BASIC INFORMATION:
NAME: Nora Berkeley. AGE: 37. PLACE OF BIRTH: Guildford, United Kingdom. AFFILIATION: Neutral. The Hathaway Family. OCCUPATION: Paediatric nurse. FACE CLAIM: Annabelle Wallis. AVAILABILITY: TAKEN.
BIOGRAPHY:
(Warning: Mentions of cancer/death.)
Sometimes, it felt like London had known her before she’d even known herself.
That was the nature of being a Berkeley, she supposed. Their place in the public eye made them free game for the press; often criticised and held to an impossible standard like they weren’t really people at all. It’s funny to imagine that one of the saddest and most profound periods of her life was observed by the masses as though it was their right to be privy to it. Picked apart and mourned by people who had never even met them…
It would never change.
Though Spencer had always been closer to their big brother, George, none of the Berkeley children idolised him quite the way Nora did. Where the other two siblings followed after their father—smart, with even smarter mouths—Nora and her brother had been more like their mother. To see him always treat others with kindness, to look beyond status and appreciate the good in everyone, to be endlessly patient with those he cherished? They were all the things she loved about him most. The very qualities she tries every day to cling onto in his absence.
Nora was seven years old when he left them.
People had assumed she was too young to truly understand the impact of his death at the time, but they were wrong; never quite giving credit where it was due to a girl consistently mature beyond her years. Nora had watched quietly as her parents mourned their son before they’d even lost him, and that alone had all but ripped her soul from her body. There hadn’t even been any hope. Succumbing to the leukaemia had seemed inevitable, and when he finally did, their family as she knew it died with him.
Losing their son had been too much pain for her parents to navigate. In the months that’d followed George’s death, one thing had been made abundantly clear: they planned on dealing with what’d happened by not dealing with it at all. They didn’t talk about it, they didn’t communicate with each other. They didn’t reminisce or honour his memory, because by association, all it did was cause more hurt. When her mother sought to address what was happening in their family, her father shut it down—not out of anger, but his own pride not allowing the inevitable breakdown it would cause. Just under a year later, they finally divorced. For a family that’d always been idolised and aspired to by the masses, she could scarcely believe it was all over.
The remaining Berkeley children lived with their mother, because her political role had always been far less demanding than that of their father’s, but they retained a good relationship with him regardless. All three of them progressed through life dealing with the void left behind by their brother differently. Spencer was so angry at the loss of his best friend, and it did him no favours with the world around him. Camilla had a wild streak that said she wanted to live her life to the fullest now she understood how delicate it was. But Nora, well she was just sad.
For a long time, she didn’t know how to deal with it.
But there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Expectations of what a Berkeley should be had always been set in stone. They were political heavyweights, first and foremost, but their upper class familial status spanning centuries had carved a path for them to dominate several facets of society—banking, law, and the press in particular. Their faces were well known amongst London’s elite, and they always topped the guest lists of events thrown by the city’s most important inhabitants. Her brother had befriended royalty at Eton, and her sister had pursued philanthropy like their mother even in her younger years. But Nora had always marched to the beat of her own drum. As the press watched her blossom into a young woman, all holding their breath to see how she would contribute to the family’s impressive legacy, nobody expected the bright and ambitious woman to become…a nurse.
Though her family said they didn’t look down upon the career she’d chosen to pursue, it didn’t always feel that way. Not that it mattered much to her, mind you. Nora had truly made the decision as a youngster, sat at her brother’s hospital bedside, watching as they worked. They had been there to look after him in his final moments, and the best and most constructive way she could think of to confront her own pain was to be that source of comfort for others.
There was nobody better suited for the role.
Nora had focused every aspect of her life on achieving her goals. There had been two compromises to keep her family sweet along the way: a university degree before she went to college to study nursing, and a promise not to let her personal life fall along the wayside. Whilst she had lived up to one half of the bargain—snagging a first from LSE with ease—her relationship of two years with the youngest British Prince came to an end midway through as a result of her aversion to the limelight. The Berkeleys had been devastated; though she was sure it was more about unrealised status than her own sadness. Unlike her siblings who readily embraced the attention of the British press, however, Nora still held onto the pain of how invasive it had been during the death of her brother, and couldn’t face it again.
They’d followed her around constantly when things were good in her relationship, but after the breakup, had pestered for the reasons why, to within an inch of her sanity. Though she never once stopped smiling—perpetuating the same kind, positive, and graceful attitude that people adored her for, even in her hardest moments—she was suffering. All she had to cling to was the promise that at the end of this, she would have a rewarding career that would not only fulfil her, but offer the closure she needed to find peace.
As soon as she was able, Nora sought out a position as a paediatric nurse at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Lambeth. The qualities she possessed—those she liked to credit her brother for inspiring in her—meant she didn’t just do the job, she invested herself both in it, and those she helped through their treatment. The kids and their families adored her in equal measure because it was impossible not to. Even though the days in which children were lost to them were some of the hardest to deal with, all of those she got to see through their recovery reminded her that it was worthwhile to do right by them.
Now almost a decade into the career that she loves, even her stubborn family has taken note of how happy working has made her. Nora has relationships in the hospital she values immensely, and takes great pride in supporting those who seek to follow a similar path as her. Amongst the student nurses she is a figure of support and tenderness, and with her colleagues, a constant reason to smile when the days get grim. Despite her initial aversion to allowing herself back into the public eye, in recent years, she has also taken more opportunities to use her experience and family status to dedicate her free time to charity work—most often championing groups that focus on helping young children in need, or supporting those who similarly dedicate their lives to the NHS.
Nora knows that life will never be what it should’ve been had George stayed with them, but for the first time, she is starting to feel like maybe that’s okay. There’s nothing left to stop her making the most of what she has, nor would her big brother want anything else.
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. FAMILY: Alistair Berkeley (father, unplayable), Catherine Ainsworth (mother, unplayable), Spencer Berkeley (brother), Camilla Eliades (sister, unplayable), George Berkeley (brother, deceased), Vivienne Hathaway (aunt, unplayable), Ethan Hathaway III (uncle, deceased), Edward, Charlene, Cecelia Hathaway (cousins), Everett, Carmen, Elliot Hathaway (cousins, unplayable), Colette, Ethan Hathaway IV (cousins, deceased), Leighton Berkeley (cousin) CONNECTIONS:
Cassandra Acton: Best friend. They first met at LSE; the same time that she met Gideon, and Cassie met Spencer. The four of them have been a part of each others’ lives ever since, but the connection she has with Cassie has been unwavering. Whilst Nora knows the politician can appear a bit of a prickly bitch on the surface, she’s grateful that she’s one of the few she truly trusts enough to let see the real her. Nora wouldn’t be without their friendship.
Gideon Rutherford: Best friend/colleague. Outside of her family, it’s hard for her to imagine someone who has supported her more. Meeting Gideon via Spencer is one of the things she’s most grateful for in life, and without him, she almost certain she wouldn’t be as comfortable in her existence as she is today. Nora was more than happy to return the favour through his failing marriage, and knows that no matter what horrors London kick up next, they will always be there for each other.
Edward Hathaway: Cousin/good friend. Nora loves all of her family dearly, but of the Hathaways, Edward is undoubtedly her favourite. Though their distance as youngsters meant their relationship didn’t really blossom until they were older, she’s so happy to have him in London with her now; particularly when she knows he’s struggling with a drug problem she’s keen to help him out of, without judgment, before the rest of the family catches wind of it.
Damon Rutherford: Good friend. Though she met Damon through Gideon, it wasn’t until much later in life. Luckily enough, that didn’t stop a friendship from blooming immediately. Despite the sometimes negative press attention he’s received, Nora knows that deep down he’s a good person, and over the past couple of years, she has seen that confirmed as they work side-by-side on fundraising projects together. Nora knows that their charitable partnership has the potential to pave the way for great things.
Leyla Yılmaz: Colleague/friend. Just like herself, Leyla is considered one of the most positive influences in the hospital, so it was natural the two gravitated toward each other fairly quickly. They share similar temperaments, and Nora loves her kind-hearted attitude; this, one of the reasons she was so quick to take Leyla under her wing when she first started working at the hospital.
