Francis Somerset

Francis Somerset, a character in The Unexpected Heiress series, was Amelia's fiance and the older brother of John Somerset. He is first seen in Chapter 1.

Appearance
Francis has brown short hair, blue eyes and light skin. He wears an olive suit with a white shirt and a black tie.

Personality
Francis tends to be quiet, and Amelia believed him to always care for people lower than his status. According to John, Francis may be distant but he is a man of his word and will always do what's right for his family. He also states he is not one for games.

The Unexpected Heiress

 * Chapter 1: Windcroft Manor
 * Chapter 2: Blood Relatives
 * Chapter 3: Lay of the Land
 * Chapter 4: Roses & Thorns
 * Chapter 5: Without a Trace
 * Chapter 6: A Sordid Affair
 * Chapter 7: Belle of the Ball
 * Chapter 8: The Chase (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: The Cause
 * Chapter 10: Power Play
 * Chapter 11: Upper Echelon
 * Chapter 12: The Hunter and the Prey
 * Chapter 13: Raising the Stakes
 * Chapter 14: Buried Truths
 * Chapter 15: Reckoning
 * Chapter 16: The Bride

John Somerset
John considers Francis to be his older brother, although technically, they are distant cousins. John had joined the family as a newborn and they have never made him feel like less. In Chapter 2, if you have Effie snoop around Francis's room, she finds a couple letters from the brothers to one another. Francis felt guilty for asking John to return for his marriage, and told John that it was his duty to marry and that he could not wander the world as John did in search of himself. Effie believes they were envious of each other's stations.

In Chapter 5, when you talk to each other about joining your investigations into Amelia's death, he tells you that he doesn't want his brother to know. He feels that he has protected John for his entire life, from himself and from what others might think of him because the latter is adopted. He doesn't want John to be a target for the killer. It is your decision whether or not you inform John on your own accord.

Amelia Hayes
Amelia Hayes was Francis's fiancee. In Chapter 1, Francis tells you that he loved and still loves Amelia, and is grieving for her. In Chapter 2, if you have Effie snoop around Francis's room, she finds rough drafts of love letters and scratched-out lines of poetry from Francis to Amelia. Francis hopes that she will eventually love him as he loves her. When he is London, he tells her that he misses her smiles and her laughter. Effie also finds risque sketches of Amelia in nightgowns, smiling demurely at the artist; and Effie is unsure if Amelia actually posed for him or if they are visualizations.

If you choose to eavesdrop on him during the garden party in Chapter 4, you find out that he has been investigating Amelia's death, though he has kept the investigation a secret due to insufficient evidence and concern about who might have been involved in her death. Her death was too sudden to make any logical sense. He tells you, "I truly loved Amelia. I just want to do right by her. And if someone killed her... I want them brought to justice." If you do not eavesdrop on him, Effie tells you later that Francis had Amelia's belongings tested and discovered poison in her perfume bottle.

In Chapters 6 and 7, you come across clues that Amelia may have had an affair. When you tell him about your suspicions in a worst-case scenario, he is devastated and doesn't believe you. Still, he wants to know the truth even if it hurts. Later, when you discover Amelia did not have an affair with Ian McTavish and tell him, he is relieved and happy.

At Aunt Maude's, he says that Amelia turned down party invitations often enough that it started to become commonplace. He did not realize that she was spending her time doing charity work or had joined an anti-Imperialism group; he thought she had just gotten weary of Society's functions. At Lady Callista Blaise's debutante ball, he tells you that he fell in love with Amelia nearly at first sight. He found her bright, bold, and compassionate. It took her longer to warm up to him but he felt in the end that they had met halfway in building a life together. He believes their love was slow and steady and worked for them.

When he reminisces about the time he presented a tiara to her, which was meant to be part of her wedding trousseau - something she would wear at society events, he remembers the thick silver band she had given him as well. It was like an engagement ring for a man, which was never done in their circles.

As the murder investigation comes to a close, he tells you that he would like to take a step back from managing the Windcroft estate and instead try to finish Amelia's work. He wants to fight for her causes and volunteer wherever it's needed.

Your Character
You are Amelia's younger half-sister and only remaining unmarried female of your family. As such, you find it your duty to assume your sister's place and become Francis's new fiancee. When you two meet, you are polite to each other. You see a flare of anger in Francis when you sit down on an ottoman, as it was the place Amelia would often sit and read. John apologizes for him, telling you that Francis has been quite scattered ever since Amelia's death.

In Chapter 5, Francis tells you that he loved Amelia too much to just move on and doesn't wish to trap you in a marriage where he cannot love you back. You two decide to use the cover of a fake engagement to flush out Amelia's killer. That way, the killer will rest on his/her laurels believing that you two are not suspicious, and you will be allowed to remain in England for the time being instead of returning home to New York.

When you two believe you have solved the mystery behind Amelia's murder, you announce the end of your engagement to the Somersets. Although the dowager wants you two to marry while Francis's mother supports your feelings, the decision rests with Francis's father who takes both sides into consideration. He releases you from the obligation, and you two briefly feel relieved. However, when word travels to your stepmother, she forces the engagement to stand. Francis tells you that if he is required to marry, you are at least someone he truly respects and considers a close friend.

Trivia

 * He is shown on the cover of The Unexpected Heiress.
 * He shares the same first name as Francis Cochrane from Distant Shores.
 * In Chapter 2's premium scene, Effie finds that he keeps a log of all the names and birthdays of the staff members' children.
 * In Chapter 3, he reveals he attended boarding school at Fulton and later was a student of Kingsbridge University, both of which Simon/Ava Montjoy from A Very Scandalous Proposal also attended.
 * Francis wears a silver ring on his left ring finger. It was a gift from Amelia as an engagement present.
 * He prefers wine or Scotch as his libation.