Tunstell, Primrose

Miss Primrose Tunstell is a major character in the The Custard Protocol. She is the best friend of Rue and the twin sister of Percival.

Primrose is the only daughter of Baronness Ivy Tunstell, a vampire, and Ormond Tunstell, an actor and former claviger for the Woolsey Pack.

Appearance

Primrose takes after her mother; a classic English beauty with a milky complexion, dark chestnut curls and blue eyes. She and Rue are of a similar size and coloring - close enough that they often pretend to be one another, or just sisters.

Personality

Prim's strengths lie in reading people and social situations. She is a flirt and an over-the-top actress. She is sensible, practical, and organized, and good at herding people. She can be somewhat serene and unflappable if she feels she's in control and the center of attention. She is good with numbers and is ship's purser for the Spotted Custard. She can be generous to a fault but also rather obtuse.

History

Primrose was born, alongside her brother Percy, to Ormond and Ivy Tunstell, approximately a half year after Rue was born to the Maccons, between Heartless and Timeless.

In the books

Timeless

In Timeless, she travels with her family to Egypt, along with the Maccons. Primrose is mistaken for Prudence and kidnapped by the Alexandria Hive. She is later rescued by the adults of both families, and escapes unharmed, though her mother is fatally wounded in the attempt and is metamorphosed into a Vampire Queen while there.

Prudence

Primrose Tunstell is attending a ball with Prudence Akeldama at the beginning of Prudence. The pair fled the ball after retrieving a snuff box for Lord Akeldama - Primrose riding upon wolf-Rue's back. Discovering the contents of the box was tea that would require a trip to India, it was immediately assumed Prim would be going with Rue for the trip.

Rue is given an airship - the Spotted Custard - to take the trip and takes Prim on as the officer in charge of the daily staff. Prim's fashion faux pax of making farewell visits in a day gown gave Rue the excuse she needed to start the Spotted Custard's maiden voyage ahead of schedule - thus avoiding any kind of fanfare for their departure.

Prim accompanies Rue and Quesnel off ship at the Maltese Tower. After Rue takes off after the lioness that stole her parasol, Quesnel returns Prim to the Spotted Custard. Later, it is Prim who points out that the book Rue received (Sand and Shadows on a Sapphire Sea: My Adventures Abroad) was in fact written by her mother - Ivy Tunstell.

Primrose attends an event with Rue in India in order to make contact with Lord Akeldama's agent. She is quite taken with all the military personnel - particularly the kilted Scottish werewolves of the Kingair Pack.

Later, when the vanaras, werewolves, and the British army were pre-occupied, Primrose helped Quesnel sneak tea bubbles onto the Spotted Custard.

Imprudence

Primrose arrives at Lord Akeldama’s at the beginning of Imprudence with Virgil. She is worried because Percy has disappeared in a huff. She also announces her impending engagement (the third in two weeks) to Lieutenant Norman Plonks. Primrose follows Rue (as always) on her adventure to deliver Lord and Lady Maccon to Egypt, all the while being flustered by the presence of Tasherit. She does her best to comfort Rue when her arrangement with Quesnel makes relationships aboard the Spotted Custard tense. Primrose is also gifted one of Lady Maccon's special parasols when inducted into the Parasol Protectorate.  

Competence

Primrose is left behind on a wheystation in Singapore when the Spotted Custard begins to lose helium. Tasherit joins her on the station and helps her steal a dropship back down to the Spotted Custard. Prim struggles to come to terms with what she's wanted (a family and a household) and her sexuality. And at every turn is Tasherit challenging her.

When they arrive in South America, Prim and Percy act as vampire ambassadors to convince the pishtacos to move.

Trivia

• Primrose was nicknamed "Tidwinkle" by her mother as a baby. Percy often calls her "Tiddles," in relation to that nickname. No one is quite sure where the name came from.
• She has a crush on Biffy.
• Prim and Rue often get mistaken for one another.
• She loves cheese.
• Primrose can swim, rather well, which is odd in an urban aristocrat, particularly a female.
• She keeps the Spotted Custard ledger with her almost all the time in a little lavender leather notebook.
• She has a vast collection of hats at her mother's behest.
• She is good at embroidery.
• She doesn't want immortality.
• She is an excellent shot and was taught by a vampire, her mother's praetoriani, Gahiji.
• Her Parasol Protectorate moniker: The Ledger, which she joins in Imprudence.
• She feels she has an affinity for cats.

Links

• Pinterest Character Board for Primrose Tunstell.
• Primrose's Packing List for India

Quotes

• "Prim had spent her whole life trailing behind Rue and was unfussed by this role." (Prudence, Chapter One)
• "Primrose ran into the vampire's arms with alacrity, hugging him in an excess of emotion for a young lady of quality. She was rather too fond of the rove for her hive-bound mother's comfort, and thus did not get to visit him as frequently as she liked." (Prudence, Chapter One)
• "No one, not even Dama, questioned the fact that Primrose would go with Rue. Prim always went with Rue." (Prudence, Chapter One)
• "But, Rue, I'm all too often seen on wolfback. If I take to floating as well, people will say I'm-oh, I don't know-athletic." (Prudence, Chapter Two)
• "Prim will stay out of your way, I promise. The ship will be swarming with handsome young me to distract her." (Prudence, Chapter Three)
• "They watched as Primrose flirted and parasolled her way through rank and file on the main deck, in a matter of moments organising the entire crew into a streamlined baggage transportation group. Rue would have had to act like Paw and issue orders. Primrose simply manipulated everyone into doing what she wanted. It was impressive." (Prudence, Chapter Three)
• "I've called you here to introduce you to the Honorouable Primrose Tunstell - she will have charge of the daily staff. She is, in effect, my clerk meets butler meets housekeeper meets batman." (Prudence, Chapter Three)
• "Prim was adept at inane chatter and applied it with such dexterity that even her brother had to bow to her consummate skill." (Prudence, Chapter Four)
• "Rue admired this greatly - Prim was very good at being distraught." (Prudence, Chapter Five)
• "Prim smiled down at the small person in a queenly manner, causing the young sootie to blush. 'Such accolades. I was a born to carry on a theatrical legacy, but sadly fate had other plans for my family." (Prudence, Chapter Five)
• "Do you think I should return to the ship for Footnote? I could wraps him around my neck. Everyone who is anyone seems to be wearing a pet." (Prudence, Chapter Five)
• "Primrose, on the other hand, was shocked and experienced such distress at the application of the phrase 'a fine mouthful of muffin, there, ho, ho' to her good self as to make it necessary to ascertain the location of the nearest restorative teahouse immediately." (Prudence, Chapter Five)
• "She was accustomed to losing male attention to her friend, and couldn't really fault anyone for it. Much as Percy was deadly attractive to the ladies, his sister had a similar effect on the gentlemen." (Prudence, Chapter Five)
• “But there is a sign!' objected Primrose in semi-shock. 'A sign indicating pets aren’t permitted. Really, some people.” (Prudence, Chapter Six)
• "Anything not fastened down began to slide. Including Primrose, who looked resigned to the indignity." (Prudence, Chapter Six)
• "But Prim no longer looked like she wanted to lecture Rue - instead, she was wiggling the little pink book as though it were some strange new species of musical instrument worthy of further examination in order to make it toot." (Prudence, Chapter Six)
• "Prim made a kissy face at her and that was that. No further scolding was needed - twenty years of friendship had its benefits." (Prudence, Chapter Seven)
• "Everyone was prosaic about this decision except Primrose, who was panicked over the prospect of running low on milk." (Prudence, Chapter Seven)
• "She did not sweat of course, not the Honourable Primrose Tunstell, but there was a certain sheen to her face that delicacy might term a damp aura." (Prudence, Chapter Seven)
• "He handed Rue the stylus, which Rue immediately passed to Prim who kept better track of such things and had vastly superior penmanship." (Prudence, Chapter Seven)
• "Must you make every man we meet fall in love with you?' Rue wanted to know, without rancour. Prim gave this serious thought. 'Yes. It's a point of pride, you see?" (Prudence, Chapter Seven)
• "Prim was, as ever, an excellent sounding board." (Prudence, Chapter Eight)
• "Be fair; tea is important,' Primrose remonstrated." (Prudence, Chapter Eight)
• "Primrose nodded, an almost evil gleam to her dark eyes, before assuming an expression of pleasant enthusiasm." (Prudence, Chapter Eight)
• “Mr. Lefoux, would you fetch Prim for me? She seems to have been kilted.” (Prudence, Chapter Eight)
• "Prim was prone to getting protective of Rue when people saw only her friend's metanatural state, and forgot she was also a person." (Prudence, Chapter Nine)
• "Prim sparkled at Miss Sekhmet, almost as if she were flirting, both her hands clutching the hand of her parasol in excitement." (Prudence, Chapter Nine)
• "Prim, you are witnessing the discovery of long-lost shape-changing immortals, monkey of legend, and you're excited by tea bushes?' 'Do you realize how many cups of tea all that would make?" (Prudence, Chapter Fourteen)
• "Prim said, 'And monkeys with projectiles aren't messy?' She had a right to be perturbed - one of the Vanara arrows appeared to have bisected her hat." (Prudence, Chapter Fourteen)
• “I've brought you Byron--always makes things better." (Imprudence)
• “Primrose was always blushing around Miss Skehmet. She was in awe of their resident were lioness, and despite Tasherit’s easygoing affection, Primrose refused to warm to her.” (Imprudence, Chapter Two)
• “She won’t be mean to Primrose, will she? Prim couldn’t take it. She’s not equipped to accommodate verbal abuse from rampaging freckles.” (Imprudence, Chapter Nine)
• “My dear sister doesn’t like people she can’t manage, organise, and categorise.” (Imprudence, Chapter Nine)
• “Marriage is the correct course of action for any lady of quality. Just because she has odd notions about independence, and Percy is scared of women, and you two are playing out a protracted bout of scandal doesn’t mean I am equally outrageous in my feelings on conjugational formality.” (Imprudence, Chapter Nine)
• “Prim did seem in some distress. Poor thing, she genuinely felt that she should do what was expected of her. What a horribly way to go through life.” (Imprudence, Chapter Nine)
• “Miss Tunstell hates to be surprised by celestial bodies.” (Imprudence, Chapter Ten)
• “Poor old Prim - she always wants to see the world in the best possible way.” (Imprudence, Chapter Twelve)
• “Why is it immortals always think everyone else wants to be immortal?” (Imprudence, Chapter Seventeen)
• “We Tunstells can be practical as well as pretty.” (Imprudence, Chapter Eighteen)
• "The Honourable Miss Primrose Tunstell hated running. To be honest, she rather loathed exercise of any sort, it being at best heart-palpitatingly incommodious and at worst, well, sticky and stinky. If she was lucky, the most strenuous endeavor she need undertake in any given day was the lifting of a teacup to her lips." (Competence, Chapter One)
• "Prim liked to think of herself as a progressive, and not only in politics. She was a new woman. She'd recently ordered a bicycling ensemble and the latest in high-flying dirigible attire. Both these outfits came with split skirts and bloomers-and were made in America, for goodness' sake!" (Competence, Chapter Two)
• "There was very little Primrose loved more in life than organising things. This was probably a grave character flaw, but not in her family. And certainly not aboard The Spotted Custard, where she basically got to organise everything." (Competence Chapter Four)
• "I suppose I am nothing if not a creature of cities with bustling streets and cosy hearths. This vastness is not for me. And I am not for it." (Competence, Chapter Six)
• "Percy might think guns crass, and Primrose might consider them quite rude, but if their mother didn't want them shooting anything, by golly they would learn to shoot everything." (Competence, Chapter Seven)
• "I am entirely unnatural in my tastes. Well, at least I am in good company. She thought of Lord Akeldama and her mother's hats." (Competence, Chapter Nine)