John Somerset

John Somerset, a character in The Unexpected Heiress series, is the younger brother of Francis Somerset and one of Your Character's love interests. He is first seen in Chapter 1.

Appearance
It is up to the player what John looks like. He wears a white shirt, a dark grey vest with a red tie. He also wears a grey jacket and pants. He also has scars on his torso from his time in the army.

Personality
John is generally frosty though polite and well mannered, though Francis calls him a rogue. John says that he is skeptical of human nature in general, although he will make exception for you. He has dry humor and can also be a little sarcastic. He prefers to navigate the world carefully, for human life and human nature are fickle. His indifference is his defense against outsiders from hurting him.

In a friendly game of competition, he says a "pity win" is not the way to his heart. Although he is well-versed in etiquette and manners due to his station, he has never cared about participating in the Social Season. He finds a lot of the pomp and circumstance to be superfluous. Although he has had small acts of rebellion in the past, he will do nothing that will actually harm his family's position.

John is fond of the outdoors and finds solace in gardens. He has some knowledge in botany and knows the species that thrive at Windcroft as well as India.

Background
John's father had a reputation for being a black sheep of his family, a gambler who was always in debt and who always wagered his share of the family fortune. When he learned that John's mother was pregnant, he deserted the family to parts unknown. John's mother died of eclampsia during childbirth, so the Somersets took John in and raised him as one of them. He believes himself to be fortunate and regards Theodore Somerset as his father and Blythe Somerset as his mother, both of whom he loves. When he was a child, he heard stories of their distant cousin, Benjamin, who traveled the world. He wanted to be like Benjamin when he grew up.

Before meeting you, John was stationed in India with the British Army. After cutting his tour short, he took a few months of wandering the world, wondering what was to become of him after his fiancee had passed away, but eventually headed home by way of Egypt. He says he found travel to be peaceful and invigorating because his "troubles seemed so much smaller against the majesty of the Himalayas or the breadth of the Nile." His time abroad seems to have influenced his political views, leading him to the belief that the British Empire is "forcing [themselves] on the existing order" of colonized territories. He had hoped he could change things and guide the army to a better course, but found he could no sooner change the course of the wind than the will of the Empire.

As an officer, he was forbidden from becoming involved in Anti-Imperialism groups. Now that he is free, he states he would join in a heartbeat.

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
 * 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

Francis Somerset
"If I knew everything that went on in my brother's brain, life would be much simpler."

- John regarding Francis

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. John describes Francis as a distant person. However, John also says that he respects him, considers him a man of honor, and believes that he will always do right by his family.

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.

Your Character
John is one of your love interests. From the moment you meet him, you have the opportunity to flirt and romance him. He is flattered by your remarks and teases you when you accidentally mistaken him for Francis. However, he is a bit hard on the exterior, and if you decide to accompany John on an extended tour of the estate, he almost accuses you of being happy for benefiting from your sister's death and stepping into her role as Francis's fiance to inherit the titles and property of the Somersets. When you defend yourself, he apologizes and believes you, telling you that he shouldn't let his world view blind him in regards to you.

John admits that he doesn't know what to think about you and is unsure what to make of you. He enjoys challenging you, and in Chapter 5, he invites you to the library to solve a riddle. If you choose to, you two discover a hidden area where Amelia met and argued with someone. John tells you that it happened about two weeks or so before she died, during a large dinner party where he knew most of the usual people in attendance but not everyone. John says Amelia appeared frazzled and frustrated when he saw her.

"I once feared that to love was to lose, and I wandered the world trying to run away from myself and that fear."

- John to You

If you chose him as your love interest, he is shot in the side by Marchioness Huntsbury before your wedding to his brother. At the hospital, doctors are able to successfully remove the bullet but he remains there to heal for approximately a month before returning to Windcroft. Upon his return, he proposes to you. If you accept, you two are married at the newly restored Windcroft Cathedral. If you decline and would like to get to know each other better first, you stay with him at Windcroft before embarking on a new adventure.

Whether or not you choose him as your love interest, he with his family's approval begins to take over Windcroft business affairs, finances, and responsibilities. As his brother steps down from the role in order to pursue his own passion to continue Amelia's charitable work, John steps up into the role as heir to the estate.

Amelia Hayes
John tells you that he did not dislike your sister, Amelia, if you ask him. He found her interesting although they only spent a brief time together.

Victoria
Victoria was his fiancee, who passed away about a year ago while John was in India on tour with the British Army. They had met when he was on leave, and quickly became thick as thieves. When he ended his tour, he thought he would return home and they would be married. However, he discovered that she and her father had sailed aboard the RMS Titanic on a business trip to America and perished in the disaster.

Other Looks

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Miscellaneous

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Trivia

 * He is the twenty-second
 * A version of John is shown on the cover of The Unexpected Heiress.
 * He shares the same name as John Tull from Most Wanted, Book 1, John Castle from Red Carpet Diaries, Book 1, and John Brigham from Crimes of Passion, Book 1.
 * 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.