Pat O'Sullivan

As in The Twins at St Clares

**Patricia O'Sullivan** is one of the main protagonists of the St Clare's series. She appears in all nine books.

## Personality and Appearence

Pat is described as having dark brown wavy hair, deep blue eyes and a merry smile, with an Irish lilt to her voice that is very pleasant to hear.

Pat is generous and friendly, but can be hot-headed and stubborn.

## Backstory

Pat was born alongside her twin sister Isabel in summer 1927, around the same time as her cousin Alison.

Pat was a head girl of *Redroofs School* along with *Isabel*. She attended alongside her cousin Alison and was friends with Mary and Frances Waters.

## Storylines

### The Twins at St Clares

Pat leads the argument to persuade her parents that they would rather go to Ringmere School rather than St Clare's School, but is harshly turned down by her father. Pat announces that her and Isabel didn't want to come to St Clare's to the first form common room, earning the scorn of Janet Robins. They make a funny impression on Miss Theobald, who thinks that they are just shy. Pat sometimes argues with Miss Roberts, the form mistress. She refuses to go and light a fire and clean boots for Belinda Towers, so Isabel and Kathleen Gregory do it instead. Belinda forbids Pat from going to town, but she goes anyway, pretending to be Isabel, so when Belinda sends for Pat, Isabel has to pretend to be her. Belinda puts Pat in the lacrosse team, but Pat goes and confesses her trick to her. Belinda keeps her on the team anyway. The twins are scolded for their bad French work, and asked to do it again but Pat is determined to go to the cinema instead. They do their work when they are supposed to be asleep, and get into trouble with Mam'zelle and Miss Theobald. Pat and Isabel encourage Janet with her trick to play on Miss Kennedy, to put fire-cracks in the fire. This is discovered by Miss Roberts. The whole form go to confess to Miss Roberts, and have to sweep the chimney and the classroom as a punishment. Pat lends Isabel money when hers goes missing, and cheers Isabel on in the lacrosse match. She and Isabel find Kathleen in a state because Rita George has scolded her because she tried to steal money from her. The twins go and explain everything to Miss Theobald after Rita has added her story. Miss Theobald commends them. The first and second form play a joke on Miss Kennedy to frighten her with a cat, but Pat, Isabel and Kathleen overhear her in a teashop complaining, and so they send her a note to apologise. The window of the classroom is smashed, and the first form is forbidden to go to the circus so that the money can go towards the window, but Janet, Kathleen, Pat and Isabel play truant and go anyway. The girl who broke the window, Queenie Hobart, confesses and the first form are taken to the circus and to tea first. The four truants feel guilty, but they go down with colds from standing in the cold that night, and are admitted to the San. Miss Roberts brings them some chocolate cakes. Janet and Sheila Naylor have a row, and Pat goes to talk to Sheila afterwards, but is brushed off. She goes to Winifred James, the head girl for advice. They encourage Sheila to come out of her shell and be prompter for the plays they put on when she has no part, but she refuses crossly. However, Janet convinces her. Pat, along with Isabel and Kathleen, find a dog that has been shot in a field, and they take it back to school to help. Kathleen is allowed to take the dog home at the end of the term.

### Second Form at St Clare's

Pat moves up to the second form along with the rest of the first form. She votes with the rest of the form to discount Elsie Fanshawe as head girl. At the second form concert, she and Isabel give a funny dialogue, which they both feel is pathetic compared with Bobby's conjuring, Carlotta's acrobatics and Doris' impersonations.