Plumleigh-Teignmott (Bontwee), Dimity

1879 George Elgar Hicks – On the Seashore.

Dimity Ann Plumleigh-Teignmott is Sophronia's roommate and best friend.

Appearance

Dimity is Caucasian, with masses of honey colored curls and brown eyes. Dimity is a little younger than Sophronia, approximately 13 in the first book, with a round porcelain face. When Sophronia meets her, Dimity is wearing an excess of jewelry and bright colors that make her "look quite the scandal, as if she were in training to be a lady of the night." In general, the girl has an affinity for garish jewelry which, as a consequence of her family's financial situation, are usually cheaper imitations.

Personality

A bright eyed and lively girl who loves to prattle, much to the dismay of her brother Pillover. Her biggest weakness is that she faints at the sight of blood. She also does not really wish to be more than a lady and married, which is at odds with her lessons at Mademoiselle Geraldine's. She is, however, surprisingly adept at stealth, deceit and social graces, but it is the danger of intelligencer life that she objects to.

Dimity is mostly outrageous and silly, but has a strong backbone of intelligence and wit. Sophronia describes her as having a guileless craftiness.

She and her brother are disappointments to their evil parents due to this shared lack of evil intentions.

History

Dimity was born on February 2, 1838. She is a human girl who lived in the English countryside prior to attending Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing School.

Pillover Plumleigh-Teignmott is Dimity's brother. He is a few years younger than she is. Their father was a founding member of the Death Weasel Confederacy, and his mother was a kitchen chemist of questionable intent.

Dimity is unique at the Finishing School, in that her mother is a "Kitchen Chemist with Questionable Intent," a graduate of Mademoiselle Geraldine's, and her father is a founding member of the Death Weasel Confederacy and a graduate of Bunson's. Marriage between students of the two schools is "not done." The Plumleigh-Teignmott parents are both inventors and their activities cause a lot of trouble for their children.

After finishing school, Dimity became a retainer for the War Office where she was on of the best for gentler jobs. It was on such a job that she met her husband, Crispin Bontwee. The two married and had five boy children.

In the books

Etiquette & Espionage

Dimity and her brother, Pillover, ride with Sophronia to go to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality (though Pillover is on his way to Bunson and Lacroix's Boys' Polytechnique). She becomes Sophronia's roommate and very good friend at school. Dimity helped Sophronia investigate and find the prototype. She also tries to "reform" the sooties with charitable assistance.

Curtsies & Conspiracies

In the beginning of the story, Dimity and Sophronia go get test assessments - to which Dimity is rather distraught. She doesn't want to fail out and leave her friends. She does have some scandalous news when she presents a missive she's received from Lord Dingleproops. He wants to meet her on the squeak deck of the school's ship - to which Sophronia finds this very suspicious. She was correct - Lord Dingleproops was not a member of the ship-boarding party that came to see her. It was a trap - more Picklemen trying to get aboard the school. It was part of a ploy to capture Dimity.

Dimity later reveals that she and the other girls had been part of play to ostracize whichever girl had the highest marks (which they'd all assumed would be Monique). It was the second half of their exams. She also continued her endeavors to help improve the sooties.

Waistcoats & Weaponry

Waistcoats & Weaponry opens with Dimity attending Professor Braithwope's class. The lesson ends with Sophronia danging off the side of the ship as her friends look on in concern until encouraged them to go. After lunch (and some teasing of Sidheag and her crush on Captain Niall), they had classes with the captain where he taught them how to fight with bladed fans. Sidheag gets some private mail and seems rather distraught, but none of the girls know why. Dimity faints when Preshea removes her safety guard and cuts Sophronia. She then attends Lady Linette's class on seduction (where the masquerade ball for Sophronia's brother's engagement is mentioned).

Weeks pass before Sophronia and Dimity are given leave to go to Ephraim's masquerade ball. Dimity rode with Sophronia back to Sophronia's home. At the ball, Sidheag arrived to share the news that Lord Maccon had left the Kingair Pack. Sidheag needs to go back to Scotland as Lady of Kingair. So, of course her friends plan to help her get to a train to leave England and Dimity volunteers to help. However, the train they ended up stowing away on it is carrying a device that disrupts mechanicals and they discover a plot by the Picklemen to sow chaos and push through their own agenda.

Manners & Mutiny

At the beginning of Manners & Mutiny, Dimity is very excited that there's going to be a winter ball between Mademoiselle Geraldine's and Bunson's. Lady Linette adds a special twist: each of the girls are to go as someone else. Dimity gets assigned to go as Preshea Buss. Agatha gets assigned Dimity and immediately she wants to help the other girl dress as herself. She wasn't at all bothered by the assignment.

On winter break, Sophronia's sister (then Petunia Hisselpenny) picks up Sophronia, Agatha, and Dimity. The plan was for Dimity to stay with Agatha until Pillover's classes at Bunson's let out for winter break. However, she decided to stay with Sophronia and the Hisselpennys instead to go shopping in town. During their stay, they are invited to Lord Akeldama's for a meal and a show (the invitation delivered by Soap).

After Christmas, the girls (including Dimity) infiltrated the records room again so Sophronia could discover more about Madame Spetuna. Dimity took the time to look through their personal files, but they were caught. Their punishment was to not attend the New Year's celebration. Dimity still intended to sneak off to attend the party. The two were left to care for Professor Braithwope, but infiltrated into the tea party disguised as servers.

Defy or Defend

Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott is grown and an intelligencer working for the War Office under the name Honey Bee. She is given a mission to infiltrate the Nottingham Hive after BUR receives notice that the hive has gone goth. She is to determine if it's true and report back to BUR. She takes it upon herself to bring the hive back from the brink of destruction, with Sir Crispin Bontwee by her side.

Trivia

• Dimity is easily distracted by fashion.
• Dimity is very good at blushing.
• Dimity is a very loyal friend
• Dimity faints at the sight of blood. (or the idea of it)
• Eventually she overcomes her dislike of blood enough to only faint when there is a great deal of it or when it gets on her.
• Dimity wrote a poem for Lord Dingleproops, but never sent it. "My love is like a red red rose / occasionally he has a red red nose / he could keep me warm in the snows / I wager he has very nice toes."
• Dimity has tried every remedy for bust improvement.
• Dimity focused her studies on Millinery and Machinations.
• Of her classmates, Dimity was the only one to like the "French-issue ebony-stock percussion muff-pistols."
• Dimity is fond of many jewels (emeralds, rubies, sapphires), but not diamonds.
• Attending Lord Akeldama's dinner party, Dimity is escorted by Bolo.
• Dimity dislikes cucumber.
• Dimity's alias or code name is the 'Honey Bee'
• Is called Sparkles by Sir Crispin Bontwee
• Undercover as Jonquil Chitty at the beginning of Defy or Defend when she was assigned to Professor Meeld-Forrison
• Undercover as Mrs. Carefull (a painter) with her husband Mr. Carefull (a dancer) played by Sir Crispin Bontwee.
• The Frolicking Cow - a painting Dimity creates at Budgy Hall that is of a hound on the hunt. Named the Frolicking Cow after Sir Crispin Bontwee guesses what the painting is of and incorrectly assumes the form of the hound.
• Dimity and Crispin go on a tour of the Mediterranean for their honeymoon.
• Dimity and Crispin have five boy children. 

Links

• Pinterest Character Board for Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott.

Quotes

• "The combination of the hair, the jewelry, and the dress made her look quite the scandal, as though she were training to become a lady of the night. Sophronia was duly impressed." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Two)
• "If you're afraid of falling, you could ride astride. It's much easier to hang on to a horse that way.' Dimity looked affronted at the very idea." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Four)
• "But all the engine parts down there are exposed. A girl can see exactly how things work. It's undignified.' 'It's full of boys.' Dimity paused, giving that statement its due consideration." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Seven)
• “Really, Sophronia, it makes me most uncomfortable how you manage to sort everything out every time I faint.” (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Seven)
• "Dimity broke off what she considered the most shapely branch and commented upon the bush's aesthetic qualities." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Eight)
• "An interesting choice.' 'I like the shape and smoothness,' said Dimity. 'Not the best reason I have ever heard for choosing a knife, but not the worst, either." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Eight)
• "Dimity was, as a general rule, a very nice person." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Nine)
• "I know you think I'm only paying attention to the etiquette side of our training, but I can't help picking other stuff up along the way. I may want to be a lady, but I'm learning how to be an intelligencer whether I like it or not." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Fourteen)
• "Dimity might not be very good at finding out anything about prototypes, or world domination, or next day's tea cakes, but she certainly had an ear for gossip." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Fourteen)
• "Dimity, with great reluctance, removed all her jewelry and put on her darkest gown, a royal blue walking dress." (Etiquette & Espionage, Lesson Fifteen)
• "Your marks are fair, although not as we would have hoped given your lineage. Your reluctance to pursue subterfuge does your a disservice when it is rooted in laziness. Your good humor may work in your favor if you can harness it for information gathering and not simply gossip. Concentrate on your combat and solo reconnaissance. You must build your character, Miss Plumleigh-Teignmott. Flibbertigibbets are only good if they have a solid foundation." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 2nd Test)
• "I'd rather be loyal than right." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 6th Test)
• "'I thought you were no longer tempted to partake.' 'I wasn't, until Preshea came along and stole him away from me.' 'Dimity!' 'Well, it's true. I'm a terribly, terribly shallow person.' Pillover nodded into this gruel." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 7th Test)
• "People with money never act like it." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 7th Test)
• "I've always thought beards suspicious,' said Dimity with conviction." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 7th Test)
• "You must excuse Dimity,' said Sophronia to the sooties at large. 'She believes that to be a lady she must practice acts of charitable benevolence. She has selected you lot as her victims." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 8th Test)
• "Unless Sophronia missed her guess, the poor lad was already developing romantic feelings toward her friend. Many of the sooties probably were. Dimity was so pretty and chattery, she quite overpowered the average male. Many gentleman were unable to cope with abundant chatter, which is why they so often married it." (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 8th Test)
• “All the best geniuses are evil.” (Curtsies & Conspiracies, The 11th Test)
• "'As if thinking out loud weren't decidedly indelicate.' Dimity was not to be swayed out of disapproval when she felt it might exercise her creativity.” (Waistcoats & Weaponry, Session One)
• "The girls practiced with leather guards over their fans, for safety. This also kept Dimity from fainting. Over a year and a half of training to be an intelligencer and Dimity still fainted at the sight of blood. Poor thing, she wasn't meant for this lifestyle." (Waistcoats & Weaponry, Session Two)
• "Lady Linette, I don't mean to sound ignorant, but what, exactly, is the unspoken offer? I mean to say, how do I know if I don't know, as it were?" (Waistcoats & Weaponry, Session Three)
• "I wonder if engineering, for Bumbersnoot, is like church. Or am I being apocryphal?" (Waistcoats & Weaponry, Session Four)
• "Dimity wanted to be a lady rather more than she wanted to be an intelligencer." (Waistcoats & Weaponry, Session Four)
• “As much as she was enjoying it, Dimity would always rather talk about reading than actually read.” (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis Four)
• “I hate missing everything. That's why I want to marry well and be a grand lady. Then I can host all the parties, all the time, and see everything that is going on always. How can you stand not knowing?” (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis Nine)
• “Shut your cake hole, you revolting young blot.” (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis Ten)
• "We're a team,' protested Dimity, 'like tea and milk, or cake and custard, or pork and apple." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis Eleven)
• “Dimity had firm opinions on cucumber, which she felt was nothing more than slimy, embarrassingly shaped water and should never, under any circumstances, be presented at table.” (Manners & Mutiny)
• "Dimity had tried every remedy for bust improvement that Mademoiselle Geraldine suggested, from massage with a tincture of myrrh, pimpernel, elder-flower, and rectified spirits, to preparations of nux vomica mixed with Madeira, to a diet composed mainly of comforting, breast-pampering foodstuffs. Dimity did not find the diet challenging, as it emphasized pastry, milk, potatoes, and similar farinaceous foods. However, she was also avoiding tea and refraining from indulging in anger, grief, worry, and jealousy. Emotions, everyone knew, affected the size and quality of one's endowments. But despite her efforts, nothing had, so far, improved." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 1)
• "She had it the easiest, for Preshea was always elegant. Well, perhaps that wasn't easy for Dimity. She'd have to leave off her customary jewelry, and the personality switch was going to be rough. Dimity would have to be cruel and calculating." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 1)
• "It was frankly exhausting to insult everyone all the time. And hard never knowing one's real friends." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 2)
• She would never admit to decorating her own hats, but there was something to be said for the concealment possibilities inherent in a well-endowed bonnet." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 4)
• "Dimity was developing a style that involved shooting her target and then instantly looking in a different direction. Professor Lefoux despaired of her." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 4)
• "As much as she was enjoying it, Dimity would always rather talk about reading than actually read. In fact, Sophronia suspected she only read enough to have something to discuss." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 4)
• "Dimity was so enamored of the shops they visited that Petunia turned an increasingly fond eye to her. Sophronia would never have thought her friend and her sister would grow close, but already Dimity had a standing invitation to return for another visit, with or without Sophronia." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 5)
• "A gleeful Dimity egged everyone on. It was a good tactic, as high dudgeon often yielded information." (Manners & Mutiny, Crisis 6)
• "She had always rather admired the simple life-it was only that her dearest friends tended to be active in the world of espionage, someone had to keep an eye on them, and she was made loyal." (Defy or Defend, Chapter 1)
• “Desperately Dimity mentioned badminton. I mean to say, who doesn’t have opinions on badminton? Everyone has opinions on badminton.” (Defy or Defend, Chapter 1)
• "Sir Crispin was staring at her in a sort of awed disgust. 'The working of your mind is a thing of great beauty and profound horror." (Defy or Defend, Chapter 2)
• "It was a pickle. For if her wiles did work on Sir Crispin, she would not trust him so much. For he then would have been taken in by the Honey Bee, not Dimity. And she would never know if he really liked her. But her wiles were all she knew of relating to a man. How was she to seduce him without them? (Defy or Defend, Chapter 5)
• "You don't stop missing the people you loved. Maybe you can heal from losing things, but not people. They take a bit of your soul with them and that's not a wound that ever mends completely. It's not a ghost, but the absence of one." (Defy or Defend, Chapter 6)
• "This wasn't what I wanted originally, did you know? Espionage. It was simply that my parents insisted and now all my dearest friends do it and they love it so. I thought I could help and serve my country and be useful. I have the training. I'm pretty good at certain missions. So why not? And now I'm rather stuck." (Defy or Defend, Chapter 6)
• "She'd assumed, when they entered this new state of carnal bliss, that Cris would remain her safety. She was beginning to realize that sometimes she would need to be his." (Defy or Defend, Chapter 8)