supplies. They specifically met at the inn because the innkeeper was well-known not pry into people's business. The three of them would also attend the village dances together as friends when the McTavishes could find the time to visit Windcroft, since Amelia seemed to want to escape from life at the manor at times and Isabelle needed a distraction as well. However, Ian never met Amelia on Windcroft Estate proper.

Isabelle told her about the Ladies' House, a shelter and a religious order, that she had found support from before. There they help women who have been forced into prostitution or those with young children and no husband. Amelia was keen on contributing to them as well and did a lot of work in secret, late at night, past when a proper lady should be out on her own. Through the Ladies' House, Amelia became involved with "the cause", a term she used for wanting to fix all the things that were wrong in the world. One organizer introduced her to political causes such as the women's suffrage movement, and Amelia joined a group dedicated to fighting imperialism. Once she joined that group, she became too busy to stay involved with the Ladies' House. That disappointed Isabelle but she understood Amelia's reasons. While Amelia resided at Dorwick, Ian would drive her to the rallies and try to make sure she was safe.

Ian and Isabelle sent Amelia a small wedding gift, a candle that Isabelle made and wrote "I.M" on the bottom of since it's both of their initials. They had not seen Amelia for a long time, her last two visits with them spaced far apart.

Your Character
After explaining all that transpired, they tell you that the last time they saw Amelia, she gave them a small toy bear that she made herself. Isabelle offers the toy to you, and if you choose to take it, you find a small pouch sewed inside the bear. It contains a signet ring for the Walrus Club, which is used as a passkey into the headquarters. Ian and Isabelle mention that they had introduced Amelia to "the cause", and whenever Ian would meet with Amelia, she wanted to learn more about the politics and ways to help society. Isabelle feels like Amelia became impassioned with the cause and may have angered some political figures along the way due to her outspokenness.

Trivia

 * Isabelle's character model resembles Mrs. O'Malley from the Desire &amp; Decorum series.
 * Ian shares his first name with male Professor Kingsley from Queen B.