First Person Survey for: Lady Caroline Morris, Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Jane Petre.

Name Given at Birth: Caroline Margaret Bonham. (My late husband bore the surname Morris.)

Nicknames: None that are known to me.

Hometown or where you were born: Greenwell Manor near Newbury in County Berkshire.

Current Residence: I have served Princess Jane at Ingatestone Hall, and where her travels carried her, for five years. Her Highness is now moving the household to Canterbury.

Age: I am old enough to be a grandmother, although I am neither a mother nor a grandmother. (I am far younger than the years I am determined to achieve!)

Class: Nobility.

What do you do, your main function in life/society: I am happy and proud to be waiting gentlewoman to the very capable and benevolent Princess Jane, who is the cousin to our Sovereign King Richard, and new Lady Mayor of Canterbury.

Have you ever gone skinny-dipping / do you know how to swim: I am able to swim well enough to keep from drowning, and I enjoyed the ponds and streams as a youth. Now that my years are advancing, I am expected to avoid such undignified flailing about of one's limbs. Skinny-dipping? Is that not a colloquialism for swimming in public waters whilst clothed in naught but one's own skin? Would a noble girl engage in such a practice? Or, might she simply answer a question with a question?

Do you make fun of people: I do my best (though I sometimes fall short) to avoid jading others, unless it is done in mutual jest and affection.

Favorite Color: Crimson. My eye finds the splash of red in a garden or hall before any other color.

Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime: Neither. Certainly not.

Closest friends/How did you meet: I am most in the company of our beloved Princess Jane and dear Lady Beatrice. I truly enjoy discourse with the Royal Nannies, for they have such animated stories, and their joyful spirits are no doubt stoked by the vivacity of their Royal charges. Lord Avery is always welcomed company.

One Pillow or two: I always have two pillows, but employ only one of the pair.

Pets: I keep no pets of mine own, but instead befriend the garden beasts. 'Tis an easy matter (when the splendid wolfhounds are not about) to cajole the squirrels to eat bits of fruit or bread from my fingers. One of the wild hares will approach to within double the length of mine arm, then wait for me to toss the tidbits to him. Once, I landed a bite of apple upon the hare's crown, but he did not flee. A chipmunk, timid prey though he was, willingly climbed into my hand to fill his cheeks with the grain he found in my palm. Years ago, during a picnic near a river, I coaxed an otter to eat half a biscuit from my hand. I have lain a hand upon the brow of a roe deer fawn, and I have even touched a nuthatch.

Favorite Type of Music: I am partial to the sound of strings, whether the tune is lively or somber.

Hobbies/Pastimes: I take great pleasure from embroidery, sewing, and most crafts that make use of textiles. I enjoy reading, chess, and attending theater. I share Princess Jane's passion for horticulture, but I confine my hobby to ornamental gardens.

Personal Hygiene: I follow Princess Jane's fine example of cleanliness to ward off disease and bad humors. I bathe with frequency, and a warm bath with lavender instills tranquility.

Favorite Food: I relish any preparation of quail (save that questionable dish that featured mustard). My appetite also tends to strawberries, apricots, marzipan, and almonds.

Are your parents alive, do you get along with them: God has my parents, and all save one of my siblings, with Him.

If your parents are dead, when and how did they die: They were taken in a fire five winters past, along with one brother and an aunt. The fire occurred whilst they were guests at mine uncle's manor.

Favorite place to relax: During the growing seasons, I partake of ornamental gardens. In other months, I take my ease at a hearth.

Favorite Holy Day / Why: I am most delighted with Easter, for it heralds the coming of spring, and sets my thoughts to the purposes of the soil. The white lilies of Easter give way to lilacs, lilacs yield to roses, roses cede to... and on through the summer. While celebrating the resurrection of our Savior, I cherish the lilies, narcissus, and hyacinths, and I think onward to roses, toadflax, hollyhocks, speedwell, starwort, cornflower, carnations, and the whole of the garden.

Favorite Drink: Sweet wines and mulled ciders.

What's your bedtime: After I have tended to Princess Jane, I see to my own tasks, then to sleep. When we were at Ingatestone Hall, I was abed earlier -- mayhaps half past the hour of ten -- than I am now, for the chores of moving the household more than fill each day.

What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet: Leather boots with laces. They give me good purchase on most terrains.

Are you married or single: I was widowed quite young, the same year John and I were married. My husband fell from a horse, and was an invalid for two months before he departed into the company of God. After I was widowed, my mother spoke several times of the generosity of the marriage contract my father had negotiated. I was well-provided-for, and have never wanted for anything material. In the years since the death of my young husband, I thought twice more to be married. Fortunately, I regained my good senses during both betrothals, was permitted by my father to break the engagements, and thus have never taken a second husband.

Do you have a family / who are they: My father was Baron Charles Bonham, and Margaret was his wife and my mother. Of the children she bore, I am the first-born. My one surviving sibling is the last-born, Robert, who came into this world when I was twelve years of age. During my contented (and sometimes colorful and always lively) dowager years in the household of my parents, I was quite prominent in the maintenance of the estates, and very proud of Greenwell Manor. After my parents' lives ended in a fire, the properties and title became my brother Robert's. He is young, and his dedication to his own pleasure outweighs his dedication to our family name and estates. Robert recognized my presence at Greenwell as an obstacle to the squandering of his inheritance. I was glad to be assigned to Princess Jane's service, though I dreaded leaving Robert to misuse Greenwell unchecked. My years in Princess Jane's household have been more rewarding than I could have imagined, and I no longer lament for my brother's conduct.

Favorite Entertainment: Seeing a play enacted is a contentment.

Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Any reading. Now, my duties and schedule do not permit me to indulge in books as voraciously as I did when I was a youth.

Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Astronomy. It felt as though the purpose of the lesson was to remove all romantic notions from the stars, and that regimentation disagreed with my whimsical adolescence. Now that my school years are far behind me, I do find the science of astronomy quite compelling, as with all sciences.

Favorite Sport: I get much enjoyment from archery and riding, if the day is not too inclement.

Most Humiliating Moment: The evening that I claimed to be a worthy dancer, and discovered -- along with the whole of the gathering -- that I was not. I was but fifteen years of age, yet that mortification remains fresh for me. Many other events spring to mind, mostly from my youth, such as the afternoon during my fourteenth year when my father and four gentleman were passing through a garden I had designed, and they caught me with my skirts raised as I was flapping the hems about my knees and seemingly scolding my shoes and stockings. While I had been gathering blossoms, my feet trespassed onto the estate of an aggressive ant family, and they sent their entire military up my limbs!

Proudest Moment: I was very proud on the day of my wedding to John. I was proud to be taken into Princess Jane's retinue. I am also proud that I was able to coax a chipmunk into my hand. (I feel even more ill at ease in enumerating honors than in tallying embarrassments! Is not pride a sin?)

Craziest Person or silliest you know: The Royal Nannies have tremendous responsibilities, but they do oblige their charges with some silliness. I cannot think of an act crazier nor sillier than a "bloomers run."

What do you look for in the opposite sex: My head can be turned by a pretty face and a handsome leg, but a man with intellect, wit, prosperity, and a sturdy frame can retain my attention. Seeing Princess Jane happily wed has dissolved my former misanthropy. (Oh, fie! I may as well confess that -- like most of my gender -- I am inclined to give some notice to whatever man gives me some notice.)

In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them, Who is your immediate "overlord" I am loyal to Princess Jane Petre Boleyn, Canterbury Lady Mayor, Princess of France.

Favorite Sport to watch: Wrestling, swordplay, tennis.

Do you remember your first kiss: Aye, quite fondly. I do hope his remembrance of it is equally fond.

Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends: God has chosen to take several of my lasting friends away from us. I do exchange epistles with a few of those who, like myself, still breathe. In some of my letters to them, I admonish myself for not corresponding more frequently, but my self-chiding has not improved my habits.

Where is your favorite "Vacation" spot: My favorite holiday destination should be my childhood home, but my young brother does not give a high enough priority to maintaining the grounds there, so a visit to Greenwell Manor is bittersweet. I have come to an appreciation for Scotland in the warmer season. The Scottish gardens tend to follow the French, while the landscapes nearer home have Italian-influenced gardens and knot gardens.

Have you ever been overseas: Aye, to France.

Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: We have been served well by stone floors at Ingatestone, and will be served equally well by the wood floors in Canterbury. Lovely carpets dampen the footfalls and discourage the chill.

What is your bed made of: The stuffing of down and feathers soothes me, but I am most aware of the silk-like texture of the finely woven lawn bedding, in which I sometimes use a rose scent, and other times a lavender scent.

How many people sleep in your bed:  When I am abed, the answer is "one." During my waking hours, the answer had better be "none."

1. After the death of my husband so many years ago, unsatisfying courtships made me rather cynical about marriage. Flirting has always been great fun from the perspective of a cynic, though! However, I have now witnessed such a genuine belonging between Princess Jane and the Maestro that even a heart as wary of romance as mine has softened quickly where those two are concerned. I covertly did what small stealths and crafts that I could to nudge her in his direction, though in her true heart, she needed no nudging.

2. There are only four souls in this world who know of the nuptials of Princess Jane and Maestro -- King Richard, Martino Boleyn, the officiant, and myself. Four? I err, for 'tis six, in truth!

3. The bliss of Princess Jane and the Maestro should be a contagion! I shall endeavor to see dear Beatrice to a good husband, mayhaps someone like Sir Oliver Billingford of Dorset. Perhaps I shall be so bold as to ensure that Lady Isabel Coronado takes good notice of Lord Avery. I may even find a match for my brother Robert!

4. I find entirely too much amusement with those who are gullible. When a friend was introduced to his first potato two autumns past, I explained to him that potatoes are cultivated only in the Lowlands, and are harvested by flooding the diked fields and scooping the floating vegetable onto small barges. There are daily temptations to pull the wool over the eyes of someone so fresh from the convent as Lady Beatrice, but I strive to curtail my facetious habits because Beatrice is such a treasure.

5. I am not squeamish about blood, flesh, rats, reptiles, nor insects, although there are times when it is advantageous to feign being delicate about such things. Although a bee sting is contrary to my constitution, seemingly confounding all of my humors at once, the mere presence of a bee instills no distress within me.

6. I have much veneration for those who possess and share beautiful singing voices.

7. I have a fondness for watching boisterous thunderstorms that spawn brilliant lightning displays. Of course, I enjoy the spectacle from a dry place.

8. I adore well-kept rose bushes, and I admire the talents of every clever, diligent gardener.

9. I am named for my father, Charles. Some of his contracts exhibit his name as Carolus, which is the Latin form of his given name.

10.