A Bid for Fortune · Character

Phyllis

A wealthy merchant's daughter whose hand, fortune, and safety become the prize in a forgery-and-abduction scheme she never sees coming.

supporting

Also known as Miss Phyllis

First appearance: part i iii i visit my relations

As a supporting figure in A Bid for Fortune, Phyllis is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Hatteras's sweetheart, meets him at the British Museum, receives a ring, and later appears in a vision crying.

In the storyII: LondonOpen this moment free

See Phyllis in II: London Book page

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She is the reason Hatteras's thoughts turn southward on the voyage home, and the reason a nobleman's proposal is treated as a transaction to be verified with cablegrams and signatures. Her father's wealth makes her a target, and her coachman's battered return after a ball turns her absence into a citywide police search. She is both the emotional center of the early arc and the object that reveals how far Nikola's network has reached into ordinary households.

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The fuller portrait of Phyllis sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Phyllis in part i iii i visit my relations

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt represents the dramatic climax because it reaches the emotional and psychological peak of the pri…

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In the story

Phyllis appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: London
Hatteras's sweetheart, meets him at the British Museum, receives a ring, and later appears in a vision crying.
VII: Port Said, and What Befell Us There
Hatteras's beloved; he thinks of her while departing Naples and looks forward to seeing her in Australia.
I: We Reach Australia, and the Result
Phyllis meets the narrator in Sydney, expresses unhappiness about her father's pressure to marry another man, and later disappears from Government House.
II: On the Trail
Missing; believed to have been taken by the gang, now in Nikola's hands for three hours.
Following Up a Clue
Phyllis is the missing girl; the informant describes seeing her forced onto a train by two men.
Conclusion
Now Lady Hatteras, recounts her abduction from the ball and her rescue.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Phyllis unlock in the free preview.

See Phyllis in part i iii i visit my relations

See Phyllis in II: London