Pronunciation:
"Bet-tina Val-en-tina Claud-ia Rosa-Mond"
Nickname(s) or Known As:
Bet - Affectionate nickname fleshed from Bettina's family and adopted by her husband. Presently in 1919 the only person that calls her that is her love Horace, whose been mentally wasting away.
Mistress Rosamond - Known by the family's staff as Mistress Rosamond, Bettina has never been one for such a title because of her rather modest background in Austria. But, after the war her thoughts towards it have never mellowed, Bet normally just lets the staff call her want they wish and doesn't cause any issues with it. After all, her main concerns are her main concerns are Horace's and her children, the generation that will lead on their father's legacy more so give Horace something to stay living for, if not for her sake.
Madame - Loyal patrons of the Rosamond's Pleasure House establishment, often refer to her as the Madame as she's more often or not seen dealing with the business. Bettina has never seemed bothered by this respective title.
Mrs. Rosamond - Often addressed by business partners, or police that she sells information to. Personally doesn't really like people calling her Mrs. Rosamond because in her heart she'll always be a Schmidt.
Temptress - A teasing nickname that her husband calls her when Bettina manages to seduce him. Often referring to her as his Temptress in passionate moments or leading up to such a time.
Date of Birth:
9th September,1891 (28 years old)
Birthplace:
Vienna, Austria
Nationality/Ethnicity:
Austrian, Austro-Hungarian.
Personal Motto:
Live for the new day, and pray for a better future.
Quotes:
"The war may have broken my home, and shattered the heart of my husband. But it will not take me, it didn't then, nor will it ever."
"Our children are the breath of tomorrow, Mister Shelby. My proposal was to assist the expansion of the Shelby Empire, so our blood doesn't crust and run dry with the coming turf wars but rise up as the victors. Much like my parents had done before me by ensuring my marriage to Horace."
"You call it murder, I call it being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Horace, God chose you to be my husband the moment I was born. Things might not have been simple in the beginning remember? We said our vows in a moments that didn't promise certainty and a future of happiness, yet look at those glorious children we have. They're our purpose to carry on now. For the sake of their future."
"Mister Sabini, always a pleasure really. So what can I do for a drug fucked, loose canon such as yourself?"
"Birmingham, it's quite different from what I'm used to… But it will have to do."
Occupation:
Currently - Matriarch to the Rosamond family, runner of the family business between her husband. Furthermore the boss of the illegal operations of the Rosamond's family; Drug Dealing, Illegal Sales on the English Blackmarket, Professional Assassins, Criminal Setups, Covert Operations with Staff, Selling Information (between police or other gangs), and Privately Running a Pleasure House.
Formerly - Spy for the British Intelligence during the duration of the Great War, posted in the unstable city of Vienna. Before becoming a spy she married her husband Horace Rosamond, though kept her maiden name in Vienna because it was matter of safety.
Reliable Skills Mastered:
- Fully mastered the following languages; German, Hungarian, French, Slovenian and English.
- Capable spy - Able to change accent, dialect, pitch, and general appearance with the training she has received.
- Multi-tasking - The perks of being a mother has shown Bettina is quite the multi-tasker dealing with children not getting along as well as business.
- High level of education - mastering reading, writing and mathematics at a young age.
- Capable of making bombs and weapons for junk. Much like different types of bombs from the cheapest and crappiest of materials.
- Quiet the actress - To survive Bet has learnt a great deal about playing pretend emotions and actions.
- Able to hold her own in a fight, even against much larger people. Because of certain techniques she'd mastered in the time of being a spy.
Weapons of Choice:
- Mauser C96 - Semi-Automatic Pistol
- Steyr Model 1907 (M1907) - Self-Loading Pistol
- A Capsule of Cyanide - For if she's caught in the wrong hands. Kept within a small locket that she always wears, that was a heirloom that was passed down in the generations of her family.
***
Social Status:
Wife of a known veteran whom was left paralyzed, had five child, four of which are still living.
Marital Status:
Arranged Marriage to Horace Rosamond (since. 1908)
Issue:
- Archibald 'Archie' Gilbert Rosamond, aged 10 years old (born April, 1909)
- Jeremiah 'Jerry' Rowland Rosamond, aged 8 years old (born August, 1911)
- Septimus Vincent Rosamond, aged 7 years old (born September, 1912)
- Julius Hiram Rosamond, stillborn (born April, 1913)
- Henrietta Priscilla Myra Schmidt-Rosamond, aged 4 (born February, 1915)- Bettina found out she was pregnant with her fifth child while undercover giving her sometime more to hide under, as pretending she was wedded to her second-cousin during the time.
***
Schmidt & Rosamond Family History:
Respective families that had alliances going back decades. The English family of Rosamond and Austrian family of Schmidt, decided to join their families together with an arranged marriage. This was arranged at the birth of the youngest and only daughter of the Schmidt family, Bettina Valentina Claudia Schmidt.
Drawn up in agreement between Horace's grandfather and Bettina's parents, the two rather underground operating families agreed to expand their business relations through marriage. They were to be married when the young Schmidt girl turned seventeen. Till then, the two would marry to stop them from running or dispising one another.
On the 13th of July 1908, after much preparation Horace and Bettina married. The newlyweds were a sign of good luck between the two families so they partied, not truly caring if the pair loved one another. Bet was seventeen years of age, and her husband Horace was twenty-one so it made finding a level playing ground difficult to establish for the young couple. Even language was a barrier, and caused some emotional strain between the pair. But, doing at they must the marriage was rightly consummated, and about September 1908 shortly after the lonely young woman found out she was carrying her husband's child, which made both families overjoyed.
While her first pregnancy Mistress Rosamond as her husband's maids called her, learnt English slowly and weakly. Gaining more of her knowledge of her husband, and comfort in his company on the harder days. Most mornings she'd wake at the side of her husband caressing her swelling stomach, trying to soothe the child growing within her, hoping to allow it's mother some more sleep. Though, Horace respectively worked hard on the family business, he worried for his young wife's health and the risks that came with childbirth as it was still a risk even with the best aid they could afford.
By the following year, in the middle of April 1909 their first son was born after long hours of labouring. Horace named their first son Archibald after his late father. The exhausted young mother agreed, as long as, Gilbert became his second name. After her father whom died from influenza in the later stages of her pregnancy. As a couple they had gained more of a solid relationship through the birth of their first son, often doing their most to experience with the young boy they fondly called 'Archie' together.
Everything thrived with the booming family, and excelling business that the two families had worked so hard to maintain. Bet took her place at her husband's side after the birth of their third son Septimius Vincent. As she felt that she was needed to assist her husband in opening up some further expansion plans for the family business. Which was when their first pleasure house was opened up in White Chapel, by the time their four and final son was born Julius Hiram whom was stillborn, Bet was struck by the brief of the loss after it had left her fighting for her own due to infection.
Horace felt his wife begin to slip away even after passing the infection, and recovering. Her grief had caused her to neglect looking after herself, and moving up in the family business. It took months of her state to improve, and then the officials came knocking on their town house door with an order to take Mrs. Rosamond into custody under suspicions of her being an Austro-Hungarian spy. Truth be told the young woman was cleared of not being a spy, yet was tasked a mission even her husband couldn't know about. To spy on officials and check in on the general life in Austria throughout the war.
To others it looked like she was just being deported, and thrown away for good. Separated pained Georgiana, but the realisation that she was once more pregnant with her husband's child made her commit to the course, and fight to protect the chance of going home to meet her love once more. Protecting her cover, one of her second-cousins stepped up and took the role of her husband in a chaotic time of Austria. Acting as her support, and companion in that time, even though she remained loyal to a fault with Horace.
Sending word rarely through to her husband, managing to get a letter with a photograph of her and their first daughter to him when she was born in February of 1915. Her daughter was raised in Austria much like her mother was, though when the war ended she went home with her mother to England. The reunion with husband, and sons was said to be something of her dreams one of the notable times she was seen sobbing in public. War had broken so many people, and it had robbed her husband of his ability to walk.
Moving to head of the Rosamond household at her husband condition, Bettina became a strong-minded figure. Loyalty never faltering from her family and the business. Though, since she had spent some time away from her young children, when she came home her sons struggled to reconnect with her. Which has caused resentment toward members of authority such as Mr. Winston Churchill. Henrietta fell into alignment with her siblings quite easily though, her brothers holding a sense of endearment towards their youngest sibling.
Horace was depressed from the war, and lost in the mindset of those days when he was able. A depression that almost lead to his suicide, but Bettina stopped him at the right time. Supporting her husband through his woes, and the struggles that he now faced many rich men began to approach her trying to take her under their wing as their mistress or lover. Yet, she refused. The grown woman of twenty-eight had her family and business to worry about.
Reaching out to the Peaky Blinders as a wish to push an Alliance, Bettina has offered herself at the disposal of Thomas Shelby in order to keep her unwell husband alive. Willingly doing whatever the Shelby brother wishes of her to do, much like she did at the age of seventeen with her husband ten years ago. To benefit her parents then, but now her husband and children.
***
Personality Traits:
Loyal - It is a spoken trait of the Schmidt family that loyalty means everything. Bettina possesses this trait and it could quite possibly be her own downfall. If there was any dog that could explain the level of loyalty Bet held for her family and close friends it would be the German Shepherd. She's always there for the people that need her in the lines of business and personal relationships.
A downfall of her loyal personality is that she has a bad habit of forming a bias for the people she cares about. Though, after time and energy in thinking through situation she'd often see the other side to the story.
Bettina often struggles with people that can't grasp the importance of loyalty. In one of the views that really personally erks her is when a spouse, or lover can't seem to hold a level of loyalty. Inturn people that she knows are like this aren't respected by her.
Loving & Devoted - Love has what kept Bet alive throughout the war, in various ways. After the separation from her children after their father was taken to fight at war her need to get back to her children has truly shown through. Finding ways to get in contact with them even countries away from them, from morse code message on their birthdays through agents, cards and letters when their little sister was born. She found no matter the distance she'd do anything for them, making sure they were taken care of and watched by her workers.
Finally at the war's end Bettina took all the time in the world around her, trying to make up for the lost time with her children. Even if her debications to work called, the mother always made sure to have time with her family. Driving them out to the countryside on holy days, and having a picnic. Getting some assistance on those days to make sure her husband's wheelchair could come along too.
During the long cold nights she stays by her husband's side, speaking with him about his worries and fears. In the comfort of their own privacy in their bedroom. Soothing her husband lovingly when he crumbles with his fears and the thoughts about topic of discussion.
Bettina has accepted what has happened to her husband, and loves him no-less because of his condition. Nor will she ever let him feel that he's a burden to her.
Business Orientated - From a early age Bettina has been raised about the importance of Good Business, and how to keep that kind of business. Forming and solidifying alliances with other gangs and powerful people.
Originally she was believed to be a quiet observer by her husband's side during the early days of their marriage. On some notable occasions with Darby Sabini apparent King of the Underground in London. Yet, she very quickly out-stepped those thoughts made by others. Becoming a rather ambitious rival that looked for alliances in many places, even the most unlikely. More impressively those business endeavours with the most unlikely have more often proved the most successful for the Rosamond Family.
Bettina's charming wit, and surprising amount of scarcaims have also helped on many occasions with known sexiest. The business woman is more than happy to take her success as an example of what women can do outside of a kitchen or nursery. Or more blunty not lying in bed for their husband's to please themselves with. She openly recognizes that this is now the time for change as women have proved themselves rather useful at holding up the fort during the war, why should they be tucked away in their kitchens again?
She hopes to make a larger place for women within the world, and the people she works around. Bet believes it's important for her daughter to know, and understand that she doesn't have to be a simple house wife.
Intelligent - Gifted the highest and best education that Bettina could afford in a considerably wealthy family had its up sides. But not all of her intellect came from the education from schools, and professional tutors. From a young age Bettina learnt what he family business was, and how she could use that to her advantage in any background. Her adaptive personality has allowed her brain survive the worse of conditions, most of all back in the war.
She always holds more cards at her disposal, and uses them with great care which has been part of the reason she's respected by the paranoid Sabini, and hasn't had any trouble from them.
Mothering - Extremely capable at being a mother, Bettina from a young age helped people in Austria with delivering and raising their children before having any of her own. Now that she is a mother of her own, and a busy business woman, Bet tries to balance her life to be there for her children, often taking them with her when it came to travelling her children often stuck by her. Her eldest son has now begun to hand out some of her letters to people she wishes to meet along with his little sister Henrietta, often putting up that it was just children sending letters that their father or mother wants to pay off something. Giving her business a little more of an innocent face before the person reads the letter.
Outside of work hours she often enjoys spending time with her children in the country-side, having a picnic, or joyous times. When she or her husband aren't with her children they are all watched with respective body guards that she appointed after years of service, trust and loyalty. If those guards slip up she's more than happy to execute them herself to ensure the safety of their children.
Archibald is often in her company for business day now because of the fact he's the heir to the Rosamond legacy, yet Henrietta is also there so she learns that woman have just as much strength as men. It was the way her father raised her in Vienna, Austria as a child also.
Excellent Spy - As a young woman married into a family quickly in a foreign country, Bettina became quite the observer over time watching on from the distance. Never able to be detected when entering from room to room, the young woman seemingly would float through atmospheres rather nicely, able to observe and get information from her targets without them even noticing. Bettina's acting skills are also something that made the young woman in places of high class, to the lowest of class between the many roles she could play.
