# Isabel Boncassen — The Duke’s Children character guide > Isabel Boncassen in The Duke’s Children by Anthony Trollope. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Isabel, Bella, Bell **First appearance:** 0027-xxviii-mrs-montacute-jones-s-garden-party ## Snapshot A brilliant, self-possessed American heiress who will marry Silverbridge only if his world will truly have her. ## Who they are Isabel Boncassen arrives in England with her scholarly father, charming everyone from the Duke downward while refusing to be a suppliant for a coronet. She loves Silverbridge, but she will not force her way into a family that means to repudiate her — she must conquer them first, or not marry him at all. Her patient campaign to win Lady Mary's esteem, and the Duke's grave interview with his future daughter-in-law, put the novel's questions about blood, nation, and worth directly to the test. ## Relationships ### [Lord Silverbridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/characters/lord_silverbridge) _romantic_ Isabel and Silverbridge fall deeply in love and marry, overcoming class barriers and family opposition. ### [Lord Silverbridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/characters/lord_silverbridge) _romantic_ Isabel and Silverbridge fall deeply in love and marry, overcoming class barriers and family opposition. ### [Lord Silverbridge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/characters/lord_silverbridge) _romantic_ Isabel and Silverbridge fall deeply in love and marry, overcoming class barriers and family opposition. ## In the story ### [Mrs. Montacute Jones's Garden-Party](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxviii-mrs-montacute-jones-s-garden-party) The American beauty who charms Silverbridge with her vitality and wit; they walk and talk together. ### [What Came of the Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxx-what-came-of-the-meeting) Mentioned as an American woman Silverbridge finds captivating, though he considers her out of the question for marriage. ### [Miss Boncassen's River-Party. No. 1](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxxi-miss-boncassen-s-river-party-no-1) Hosts a river party at Maidenhead; enjoys Silverbridge's attention and discusses American vs. English manners. ### [Miss Boncassen's River-Party. No. 2](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxxii-miss-boncassen-s-river-party-no-2) Refuses to dance with Silverbridge but dances with Dolly Longstaff; playfully deflects Dolly's declaration of love; invites Silverbridge to visit the next day. ### [The Langham Hotel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-langham-hotel) Reflects on her feelings about English society and her interactions with Dolly Longstaff and Lord Silverbridge. ### [Killancodlem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xxxix-killancodlem) Plays lawn tennis and dances with Silverbridge; receives his declaration of love with cautious reserve, agreeing to think about it. ### [XL: “And Then!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xl-and-then) Responds to Silverbridge's declaration by asking him to wait three months and consult his friends. Reveals her grandfather was a Dutch labourer in New York. ### [There Shall Not Be Another Word About It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xlv-there-shall-not-be-another-word-about-it) Silverbridge's true love, but he cannot yet confess it to his father; the Duke is unaware of her. ### [Miss Boncassen's Idea of Heaven](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xlvii-miss-boncassen-s-idea-of-heaven) Confesses to Lady Mary that Silverbridge has proposed; reflects on her love and ambition to be accepted by his family. ### [The Party at Custins Is Broken Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/xlviii-the-party-at-custins-is-broken-up) Walks with the Duke, arguing about American vs. English social mobility; hopes the Duke's liberal views might allow her marriage to Silverbridge. ### [The Duke's Guests](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/li-the-duke-s-guests) Accepts the invitation and writes a playful note to Mary, adding a cryptic line: 'I wonder, I wonder, I wonder!' ### [Miss Boncassen Tells the Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lii-miss-boncassen-tells-the-truth) Confesses her love for Silverbridge in the billiard-room but refuses to marry him without the Duke's approval. ### [LIII: “Then I Am as Proud as a Queen”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/liii-then-i-am-as-proud-as-a-queen) Insists on the Duke's consent for marriage, watches Silverbridge's inaction, and walks with him among the ruins. ### [No One Can Tell What May Come to Pass](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lix-no-one-can-tell-what-may-come-to-pass) Not present but central to Silverbridge's unspoken intention to marry her; the Duke does not recall her. ### [LXI: “Bone of My Bone”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxi-bone-of-my-bone) Silverbridge declares his love for her and his intention to marry her, contingent on the Duke's approval, which she herself stipulated. ### [He Is Such a Beast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxvii-he-is-such-a-beast) Now in London; Silverbridge seeks consolation from her after leaving the hunt. ### [Brook Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxviii-brook-street) Receives Silverbridge, expresses her love but insists on the Duke's consent before marriage, showing independence and wisdom. ### [Pert Poppet!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxix-pert-poppet) The object of both Silverbridge's and Dolly's affections; referred to as a 'pert poppet' by Dolly and as Silverbridge's 'Holy of Holies.' ### [Love May Be a Great Misfortune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxx-love-may-be-a-great-misfortune) Briefly appears at the lunch party, teasing Silverbridge, but leaves before he can speak with her privately. ### [What Am I to Say, Sir?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxi-what-am-i-to-say-sir) Attends the opening of Parliament; later goes to the theatre with Mrs. Montacute Jones, missing Silverbridge's visit. ### [Carlton Terrace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxii-carlton-terrace) Visits Carlton Terrace with her mother to be accepted by the Duke; receives a ring from the Duke that belonged to his late wife; reflects on the responsibilities of becoming a Duchess. ### [LXXIII: “I Have Never Loved You”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxiii-i-have-never-loved-you) Mentioned as Silverbridge's fiancée; Mabel alludes to her as the 'American beauty' and the one Silverbridge has chosen. ### [Let Us Drink a Glass of Wine Together](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxiv-let-us-drink-a-glass-of-wine-together) Sensitive to her mother's discomfort, she supports her while looking forward to her marriage. ### [Mabel, Goodbye](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxvii-mabel-goodbye) Mentioned as the woman Silverbridge loves and will marry; Mabel expresses jealousy and hatred toward her. ### [The First Wedding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxix-the-first-wedding) The bride-to-be, preparing for her wedding; her marriage presents are listed in newspapers. ### [The Second Wedding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/chapters/lxxx-the-second-wedding) Now married to Silverbridge, she enjoys showing her English husband to American friends during their three-month stay in the States. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/characters/isabel_boncassen - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_duke_s_children_se/characters