Annmarie Hopkins

Annmarie Hopkins is a main character in the Young Miss Holmes / Christie series. She works as one of Christie's personal maids and is very loyal to her.

Personality
Annmarie is demure, polite, and soft-spoken. She is a strict but gentle disciplinarian with the household staff, particularly Nora. She adores Christie and is fiercely protective of her.

A devout Christian, Annmarie frequently makes reference to Scripture or Church history. The mere mention of Nora's whip once brought her to close to tears as she recalled that Jesus was brutally scourged. However, despite her generally pacifistic nature, devastating cicumstances in her past have left her with a violent temper whenever an emergency strikes, such as a villain threatening Christie. On such occasions, Annmarie reveals what could aptly be termed an "avenging angel" personality, calling down the wrath of God upon the evildoer, and making her point with a pair of revolvers she keeps upon her person.

Appearance
Annmarie is Caucasian, with black hair and blue eyes.

As a maid, Annmarie usually keeps her long hair pinned in a bun. It it often paired with a frilled headpiece, which matches her work attire of a black ankle-length dress with a high collar tired with a large white bow. A frilled white apron and nondescript black boots complete the outfit.

When on outings, she is mostly seen wearing a flowered or beribboned bonnet and a plain cloak.

History
An American by birth, Annemarie was the daughter of a minister and his wife. Born in Gainesville, Georgia after the end of the War Between the States, she was brought up in a time when slavery was over, but bigotry against black people remained. When Annemarie was about ten years old, a former slave named Nina was about to give birth, and Annemarie's parents went along to attend, her mother as midwife and her father to baptize the baby. Annemarie herself was a guest at a friend's birthday party when a former slave whom Annemarie affectionately called Uncle Tom*, arrived with tragic news.

On their way home, Annemarie's mother and father had been waylaid by members of the Ku Klux Klan, who murdered them, carving "K.K.K." in Pastor Hopkins's chest. Following their funeral, Annemarie learned from a former slave named Jeff who and where the murderers were, and that their number included the local sheriff. In a near-madness of anger and revenge, Annemarie, already proficient in the use of firearms, made her way to the place and spread gunpowder and oil all around the premises, then fired a shot from a rifle into the air, drawing the murderers out. Then she shot a barrel of gunpowder she had set on the porch, and the whole mansion went up in flames, killing all inside.

Annemarie was horrified by her actions and collapsed sobbing before the conflagration, but as the years went by, she sought forgiveness from God and attained peace and serenity, only occasionally interrupted by emergencies. She received futher assurance from Sherlock Holmes, who said to her, "That night, I firmly believe God enacted His judgment through you."

* Whether Uncle Tom is meant to be the actual title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin or merely Shintani's tribute to him is unclear.

Trivia

 * Variations of her name in English include Ann Marie and Ann-Marie.
 * The name "Annmarie" is a variant of the Hebrew name Anna (Hebrew). The meaning of Annmarie is "God has favored me."