Quand Lady Callaghan a tiré Cornelia dans un câlin, Cornelia a été stupéfaite dans le silence. "Je ne sais pas combien de temps j'aurais besoin de vous Miss...um... je suis Lady Callaghan... vous-même? Mais je serais heureux de payer chaque semaine. Vous pouvez en discuter avec mon majordome. Mais nous devons nous dépêcher! » Elle s'est exclamé, tirant Cornelia par la main à l'extérieur de la voiture.
« Mon nom est Cornelia », a-t-elle dit dès qu'elle a eu l'occasion de reprendre son souffle. Cornelia ne pouvait qu'espérer que Lady Enright ne viendra pas la chercher de sitôt. En outre, techniquement, elle recueillait des informations sur le meurtrier masqué, mais d'une manière extrêmement peu conventionnelle. Et avec un autre Technocrate. Oh bien, Cornelia a pensé. Autant voir combien Lady Callaghan offre. Si elle paie mieux que Lady Enright, je pourrais aussi bien travailler à plein temps pour elle. Cornelia ne voulait pas abandonner Anne, mais Cornelia resterait certainement en contact si elle finissait à temps plein pour Lady Callaghan, comme elle l'avait fait avec Wilhelmina et Lottie et Sebastian.
Dans la voiture, Lady Callaghan a parlé. Il y avait aussi un jeune homme en costume usé avec un automate d'oiseau. "Mon, quelle quête intéressante nous continuons. Ça me rappelle plutôt ces mystères du meurtre qu'écrit Earl James Esquire. Des choses fascinantes, ses écrits sont tellement libres, vous pouvez simplement vous détendre dans ses mondes... » Lady Callaghan a remarqué de rêve. Cornelia a tout simplement fait un faible bruit d'accord. Elle n'avait jamais entendu parler de ce comte James Esquire, et elle ne savait pas lire. Ce n'était pas comme si elle avait eu le temps de lire non plus. Et la vraie vie n'était certainement pas un mystère de meurtre. Lady Callaghan semblait avoir la tête dans les nuages, un contraste aigu avec Cornelia, qui avait ses pieds solidement plantés sur le sol.
Après une quinzaine de minutes environ, la voiture s'est arrêtée. Ils se trouvaient maintenant dans une partie plus pauvre de la ville, à un jet de pierre des bidonvilles dans lesquels Cornelia avait grandi. "J'espère que ça ne vous dérange pas que j'ai apporté quelques 'amis' pour le tour" l'homme a dit comme une autre voiture s'est tiré derrière eux, rempli de steamdroids. « Je pensais qu'ils pourraient s'avérer utiles dans certaines situations », a-t-il précisé. Cornelia a laissé l'homme et Lady Callaghan débarquer avant de sortir de la voiture elle-même, poussant quelques brins de cheveux blonds hors de son visage comme elle l'a fait. Elle les suivit dans le Rump and Harrow, un bar que Cornelia n'avait pas visité depuis longtemps. Elle avait travaillé comme barmaid là-bas entre deux emplois auparavant, et a eu quelques appels serrés avec des ivrognes. Juste les souvenirs d'eux ont fait ramper sa peau.
Tandis que le trio se dirigeait vers le bar, un chuchotement tomba sur les mécènes normalement rambunctieux, probablement en raison du fait que Lady Callaghan venait d'entrer. "EVELYN!" une voix forte a appelé, et Cornelia a regardé comme le Technocrate aux cheveux rouges a été tiré dans un câlin d'ours par qui elle a supposé être le propriétaire actuel du bar. L'homme a demandé au sujet de Cornelia et de l'homme qui avait apporté les steamdroids, et Lady Callaghan que Cornelia était là pour l'aider à trouver le meurtrier masqué. Cependant, elle ne semblait pas trouver une bonne raison pour la raison pour laquelle l'autre homme était là, et elle semblait s'énerver à ce sujet aussi bien.
"Ce magnifique bâtard n'a pas besoin d'être présenté ici, Evelyn", a dit l'homme, ronflant à l'apparente difficulté de Lady Callaghan à élaborer pourquoi l'homme qui avait apporté les steamdroids l'accompagnait. "Tout le monde à The Rump et Harrow connaît Jacoby Drexlehand et sir Geoffrey l'impeccable quand ils les voient. Et vu que vous êtes à la perte pour des mots essayant d'expliquer sa présence, j'ai le sentiment que je sais pourquoi vous l'avez amené avec vous », a-t-il poursuivi.
Jacoby Drexlehand a répondu à l'amiable à l'homme-Mortimer-avant que les steamdroids font leur entrée. Après le regard initial, la plupart des mécènes étaient retournés à ce qu'ils faisaient auparavant. Cornelia a tourné Lady Callaghan un regard significatif, s'inclinant légèrement sur elle avant de s'immerger dans l'atmosphère de bar rameux. Espérons qu'aucun des mécènes ne lui avait prêté attention lorsqu'ils étaient entrés. Et Cornelia avait remarqué une tête familière de boucles noires à son entrée.
"Willa, es-tu trop jolie pour tous ces sales salauds ce soir?" Cornelia demanda d'une voix légèrement taquine, se dirigeant vers Wilhelmina Sullivan, qui était assise seule dans un coin, un verre devant elle. Wilhelmina a tourné au son de la voix de Cornelia, un grand sourire éclatant sur son visage.
Wilhelmina a tiré Cornelia dans un câlin, et Cornelia a coulé dedans, savourant le moment. "Corny, c'est si bon de te revoir", murmura-t-elle en s'adressant à Cornelia par son surnom d'enfance. Comme d'habitude, Wilhelmina était ravissante, même dans ses vêtements simples. -- Et non, j'ai fini ce soir, continua-t-elle en riant. "Mon Dieu, ça fait bien trop longtemps. Comment ça va? Qu'est-ce qui vous amène à la Rump et à Harrow? »
"Je me suis bien débrouillé. Lady Enright est probablement le meilleur employeur que j'aie eu pour l'instant », a admis Cornelia. "Et, eh bien, je suis ici avec Lady Callaghan." Cornelia jeta un regard furtif autour de la barre bondée. Elle a baissé la voix avant de reparler. "Écoute, Willa, je travaillais pendant une balle au domaine de Lightfeather, et un homme portant un masque est venu et a fait sauter l'endroit. Puis, il a tué Earl Lightfeather, disant qu'il était coupable d'avoir opprimé les proles ou quoi que ce soit, et il est parti. Cela vous semble-t-il familier? »
Les yeux de Wilhelmina s'élargissent. "Oh, Cornelia, ça va?"
"Oui, Willa, je vais parfaitement bien. Mais savez-vous quoi que ce soit sur toute cette situation?"
Wilhelmina a porté ses lèvres délicates, sillonnant son front dans la pensée. Elle secoua la tête lentement. "Je pense que j'ai entendu quelques clients parler de la mort de quelques puissants technocrates dernièrement, mais à part cela je ne peux pas dire."
Cornelia a hurlé. "Merci quand même, Willa. Pourriez-vous garder un œil sur moi?"
"Tu sais que je ferais n'importe quoi pour toi, Cornelia. C'est tout ce que tu sais? J'aime le son de ces technocrates qui sont punis pour avoir opprimé des proles."
Cornelia a lâché. "Je ne sais pas non plus de quoi il s'agit. Et je pense que c'est trop beau pour être vrai, mais je suppose que nous verrons. A tout à l'heure, Willa."
"Définitivement. Prends soin de toi, maintenant, répondit Wilhelmina.
"Toi aussi." Et avec un dernier câlin rapide, Cornelia était partie. Elle passe par la foule et revient du côté de Lady Callaghan.
Name: Cornelia Vernell
Age: 21
Social Class: Prole
Employment: Maid
Skills and abilities: 
Cornelia may not be able to read and write, but she is an expert when it comes to scrubbing stubborn stains out of fine china or dusting furniture. She is fairly adept at sewing and mending clothing, and she possesses basic culinary skills. Cornelia is strangely good at slipping unnoticed in and out of rooms and eavesdropping on conversations. She has a sharp memory and is very perceptive and people-smart.
Cornelia's relatively small stature allows her to fit into tight spaces and lithely navigate her way through the streets. She knows the basics of lock picking, and she is quick and agile and can adapt and improvise in a sticky situation.
Equipment: 
*A small pocket knife that she keeps on her person; usually down the front of her dress, at all times in case of emergency. The blade itself is only about two or three inches long, and the hilt is plain and unadorned
*A few thin strips of nondescript cloth that she uses to tie her hair back
*A needle and a spool of thread to mend things quickly if the need ever arises
*Six hairpins of varying lengths and widths that Cornelia uses to pick locks; again, only if the need ever arises
Personality: 
Cornelia is a blunt and upfront woman who will tell you the truth if you ask for it. Cornelia doesn't believe in sugarcoating her words and can have a rather abrasive tone. Cornelia tends to be extremely matter-of-fact and direct, though she isn't stupid enough to speak her mind around Technocrats or Meritocrats. She is a very pragmatic person who places no importance on faint possibilities and focuses instead on the realities of life. Cornelia holds no naive illusions of marrying a wealthy Technocrat and bettering her station in life; she knows and fully accepts that she was born a Prole and lives as a Prole and will marry a Prole and will die as a Prole. In Cornelia's mind, there is nothing that she can do to change that, so she might as well make the best out of it.
Cornelia has a rather dry sense of humor and appreciates a good dose of sarcasm or irony. She dislikes prissy Technocrats and Meritocrats who are full of themselves, but she can be good company and interesting to talk to, so long as you don't mind her frequent swearing. Cornelia has a sharp intellect to her despite the fact that she is completely illiterate, and knows to clean up her act while in the presence of people in a higher social class than she. Keenly perceptive and more aware of her surroundings than one might think, Cornelia doesn't miss much. Her position as a servant also allows her to eavesdrop on conversations without seeming suspicious. Cornelia is more than willing to trade pieces of information for money and food, something that quite a few of her employers have found out the hard way. Cornelia is loyal to those that she trusts and highly suspicious of everyone else, which hasn't led to her being the most popular person amongst the people she knows. Her mother used to joke that Cornelia's most formidable weapon was her acerbic tongue.
General Back Story: 
Cornelia Vernell is the daughter of a factory worker and a seamstress. She has three younger siblings, who are named Victoria, Jesse, and Giles. Her older sister, Adriella, died in a factory after some of the machinery malfunctioned. As a Prole, Cornelia has felt and survived all of the hardships that come with poverty; going to bed hungry, being looked down upon by the upper classes, and generally being treated like shit. For the most part, Cornelia keeps her head down and accepts things the way that they are. She is more concerned with making ends meet than stirring the pot.
Cornelia had a very close relationship with Adriella, who was eight years older than her. Adriella was always someone Cornelia looked up to and admired. She died when Cornelia was twelve, leaving her devastated and feeling alone despite the fact that she still had three younger siblings who were all at least two years younger than her to take care of. Adriella's death also made Cornelia feel a slight resentment toward the Technocrats, whom she believes are to blame for the malfunctioning machinery.
As a child and teenager, Cornelia mostly worked as a seamstress with her mother or performed household chores like looking after her younger brothers and sisters or cleaning. She rarely ever saw her father because he worked long hours in a weapons factory. Like most Proles, Cornelia has no formal education to speak of. She is illiterate and knows only rudimentary arithmetic. Her mother taught her how to sew, cook, and clean.
At the age of fourteen, Cornelia began working as a scullery maid in the homes of wealthy Technocrats. She spent long hours scrubbing floors and scouring pots and quietly earning money to send home to her parents and siblings. Cornelia started living away from home and counted herself lucky that she was not toiling away in a factory and working twelve hours a day like the other people her age. When she first began working as in the households of Technocrats, Cornelia frequently mouthed off the people she worked for and has scars to show for it. Since then, she has matured and does her best to keep her mouth shut.
The first family she worked for was notorious for fighting tooth and nail and clawing their way to the very top. Cornelia never saw much of the actual family themselves, but she got into many fights with the cook, who was a gangly man with a fiery temper. The brash fourteen-year-old found herself holding her tongue for the first time in his presence. Not two months after landing the job, Cornelia was beaten so severely that she could not walk properly for six weeks. She was fired after the second week.
The second household Cornelia found employment with actually belonged to a family of Meritocrats, though they were essentially Technocrats in everything but name. The Clarksons were a powerful family of airship captains and merchants who built themselves from the ground up. It was there that Cornelia first began to involve herself with the affairs of her employers, taking money from the cunning Genevieve Clarkson to eavesdrop and provide her with information. Cornelia sent all of the aforementioned money back to her parents. However, after Genevieve died from a sudden illness, her brother Gabriel immediately got rid of Cornelia, knowing of Genevieve's ambitious scheme to rob him of his inheritance and Cornelia's involvement with it. Cornelia suspects that it was Gabriel who might have poisoned Genevieve, but it doesn't matter to her either way.
Cornelia began working for the Keanes when she was almost seventeen. Instead of being assigned to the kitchens like Cornelia expected, she was given the job of a parlor maid. One day, while she was dusting, she found herself the victim of a young man's unwanted advances. Fortunately, Cornelia was quick enough to slip out of the room before he could block her path, but the incident left her shaken and unnerved. Patrick Keanes, a tough-looking inventor, saw the potential in Cornelia, and began to use her to keep tabs on his extended family. With the help of the information Cornelia brought him, Patrick was able to thwart two attempts on his life. It was impossible for Cornelia to avoid being seen slipping in and out of Patrick's study, and soon enough, rumors about the two of them began to circulate, especially because of Cornelia's beauty and youth. However, Patrick didn't care what other people thought about him, and neither did Cornelia. Eventually, Patrick's wife got so fed up with the constant whispering that she let Cornelia go.
Unemployed yet again, Cornelia found her fourth job with the Enrights. Louisa Ann Enright, the lady of the house, was an influential scientists, and her deceased husband was an accomplished writer. Cornelia works as a parlor maid and serving girl for the Enrights. She had another nasty incident during her second week there with a middle-aged man, but Cornelia smashed a silver pitcher against his head before he could do anything and fled. Louisa sympathized with Cornelia, so there were no repercussions, to Cornelia's immense surprise. She had been expecting a harsh punishment for her actions. Louisa too has seen some greater worth in Cornelia and has tasked her with spying on other scientists who could potentially steal Louisa's designs.
Cornelia rarely ever sees her family, although she has been sending them about half of her wages ever since she began working. She treasures what little time she gets to spend with them, and often brings gifts for her parents and siblings.
Cornelia is about five feet and six inches tall. She is rather slender and is naturally fair-skinned. Cornelia has wavy light gold hair that end just below her shoulder blades. It is usually pulled back away from her face and out of her eyes. She has a heart-shaped face and grey-green eyes framed by long eyelashes. Cornelia knows that others consider her "pretty", but she doesn't really think much of it. Cornelia would rather be ugly and full than pretty and starving. Her natural good looks have made her the target of unwanted attention, and she considers herself lucky that so far, she has escaped relatively unscathed from a few close calls. Cornelia's hands are rough and calloused from years of manual labor, and she has small, nimble fingers. Cornelia usually dresses simply and plainly due to the fact that she never has much money to spend on fancy clothes. Her typical attire consists of a roughspun dress and an apron. At first glance, there isn't much to say about Cornelia other than her unusually attractive appearance for a Prole, but there is always a sly glint in her eyes that hint at a whole different person under her creamy white skin and golden locks.